Conservation efforts

Overfishing is a devastating ecological disaster. However, there is much is being done on an international scale to help stop the problems overfishing is causing:

• Alaska is a great example of a state working hard to prevent overfishing from progressing. It has incorporated numerous management techniques to bring back and stabilize Pacific salmon and pollock species to an acceptable level.

• Iceland has managed to restore its once overfished cod fisheries to a current flourishing state. The country is highly dependent on marine species for its economy, and has managed to conserve the cod by limiting the number of fishing vessels out at sea at any given time.

• In 2009, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released a Status of US fisheries report, showing that many fisheries have been replenished to sustainable levels after being exposed to heavy overfishing for several years. Some of the species include Atlantic swordfish, Atlantic sea bass, and St. Mathhew's Island blue king crab. The fisheries were able to accomplish this through "catch shares" or Limited Access Privilege Programs (LAPPs). These systems allow fishermen, community or fishery to have a certain number of fish. Before fishing season begins, fishermen are informed on how many fish they can remove from the waters based on the fishery's Total Allowable Catch (TAC).

What I find to be most promising is that on Friday, February 24th, 2012, the World Bank launched a new partnership to raise 1.5 billion dollars to help replenish the world's oceans. The partnership seeks to double the total marine protected areas and rebuild numerous fish stocks across the world.

I am truly fascinated by this new approach to saving the world's oceans. Out of all my research, I found this to be by far the most concentrated, united and grand effort to appease the gigantic amount of damage we humans have done on our oceans. The above video really does make one hopeful for the future of our seas.

References

1. Limited Access Privilege (LAP) Programs. 13 Sept. 2011. NOAA Fisheries Service. 3 March 2011 <http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/sf/LimitedAccessPrivilegeLAPPrograms.htm>.
   
2. NOAA Report: Three Other Stocks Fully Rebuilt; None Added to Overfishing List. 10 May 2010. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association. 3 March 2011 <http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2010/20100510_swordfish.html>. 
3. 'Save our Salmon' Initiative Passes In Alaska. Eaton, Daysha. 8 Oct. 2011. OPB News. 3 March 2011 <http://news.opb.org/article/save_our_salmon_initiative_passes_in_alaska/>. 
4.  World Bank launches global coalition for marine protection. Watts, Jonathan. 24 Feb. 2012. The Guardian. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/feb/24/world-bank-coalition-marine-protection>.