Overfishing

Fish is the main source of protein for over a billion people. As a result, the high demand for fish has led to the issue of overfishing. In order to keep up with the demand, trawling nets the size of four football fields are used to catch up too 500 tons of fish at a time. Much of the fish ends up going to waste.

There is an especially high demand for large fish. Stocks of large fish have fallen by 90%.

40% of the seafood demand is for farmed fish. Many of the farmed fish are carnivorous and eat smaller fish. This means that when a farmed fish is wasted, so are the several fish it consumed.

Overfishing is a severe issue because it impacts ocean ecosystems and depletes food sources. Though there may be enough fish to be wasted right now, this will not be the case in the future if the pattern continues. People who eat fish can help solve the problem of overfishing by eating smaller portions of fish and avoiding the consumption of endangered fish.