The word by-catch is not new in the vocabulary of fishers as it poses one of the greatest issues in the fishing industry. The term by-catch refers to the unintentional ‘catch’ of a marine species when the primary target is under pursuit. Dozens of fish or species such as dolphins, whales, and many different species are unintentionally killed as part of by-catch in the oceans. By-catch not necessarily means the species of the fish, but it can also mean the unwanted size of the target. For instance, the undersized tilapia or nil patches can be a by-catch in a situation where the fisherman is interested in the larger size of the same species (Dunn & Halpin, 2011). By-catch is one of the problems the fishing industry faces. Firstly, by-catch is responsible for the reduction in some particular fish species. In the oceans, there are fish species which does not reproduce much. It means that these precious species are very few and when killed unintentionally and aimlessly, they risk being extinct. Such example is a dolphin. Alternatively, by-catch is a problem since it causes biodiversity imbalance among aquatic animals. For instance, it is responsible for either reducing the number of prey in the marine environment or increasing the number of predators. Also, by-catch is attributed to the amount of pretentious waste dumped in the oceans from dead fish. This also is a health hazard and also can affect other fish species as asserted by Gilman et al. (2010). By-catch has various effects on the aquatic environment, fisheries, and even the political perspective. For instance, the protein load of fish released into the oceans can affect the marine environment and can negatively affect other species. Also, it is a waste of animals’ lives since they are killed aimlessly. This is morally injustice to such kinds of animals and hence morally condemned. For the economist, by-catch does not affect revenue production in a country yet it generates a cost. In this case, it is viewed as an economic and profitability hindrance in a country. To the fishers, it creates bad public image. Also, it comes with a cost to the fishermen since at a time; fishers find themselves on the wrong side of law due to by-catch (Naylor et al., 2008). By-catch is a critical issue in the fish industry. Many people argue that due to by-catch, many people are supplied with wild-caught food. However, such people may not be aware of the number of fish species that die accidentally in the year and its impact in the fish industry. Fish mortality scale so high that threatens their survival. For instance, it is estimated that each year, at least 7.3 million tons of fish are accidentally caught. Some also suggest that most of the time, the percentage of by-catch outways the targeted catch (Gulbrandsen, 2009). There are various threats by-catch come with it. Firstly, it threatens the economy since it produces no revenue for the country but utilizes cost hence posing a threat to economic stability. By-catch also constitutes a threat to individual fish species' extinction. Also, morally, by-catch is a threat since it is attributed to the waste of fish life. By-catch affects several individuals. Almost all people in the world feel the pressure of economic challenges which by-catch is a major contributor to its degradation. However, fishers are the main victims of by-catch. It is the fisher’s images that tarnish when the issue is at its peak. Also, fishers find themselves on the wrong side of the law due to this issue where they have to dig deep into their pockets.
Solutions and means of reducing by-catch
One way to reduce by-catch is through enacting strict regulation that guides them against aimless harming. A greater solution to by-catch is through instituting a by-catch management board which will come up with a scientific method and better way of collecting marine resources (Grafton et al., 2008).
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References
Dunn, D. C., Boustany, A. M., & Halpin, P. N. (2011). Spatio‐temporal management of fisheries to reduce by-catch and increase fishing selectivity. Fish and Fisheries , 12 (1), 110-119.
Gilman, E., Gearhart, J., Price, B., Eckert, S., Milliken, H., Wang, J., ... & Chaloupka, M. (2010). Mitigating sea turtles bycatch in coastal passive net fisheries. Fish and Fisheries , 11 (1), 57-88.
Grafton, R. Q., Hilborn, R., Ridgeway, L., Squires, D., Williams, M., Garcia, S., ... & Libecap, G. (2008). Positioning fisheries in a changing world. Marine Policy , 32 (4), 630-634.
Gulbrandsen, L. H. (2009). The emergence and effectiveness of the Marine Stewardship Council. Marine Policy , 33 (4), 654-660.
Naylor, R. L., Hardy, R. W., Bureau, D. P., Chiu, A., Elliott, M., Farrell, A. P., ... & Nichols, P. D. (2009). Feeding aquaculture in an era of finite resources. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , 106 (36), 15103-15110.
