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GE 4 The Contemporary World (TCW)

Instruction: Look at a photograph take notice about how the details of the photograph
can tell us about the people and the many ways they fish. Use the questions on the
right of the image to continue the discussion.

The image on the left

shows the many ways
people fish. Identify each
type. Which one do you
think is more sustainable?
The one on top or the
one at the bottom? Why
do you say so? Share your
thoughts with the class.
For better image clarity,
you may click on the link
provided.

Image source: https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/environmentalscience/chapter/ chapter-12-resources-and-

sustainable-development

The equipment has greatly influenced the harvesting rate such as the
various methods of catching fish depicted in the image. This equipment is
brought about by the advancement of technologies. There are methods of
catching fish under fishing technology such as line methods, a gill-net, and a
trawl fishing, each has its efficiency however they differ on sustainability. 

There are differences in the efficiency and sustainability of the methods

of catching fish. The first method shown in the image is the Line method
which uses hand-held or mechanically operated poles with baited hooks
attached. This method ranges from hand-lines with either one or more hooks,
to floating or bottom long-lines which have a lot of hooks that extend for
kilometers. Another is the gill-net, a wall of netting that hangs in the water
column that are kept afloat at the proper depth using a system of weights and
buoys attached to the head-rope, foot-rope, or floating and can range up to
tens of kilometers in length. Lastly is the trawling method of fishing that
involves pulling an open, broad-mouthed fishing net through the water behind
one or more boats and then pulled shut with a bottom draw-line.

For my part, the most sustainable fishing method is the top image
which is the line fishing method. This method results in less bycatch because
non-targeted species can be released immediately. Additionally, only one fish
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is caught at a time, preventing overfishing. For commercial fishers, line fishing

is a more sustainable alternative to long lining. Unlike the gill net, which
generally has low environmental impacts with minimal seabed interaction but
gill nets do carry the risk of bycatch, the accidental capture of unwanted
species, and interaction with other marine animals. Also, the trawling method
is not sustainable enough since this can bring negative impacts on the
environment such as the damage to bottom-dwelling (benthic) animals and
plants, and the waste of animals that are either unmarketable or illegal to
retain. This method damages the seafloor and can lead to overfishing. Bottom
trawl nets can also harm coral reefs, sharks, and sea turtles. 

References: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/