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Justus 1

Adelaide Justus

Professor Gutierrez, Professor Mosakowski

UL 100ZA

12 March 2023

Evaluation of Sources

dw_globalideas, seashepherd. “Catching the fish catchers.” Instagram, 20 February 2023,

https://www.instagram.com/p/Co4v276AxHD/. Accessed 12 March 2023.

In this video post, the CEO of Sea Shepherd, Captain Alex Cornelissen, discusses the

situation of illegal fishing and how the industry supply is today compared to 30 years ago.

Cornelissen claims that the fish populations are below 40% and claims that by 2048 “...there’ll

be no more commercially viable fish populations available in the world’s oceans.”. Now the

credibility of this claim is weak, as they credit Science Magazine, but don’t state which article

the magazine published the article. With personal research, you might be able to find it, but

without the name or the studies available, the probability of finding the article is low. It would be

difficult to take Cornelissen’s claims as 100% accurate. With this, on a scale of 1-5, I would give

this source a 3. It gives a point of view on the topic and the organization does some amazing

work with spreading awareness, and that’s what this video does. Despite this, credibility is key

and not providing sources doesn’t prove anything of what you are talking about.

“Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing Causes and Effects.” WWF, World Wildlife Fund,

www.worldwildlife.org/threats/illegal-fishing. Accessed 12 March 2023.

Just like with Seafood Watch, this article talks about sustainability and catch-to-plate

awareness. They, though, give a more in-depth overview of the issue and the causes of illegal

fishing. WWF provides what impacts illegal fishing leaves and what species and places are
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impacted. With that, just like Seafood Watch, they are telling us what they are doing to combat

this issue. The purpose of this website article is to persuade the reader into becoming more

conscious of what illegal fishing is, why it’s an issue, and what steps to take to help. With the

website, there is only one point of view, which isn’t good for debate, but their incentive is strong.

As they give good data points on why it’s an issue. They explain that millions of people depend

on fish in their diets, so it's important to keep regulations on the fishing industries around the

world.

Mohammad Mahmudul Islam, et al. “Social Considerations of Large River Sanctuaries: A Case Study

from the Hilsa Shad Fishery in Bangladesh.” Sustainability, no. 4, 2018, p. 1. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsrep&AN=edsrep.a.gam.jsusta.v10y2018i4

p1254.d142054&site=eds-live.Accessed 12 March 2023.

This article is relevant to my topic as it analyzes the socioeconomic impacts of fishing

sanctuaries in fishing households. It also talks about how the fish sanctuaries contribute to the

illegal fishing market by banning fishing during periods. This results in low income, making

these fishing communities turn towards illegal fishing practices. This article might have a bias as

the authors are based in Bangladesh, which is the area of focus. They might have some personal

ties to the area. This could create personal bias but provide more detailed, accurate information, a

double-edged sword. As for its currency, it is from 2018, which is just on that five-year cut-off.

Having the article that far back could leave some discrepancies, which could be that the issue has

been resolved since the article was published. The authors, certainly Mohammad, have the right

credentials. He is an Associate Professor at Sylhet Agricultural University in Bangladesh and has

a B.Sc. in Marine Science, and an M.Sc. in Oceanography, as well as a Ph.D. As for the other

authors, not much is found when you look them up on google, but the majority have other
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published articles relating to fishing. Whether or not the other articles are credible, is up for

debate.

Petrossian, Gohar A. The Last Fish Swimming : The Global Crime of Illegal Fishing / Gohar A.

Petrossian. Jan. 2019, p. xvi. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=agr&AN=CAT31417399&site=ehost-live.

Accessed 12 March 2023.

This book, specifically this chapter, describes the importance of what factors make illegal

fishing possible. Through an examination of 53 countries, the book asks the world to look at the

effect illegal fishing has on the fish population. This is because, according to the book, eight

percent of the world's population depends on the fishing industry, and with the decline of viable

fishing populations this population is at risk as well. This is relevant to my topic, as it talks about

what effects on fishing communities illegal fishing has through environmental and socio-

economic impacts. It also talks about vulnerable species to illegal fishing, this includes Tuna. A

species of fish I will be narrowing my topic down on. This book was published in 2019, and as I

am aware, illegal fishing is still a major issue today. What Petrosian is talking about is still a

relevant topic and should be taken seriously. With the relevancy, different kinds of criminal

activity that come with illegal fishing are also relevant today.

Primyastanto, Mimit, et al. “Sustainable Operational Analysis of the Cultivation of Indonesian Thunnus

Albacares by Bioeconomic Approach.” Croatian Journal of Fisheries, vol. 79, no. 2, Jan. 2021,

pp. 61–70. EBSCOhost, doi-org.emporiastate.idm.oclc.org/10.2478/cjf-2021-0007. Accessed 12

March 2023.

To narrow down my topic, I chose to talk about the specific impact, not only on fishing

communities but also on Tuna. This article talks about the cultivation conditions of Yellowfin
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Tuna in the Indonesian area. It found that certain parts of Indonesia have the potential for eco-

friendly cultivation methods for Yellowfin Tuna. For this article, I would give this article a 4 out

of 5. It provides great data points for research, but for the everyday reader can be confusing.

Sometimes data is good but can be complex and difficult to read. I had a hard time reading this

article, and I still, find it hard to interpret. Despite this, the article is from 2021, which wasn’t

that long ago. If the issue address wasn’t resolved, it might still be in effect today. A lot can

happen in two years though, but also nothing could also happen.

“Stop Illegal Fishing.” Seafoodwatch.org, www.seafoodwatch.org/seafood-basics/sustainable-

solutions/stop-illegal-fishing. Accessed 08 March 2023.

This website is very credible, as it is published by the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which is

a non-profit, public Aquarium in Monterey, California. They published the Seafood Watch in

1999, a program created to increase awareness of sustainable seafood purchasing. The program

includes Tuna, the fish my topic will be narrowing down on. The website, particularly in the

article linked, talks about what illegal fishing is and how to stop it. It gives sustainable methods

to combat illegal fishing as well as an explanation of what Illegal, Underreported, and

Unregulated (IUU) fishing is. They also provide information on what they are doing to combat

this issue. I give this website a 5 out of 5, as it provides valuable information on my topic. It also

goes into detail and provides multiple sources. The more sources the more information I can

learn about my topic.

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