1.

3 What are the problems affecting our

oceans?

What’s been in the news

recently?
 Definition - What is overfishing?
Overfishing is the continuous process of catching more fish from the sea
than the natural systems can reproduce. As a result, the total number of fish
in the seas falls. Eventually fish stocks may be exhausted.
The underlying cause of overfishing is the increasing demand for
seafood led by population growth and economic development

tion
Po pula
Fishery production

World fishery production and world population

With economic development peoples lifestyles pushing up demand
for specific fish species
Consolidation
What is overfishing?
Why is it happening?
Reason → Details
Advancements in fishing technologies
Factory ships with sonar and GPS are more efficient at locating,
catching and storing large amounts of fish in a single trip.
Podcast One: Fishy Business - Where Does Our Fish Come From?
(rthk.hk)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7nxvX9YaI

Q
Arctic Ocean

North Sea
Atlantic
Ocean
Nan Hai

Pacific Ocean

Indian Ocean

Southern Ocean

Locations of overfishing
Popular fishing grounds are rapidly being exhausted
Arctic Ocean

North-east Atlantic
The Grand Banks
Atlantic
Ocean

Pacific Ocean

Indian Ocean
Many fisherman have adopted destructive fishing techniques that are
cheaper and can bring in high yields, but destroy marine ecosystems
 Bottom trawling
Large weighted nets
are dragged along the
ocean floor capturing all
fish and destroying
everything in their path.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqDFba2x
E2o
Using poison (cyanide fishing)

Small amounts of poison (usually cyanide)

stun the fish and make them easier to catch.
Popular method to catch exotic fish for
aquariums. The poison will eventually kill coral
habitats

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtMs_6Z_jTE&t
=7s
Using explosives
Shock waves kill large amounts of
fish in one go and destroys reef
habitat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Y_8x4TG
m3A
What are the effects of overfishing on the ecosystem?

- Habitat destruction, destructive fishing destroy vital reef habitats and shelter
- Upsetting the balance of the ecosystem, loss of predators disrupts the food chain
- Altering the food chain, breakdown of marine ecosystem affects birds and animals

What are the effects of overfishing on people?

- Loss of catch results in income loss and unemployment (particularly in LDCs)

- Insufficient food supply and increases in the price of seafood
- International conflicts in international waters and risks to fisherman
- Dangers to health and safety of fisherpeople when using destructive techniques
 Brainstorm -What are the impacts of overfishing on marine ecosystems?

Suggested Overfishing takes place (stocks

caught faster than can reproduce)
framework

Loss of top predators + juveniles

(as bycatch) and reduction in
numbers of lower trophic level
species (in particular the popular
catch species)
Loss of marine habitat due to
destructive fishing practices
Disruption to marine food chain / Knock on effect to marine
web mammals and sea birds

Complete ecological destruction

What is marine pollution?
What are the major
sources?
Reason → Details
 Definition - What is marine pollution?
Human activities that introduce contaminants into a natural environment
causing adverse effects can be considered as sources of marine pollution.
 Oil spills
Accidents in transporting or extracting oil can lead to oil spills.
Transport can lead to persistent oil slicks.

An oil spill in the North Sea Oil slicks from shipping off the coast of the United States
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuT4pfgVc
4c
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGJzpL8P
The main shipping routes, oil spills and oil slicks of the world
 What are the results?
Oxygen exchange between oceans and the atmosphere is blocked in the case
of an oil spill or slick. Plants and sea animals will die due to the lack of oxygen.
Coral affected by oil spill
Brown pelican coated with oil Seabirds killed as a result of oil spill
 Suggested framework

Oil Spills / Oil slicks

Oxygen exchange between Oil blocks sunlight from Oil sticks to marine
ocean and the atmosphere reaching the sea bed creatures
is blocked

Oxygen level in water drops No sunlight for Marine creatures cannot

photosynthesis feed, breath or may drown

Death of marine plants and

animals (and subsequent
impact to ecosystem)
Dumping sewage and solid waste in the sea
Too much sewage and waste dumped into the oceans have exceeded
the ability of oceans to dilute and purify these waste
 Sewage discharge

Waste water from domestic or industrial use that is not treated properly before being
disposed can contaminate water.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rreBKDko6OY
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNufDaWbm-s&t=
44s
 What are the results?
✔ Lowers the quality of beaches

✔ Untreated sewage may bring diseases

to swimmers

✔ Toxic chemicals accumulate in marine

life → unable to reproduce or pass
them up the food chain

✔ Seafood is polluted causing illness

 Solid waste (particularly plastic)
Solid waste dumped into the sea can enter the food chain as fish feed upon them. In
particular plastics as they are not biodegradable.

Floating and coastal solid waste

 What are the results?
✔ Solid waste, e.g. fishing lines, plastics, may trap sea animals.
Animals may eat the plastics and die from malnutrition

Fishing net caught around a seal’s neck Bird dead from eating plastic
 Dredging and Reclamation

Central reclamation

During these activities habitats are destroyed and sediment and

toxic materials will be stirred up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkiZe0aHn
MM
 Reclamation in Hong Kong
Limited space for
development in Hong
Kong has pressured the
government to reclaim
more land from areas such
New Territories
as Victoria Harbour.

Kowloon

Lantau Island Hong Kong

Island

Reclamation in Hong Kong since 1887

 Harmful effects of reclamation
The rate of
Dredging stirs up Water becomes unclear Marine plants Food chain
A photosynthesis
sand and mud and blocks sunlight die is distrupted
decreases
B Filling materials and sediments When these pollutants enter the food When human eat the
may contain toxic pollutants chain, fish and seabirds will be affected contaminated fish, health
will be affected (health
problems)

• dredging and filling of

coastal waters make the
B marine ecosystems less
productive
• filling materials and
A sediments may be toxic and
can kill fish or enter the
food chain