CGEO 702 TECHNOLOGY &

CONTEMPORARY ENVIRONMENTS

Lecture 8 Fisheries

Abednego Aryee
Department of Geography
Ryerson University
 OCEAN ECOSYSTEMS

Complexity of ocean ecosystems

Carbon-saturated water does not stay

where it is but moves around the globe
in the form of thermohaline circulation.
Intertidal zone / Lithoral zone
 PRODUCTIVE MARINE ECOSYSTEMS

1. Lithoral or intertidal zone: Spread between

the uppermost reach of high tide and lowest tide.

2. Photic zone = well-lighted top layer that

supports high primary productivity.

3. Benthic or Abyssal plain = habitats and

ecosystems occurring on the ocean floor.

4. Ocean currents = Convergence of cold

and warm ocean currents.
A stylized bathymetric profile of the ocean

FIGURE 12.9

12-5
 PRODUCTIVE MARINE ECOSYSTEMS

5. Coral reefs = Calcium carbonate

secretions of dead marine organisms.
eg. British Columbias coast.

6. Mangrove swamps = Trees with unique

roots that grow along the shoreline.
MANGROVE SWAMPS
El Nio (The little boy)
- El Nio is a strong weather event,
characterized by unusually warm
ocean temperatures in the Equatorial
Pacific.
-It occurs around Christmas time.

- Periodically, dead fish litters the

water and beaches of the coasts of
Peru and Ecuador (South America)

La Nia (The little girl)

- La Nia is weather event in the
Pacific characterized by unusually
cold ocean temperatures in the
Equatorial Pacific.
ANTHROPOGENIC IMPACTS ON FISHERIES

Climate change and global warming

Physical alteration of coastal ecosystems

eg. removal of mangrove swamps

Coral bleaching
 CORAL REEFS

mbgnet.mobot.org/ salt/coral/faq.htm
 THREATS TO FISH & MARINE
ECOSYSTEMS

Introduction of aggressive and

non-native species

Raw sewerage discharge into oceans

Plastic and metallic wastes

Risks of collision and oil spills from

single-hulled oil tankers.
Oil spills have decreased
BRITISH PETROLEUM OIL SPILL IN THE GULF OF MEXICO
BROWN PELICAN COATED IN OIL AT A BEACH
IN LOUISIANA
 THREATS TO FISH & MARINE
ECOSYSTEMS

By-catch

Population growth and incessant

consumption of sea food

Fishing techniques
 FISHING TECHNIQUES
a. Driftnets for schools of herring, sardines, mackerel, sharks
b. Longline fishing for tuna and swordfish
c. Bottom-trawling for pelagic fish and ground fish & scallops

(d) Purse-Seine

d. Purse Seine nets are usually long

flat nets like a fence that are used to
encircle a school of fish.
MANAGEMENT OF FISHERIES

Aquaculture: creates employment and

increases income level of rural
communities.

It is a source of food supply and

improved nutrition.
 RAINBOW TROUT

Most intensive
land-based
culture in
Victoria is
based on
flow-through
"Danish" pond
systems
Atlantic Salmon
 CHINA

BANGLADESH
 Species Feeding Low in the Aquatic Chain
Recycle Nutrients with Positive Benefits

Source: FAO Integrated organic crop-fish farm, Vietnam

TILPIA POND
Channel catfish
Aerial view of Mangrove Forests that have Been Cleared
for Farming & Aquaculture
Kalimantan, Borneo (Indonesian Borneo)
 MANAGEMENT OF FISHERIES

International Agreements: United

Nations Convention on the law of the sea

Marine Protected Areas: The IUCN "Any area of

the intertidal or sub-tidal terrain, together with its
overlying water and associated flora, fauna,
historical and cultural features, which has been
reserved by law or other effective means to protect
part or all of the enclosed environment.
 Consumer choice: Consumers can
exercise care choice when they buy
sea food.

Maximum sustainable yield: Fisheries

managers can conduct surveys, study
fish population biology and monitor
catches.
GREEN PEACE PATROLLING SHIP
SEA SHEPHERD SOCIETY
SEA SHEPHERD SOCIETY
 VIDEO QUESTIONS
EMPTY OCEANS, EMPTY NETS

1. What technologies and activities are responsible for

declining fish stock and the global fisheries crises?

2. List 4 of the worlds richest and productive fishing

grounds and provide examples of fish caught in
the region.

3. What are the sources of conflict and dispute

between communities and government
regulators in fisheries management?

4. What are some of the sustainable fishing

practices and techniques?
 REFERENCES

Botkin D. and Keller E. 2009. Environmental Science: Earth as a

Living Planet. John Wiley and Sons Inc, USA.

Dearden P. and Mitchell B. 2009. Environmental Change and

Challenge. Oxford University Press. Oxford.

Mitchell B. 2010. Resource and Environmental Management in

Canada: Addressing Conflict and Uncertainty. Oxford University
Press, Canada.

Muldoon P, Alastair L, and Gibon R. 2009. An introduction to

Environmental Law and Policy in Canada. Edmon Montgomery
Publications Limited, Toronto Canada.

Withgott, J., Brennan S., Murck B. 2013. Environment: the science

behind the stories (Canadian edition). Toronto: Pearson Canada