World Geography 3202/00
Fishery Assignment
Name:
KEY
Due:
1. Explain the impact of any two (2) types of new catch technologies on the ocean environment.(4 marks)
Marking Key:
0.5 marks for listing each type
1.5 marks for explaining each type

FFT
o Fishermen can stay for weeks at a time catching upto 60 tonnes due to GPS and Radar
o Freezer capability means at sea for weeks/months and catch is preserved.
o Trawl during spawning season – disrupts reproduction rates
o Catch unwanted species “bycatch” which is dumped into the sea, large number of these
discarded fish die
o Use of otter trawl destroy fish habitats by disturbing ocean seabed, killing eggs and habitat

Sonar
o Sound Navigation and Ranging (fish finders) – helps to detect fish in the ocean and navigate
very accurately
o Use echo sounders to locate fish and estimate their abundance before attempting a tow
o Eliminated the need for “hit and miss” techniques of the past – so yields of fish catch are not
sustainable

G.P.S.
o efficient, enable trawlers to find largest schools easily and catch higher proportion leaving fewer
fish to repopulate
o help ships navigate accurately, so minimal time is lost getting to fish grounds and locating fish
stocks

Otter trawls
o Dragged along ocean floor disturbing or permanently destroying habitats where fish lay their
eyes
o Fish during spawning season, dispersing eggs, making it more difficult for them to be fertilized
and decreasing fish populations
o Catch bycatch, unwanted fish species that are discarded and harmed/killed

Gill nets
o Wasteful if unwanted species are damaged – can take anything that fits the net
o If lost, continues to fish without harvest = Ghost net or Death trap
o Small mesh – catches young fish
2. Explain two (2) strategies for a sustainable fishery. (4 marks)
Marking Key:
0.5 marks for naming each strategy
1.5 marks for describing how it would lead to a sustainable fishery

Ban the use of gill nets or FFTs
o Damage fish stocks and have a negative impact on the environment and habitat
o Will give fish a chance to reproduce and not destroy spawning grounds
o Use hook and line fishing method which is much more environmentally friendly

Educate fishers on the negative impact of over-fishing and pollution
o Stress importance of sustainable fishing, and limiting catch so fish populations can replenish
themselves or reproduce to increase their numbers

Extend legal jurisdiction with proper policing
o extend 200 mile limit to protect Grand Banks from international fishing
o Extend outside continental shelves where fish stocks are most plentiful

More strict quota system – which is actually enforceable

Sustainable aquaculture (fish farming) to meet high demand
o Decreases demand on offshore fishing and wild fish stocks
o Allow fish stocks to stabilize, allowing reproduction and repopulation numbers to increase

Marine reserves (protected areas)
o Enforce protected areas in the ocean which do not permit fishing so the reserve area is
protected from foreign and local fishing vessels to allow fish populations to increase

Certifications of sustainability
o Similar to the FSC which tells consumers that their products were produced in a sustainable way,
the Dept of Fisheries can enforce certifications of sustainability so consumers will purchase their
products, knowing that they were produced sustainably and that the environment was not
harmed in the harvesting of the fish