overfishing

May, 2003 - A study (1.1 MB PDF file) published in the science journal Nature confirms that 90% of all the oceans large fish have been taken from the sea. "We are in massive denial and continue to bicker over the last shrinking numbers of survivors, employing satellites and sensors to catch the last fish left," warns Dr. Myers, the lead author. "We have to understand how close to extinction some of these populations really are. And we must act now, before they have reached the point of no return. I want there to be hammerhead sharks and bluefin tuna around when my five year old son grows up. If present fishing levels persist, these great fish will go the way of the dinosaurs."

Located on Maui, Hawaii, we specialize in underwater video production and licensing underwater stock footage.

environmental underwater video stock footage, green sea turtle with fishing hook in Maui, Hawaii

It is the health of the bio-diversity of all ecosystems that sustain our planet. Since the ocean is our most important ecosystem, it is only natural that we should all seek out a greater understanding and respect for this environment.

environmental underwater video stock footage, Northern fur seals in fishing net

Theoretically, the ocean can continuously renew itself and supply the world with hundreds of millions of tons of fish every year for eternity. However, the worlds "fisheries management" staff have failed to implement systems of sustainability and along with modern fishing techniques, we have "managed" to reach, and in many cases, exceed the limits in all seventeen of the world's major fishing areas. We use gigantic fine-mesh nets and long-lines (tens of miles long) with millions of hooks and all sorts of other highly technical fishing gear. This gear catches more than just fish- the Green sea turtle, above, had a large hook imbedded in her front flipper which rendered it useless... it is doubtful that she survived as she was seen a few months later with a serious infection.

Rolf Ream- NOAA, NMFS, AFSC, NMML

This Northern fur seal is entangled in discarded fishing net.

environmental underwater stock video footage, tuna boats from Hawaii

environmental stock video footage, tuna fishing in Hawaii

Joel Prado- UNFAO,NOAA

Jose Cort- UNFAO,NOAA

These hooks and nets also catch sea birds, seals and even whales, not to mention the fish that are not wanted for that particular fishing expedition. For each serving of shrimp cocktail, the by-catch can add up to hundreds of pounds! In fact, annually, the commercial fishing industry dumps about 1/2 BILLLION pounds of dying or dead fish back into the ocean.

And, of course, the 'dolphin-safe' tuna campaign has limited the amount of dolphins caught but the methods are not foolproof and countless dolphins are still drowning in tuna purse seine nets, like these two shown. In fact, about 80,000 dolphins are snagged in fishing nets each year. If you love the ocean and its inhabitants, you can do a lot simply by not supporting this industry. Don't eat seafood!

environmental underwater stock video footage, purse sein nets in Hawaii

underwater video camera operators palm tree from Maui, Hawaii

Jose Cort- UNFAO,NOAA

NOAA