It would not be noticeable as long as fish is available in the market aplenty. A time will probably come when no fish would be available because the fishermen did not find any in their nets in the first place. Such warnings were given by the scientists in our country and their opinions are echoed at the international level.
The scientific predictions of what kind of potential dangers are lurking ahead if the marine biodiversity does not survive are expressed. The practice of conservation has always been there in the country and eventually it was legalised. The current practice of ban on fishing during particular months of the year was also brought into exercise after a scientific study and senior scientist of National Institute of Oceanography Dr Z A Ansari has contributed majorly in it.
He had conducted an in-depth study on the ill-effects of fishing during monsoons on fish production and fish life cycle when fish lay eggs. He had even stood witness in the court multiple times and thanks to his relentless efforts, the ban on fishing during monsoon months was implemented. The effects of scraping the bottom of the sea just to satiate greedy human tongues will not be noticeable instantly.
Although fish is one of the staple foods in the coastal region’s cuisine, the question remains as to how much to consume. The greedy consumption has resulted in reduction of rate in catching fish. Earlier, vast varieties of fish were caught in the net. The generation now in their 50s would remember the variety of fish on their plate during childhood.
However, the rate for a certain species of fish became a deciding factor in which fish to catch later on. With the advent of technology, the information regarding the existence of species and their quantity in specific regions became easily available and the fishing industry continued to develop. The number of hotels increased and so did the demand for fish. Introduction of purse seine nets led to decline in fish production as even the small fish started to get trapped in these nets.
Nobody seems to be ready to accept that this is the beginning of a fish famine. One may wonder what is at the bottom of the ocean and senior marine scientist Dr Baban Ingole has done a long research on the matter spanning roughly 35 years. According to him, there is marine biodiversity at the seabed just like there is biodiversity on the surface of this planet and the method of only catching fish with more demand has put this biodiversity in danger. Threat to marine biodiversity means risk to marine life. The reason to remember all this is unmonitored and illegal fishing business, which is being carried out on a large scale, has put the marine biodiversity into jeopardy. The entry of companies into the fishing business has ended the traditional fishing ways and all the unnatural methods are exercised.
World renowned marine biologist and fisheries scientist Dr Daniel Pauly with his colleague Dr Rashid Sumaila has suggested to the UN to announce protected marine areas where fishing at high seas would be entirely banned. The ocean fisheries experts have also suggested to the UN to create regulations to protect marine life. Their demands cannot be ignored by our country either.
The issue has more severity due to another reason. 170 lakh crore of plastic pieces have spread across the sea worldwide which weighs around 2 million metric tonnes as per latest research. The number is feared to triple by 2040 if the immediate action is not taken to cease the plastic flowing into the ocean. A report regarding the same was published by PLOS One journal after studies conducted by multiple experts.
Lisa Erdle and Markus Ericcson of 5 Gyres Institute, Vin Cougar of The Moore Institute for Plastic Pollution Research, Villarubia Gomez of Stockholm Resilience Centre and six more researchers have jointly researched and published this report. Needless to say, we are marching towards a fish famine and a solution must be found now.