"The End of the Line" Documentary Film

My assignment this week was to watch the film "The End of the Line" and answer questions about it:

1. Fishermen in Newfoundland, Canada had been experiencing declining cod harvests for years when a sudden change was announced in 1992. What was the change? Mark it with a line on the graph.

A moratorium on cod fishing until 1994

2. What was the economic impact on Newfoundland of this decision? Did the stocks of Atlantic Cod recover?

40,000 people lost their jobs overnight. The cod recovered only slightly.

3. In 2001, records showed that local stocks of fish were down worldwide. Yet, records of harvests indicated that fish were being taken at record rates. What was actually happening?

China was falsely reporting inflated statistics.

4. Stocks of Bluefin tuna have dropped by 80%. What reasons are given for this and other population declines seen in commercial fish?

There are too many boats, and not enough fish.

5. Why is Bluefin tuna particularly at risk?

The Bluefin Tuna's flesh is widely sought after and makes fishermen a lot of money.

6. List the recommended quota limit for Bluefin tuna, the recovery limit (so stocks could replenish), thequota set by the politicians, and the actual estimated catch.

Recovery Limit – 10,000 tons

Recommended Limit – 15,000 tons

Established Quota – 29,500 tons

Actual Catch - 61,000 tons

7. The documentary alleges that the Japanese corporation Mitsubishi is hoarding tons of frozen Bluefin tuna. Why would they?

Greed. Once there are no more Tuna left to catch, they can sell the frozen stocks at whatever price they demand.

8. Why are native fishermen having such a difficult time making a living along the West coast of Africa?

Because the European boats are using massive industrial scale fising boats, leaving the natives almost nothing.

9. What species of marine animals make up “bycatch”? What percent of total catch does this make up?

Bycatch makes up one tenth of the total catch, and consists of Turtles, Seabirds, Sharks, and Dolphins.

10. Which trophic level of fish is hunted in the Coral Triangle?

Tertiary Consumers

11. What impacts have been observed at Chesapeake Bay as a result of selective hunting like this?

The population of Cownose rays exploded.

12. Atlantic Cod in Newfoundland occupied a similar level on theecological pyramid – how has their absence impacted the food web?

There are now large populations of Lobsters, as well as jellyfish. algae and worms.

13. Describe four ways that fishing in Alaska is more tightly controlled and regulated, thus preventing a collapse of their fishing stocks.

Alaska keeps control of how many fishing boats are in their waters. They drive away boats without proper liscences. They have scientifically derived quotas, and they enforce the 200-mile limit. They give fisherman a limited time to fulfill their quota.

14. What is Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification?

It is essentialy a certificate of sustainibility.

15. What is the problem with fish farming or aquaculture? How many kilos of anchovy are needed to produce a kilo of salmon? What would be a better option for consumers?

Fish farming uses wild fish to feed the farmed fish and kills more than it produces. Five kilograms of anchovy per one kilogram of salmon. It would be better just to eat the anchovies.

16. What are marine reserves? How do ecosystems respond once an area is declared a reserve?

Marine reserves are areas where no commercial fishing is allowed, which often leads to popularion recovery.

17. (a) What percent of the ocean would need to be reserves to maintain sustainable fishing stocks? (b) What percent is currently part of a reserve?

(a) 20-30%.

(b) Less than 1%

18. Are ocean fish as we are harvesting them a renewable or nonrenewable resource?

Nonrenewable. They can't replace themselves at the rate they are being caught and killed.

19. Bottom-trawling is frequently mentioned in the documentary as one of the worst, most damaging forms of commercial fishing. Explain why.

Trawling not only targets the Fish, but it also targets the entire ocean floor ecosystem by destroying habitat.

20. According to the documentary, 50% of Atlantic Cod is caught illegally. One quote given is “every other cod in your plate is stolen – from you.” Is this accurate? Are the oceans a commons area?

The oceans are all interconnected, and what somebody does on one side of the ocean can affect the entire ecosystem, so they are a common area. Overfishing is a global problem.

21. If a gourmet restaurant were to put dishes with endangered mammals on the menu – such as orangutan or lions, it would be a huge public scandal. Why isn’t there a similar reaction to endangered fish?

Because by the time a fish gets on to a consumer's dinner plate, it no longer looks like a fish. People don't really sympathize with fishsticks. And most people don't even know what species are endangered. And we have a pro- cute furry mammal bias that doesn't apply to fish, which many people see as primitive or strange by comparison.