Overfishing in The Mediterranean Sea
ByOne of the most overfished places in the world is the Mediterranean sea… 1.5 million tonnes of fish are caught annually in the Mediterranean! (“WWF”, 2022) Since there are many people living in this area, the Mediterranean has to support all the people. Unfortunately with the rate of fishing happening, the sea is quickly being destroyed and soon the food chain will collapse!
Limiting Factors
Overfishing is having a large affect on the food chain! It doesn’t just affect one species it affects them all. Smaller fish like Sea-bass, Cod, and Salmon are usually the species fishing boats are trying to catch. But, in the process of fishing, larger species like sharks and rays can get caught up in the mix. Large-scale fishing operations catch and often unintentionally kill untargeted marine life (“Government of Canada”,2023).
This can greatly affect the carrying capacity of the ecosystem. Without enough prey, larger predators (ex. sharks and rays) will have no food. Either slowly the predator population will die off or they will have to look for new prey resulting in throwing off the whole food chain! Human activity is having a greater affect on the food chain then you may even realize! One little tweak can throw off the entire thing!
In this pyramid of energy there are 4 levels:
The first trophic level consists of producers, they are the foundation of the food web! On this level there is Zooplankton.
The second trophic level is herbivores, which are primary consumers! Some species on this level would be Crustaceans( Crabs, Lobster, Shrimp etc.) and small fish like Sea-bass.
The third trophic level is omnivores, which are secondary consumers. Some species on this level are Patagonian Tooth fish, Loggerhead turtles and Jumbo squid.
Lastly, the 4th trophic level are carnivores, which are the tertiary consumers. Some species on this level are the Sperm whale and the Tiger shark. Anything on the highest level of the pyramid will most likely be a apex predator!
Sources
-Government of Canada. (2023). Global Consequences of Overfishing. https://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/international/isu-global-eng.htm
-WWF (2022). Fisheries. https://www.wwfmmi.org/what_we_do/fisheries/