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After 50 years of the introduction of the “Tragedy of the Commons,” We still haven’t figured it out

In his very pun ridden title “Still Fishing for Solutions: ‘Tragedy of the Commons’ Approaches Fifty,’ Professor James McClintock (Professor of Polar and Marine Biology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham) comments on the current global situation of overfishing around the world. As stated in class on Monday by Professor Easley, the sea is a prime example of a common good that, in a modern economy and growing population, is beginning to see the stages of “tragedy.” McClintock explains that there are three main components that the commons of the ocean needs in order to be viable for fish and their dependant fisheries, which are (1) a healthy place for fish to escape from predators, (2) a large enough population that can be eaten by these predators, and (3) a sustainable environment for the fish to reproduce. What makes this example of the sea seem slightly backwards is the fact that, comparing this example to the cows, the fish and the cows are not synonymous in this situation: rather the fish are the grass the cows are grazing on and we are the grazing cows. More simply put, the main issue stands that in the world of the ocean, we need to graze on fewer fish for them to sustain a reproducing population.

Professor McClintock provides two major issues that are causing this overfishing, which were overfishing from underdeveloped nations and destructive fishing techniques. One of the main reasons that overfishing has been a difficult issue to solve is the fact that international waters are not owned or regulated by a specific country beyond a certain distance from the shoreline. In order to combat, many countries came together and created regulations under the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO). Despite these regulations, many underdeveloped nations falsely report their annual catch simply to boost the country’s production and GDP. Destructive fishing techniques are a more broadly problematic issue given that many fishermen, even in countries that do follow the restrictions, use these methods to increase yields. Bottom trawling and long-lining are two techniques that destroy the ocean reef at the bottom, which not only affect the reefs, but also the fish’s environment to reproduce. Both of these factors are clearly destroying the commons of the ocean, which could be irreversible if taken too far.

Contrary to the two major problems causing this overfishing issue, Professor McClintock also provides what he thinks are a few solution through describing a few successful implementations of regulations. One example given was in the Florida stone crab industry where only one claw of the crab could be removed and the living crab had to be returned to the sea. Another example was in New Zealand where, in the blue cod fishery, they had strictly enforces licenses as well as quotas. The unfortunate part about this is the fact that it will be difficult to enforce any sort of laws/quotas upon developing nations that are more concerned about their growth then “the commons.” With this in mind, one additional comment made about the New Zealand blue cod industry was that they no longer use bottom trawling, but rather used hook and line methods. With this statement, I think the greater solution would be to focus on developing technologies that wouldn’t destroy the ocean floor and subsequently allow more reef space for procreation. This would not only increase populations of fish, it would be easily implemented in underdeveloped nations look for better methods, rather than focusing on enforcement. In conclusion, focusing on new fishing methods would make our use of the metaphorical “grass” of the sea more efficient so that we as the cattle could continue to graze on a prosperous commons.

 

McClintock, James B. “Still Fishing for Solutions: ‘Tragedy of the Commons’ Approaches Fifty.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 07 Nov. 2015. Web. 01 Dec. 2015.

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