Research Paper on:
Global Problem of Overfishing

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
involve issues worthy of world wide concern. Fisheries such as salmon are not only an important world food source but the factors which have caused their decline are factors  which exist worldwide. A number of efforts have been made to address them but none have been effective. Although certain components of these fisheries have even been added  to the U.S. endangered species list, even this extraordinary measure has had little bearing on the most pertinent impacts to these populations since these impacts are grandfathered in to some  extent (Baker, 1999). The fisheries have been adversely impacted by a number of factors including over fishing, pollution and habitat disruption.  The salmon fishery which exists in the Northwest U.S. encapsulates the issues confronting many other fisheries around the world. A commercial fishery has existed for Northwest salmon since  the advent of canning in the 1860s (Daniel, 1993). Canneries were established all along the coast, particularly at the mouths of major river systems such as the Columbia drainage.  Fishing technologies were quite diverse ranging from huge nets secured permanently in place with large pilings, free-floating and anchored gill nets, horse-drawn purse seines and even huge water wheels  which were powered by the current itself and served to scoop up vast volumes of fish (Daniel, 1993). In addition to the coastal-based fisheries, ocean trawlers took their toll  on salmon populations as well (Daniel, 1993). By 1890 salmon populations, particularly the Chinook, were showing the fishing impact. Regulation which was almost non-existent and the salmon populations  struggled significantly at the hands of the commercial fishery. As regulations became more and more comprehensive, however, the toll from fishing became less and less drastic (Daniel, 1993).