World Without Fish

There are three main reasons we can’t solve the problem of overfishing by stopping altogether: Instantly removing a large group of predators—humans—from the food chain would have unpredictable consequences on the earth’s natural order. What’s more, many people rely on fish for a healthy source of protein, and fishing is central to the economic and cultural livelihoods of people around the world. The 1990s codfish ban in Newfoundland provides an example. With fishing banned, the province lost its way of life—not just the fishermen but the people who processed, marketed, and transported the fish as well. Crabs, which had either moved in now that the cod were gone or had been there unnoticed all along, became their new industry and changed their boats, fishing techniques, and the way they processed their catches. However, this shift to fishing for crab was only temporary; tourism eventually replaced the dying fishing industry. Commercial enterprises began selling cod-inspired souvenirs, and restaurants catering to tourists who wanted cod had to (ironically) import it. The result of this process was that Newfoundland lost much of its culture as well as the cod.

All around the world, coastal cities founded on fishing struggle with the same tension between tourism (because fishing has always attracted people) and fishing.