The picture above shows what a healthy coral reef looks like, and then how
it appears after it has been destroyed. Coral reefs are home to thousands of different
fish, and those homes are being destroyed every day. Trawling is one of the
major contributors to the destruction of the ocean's coral reefs. Trawling is a
form of fishing where large nets are pulled behind boats to catch fish. Some of
the nets have weights attached making them weight several tons. The nets get
stuck on the reefs and then cause major damage to the reefs when they are
pulled. What is even worse is that trawling does not need to be so destructive.
By removing the weights trawling can be just as effective at a higher altitude,
without such a huge impact on corral reefs. Coral reefs are being destroyed daily,
and so are the species of fish that live within them.
Fishing can cause a lot of damage to coral reefs, especially illegal fishiong methods in the Phillipenes. Some fishermen use explosives to stun the fish before they catch them. While this allows the fishermen to catch a lot of fish at once, it is very destructive to the reefs. It also harms the fish population because a lot of fish species breed in coral reefs. Another harmful fishing method is cyanide poisoning. This,too, stuns the fish. Then the fishermen tear up the reef to find the fish...
ReplyDeleteI also think trawling is unethical, not only as harm to coral reefs but also to aquatic life in general. When boats trawl they catch whatever gets in the way, and kill many fish that weren't meant to be caught.
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