James, I. (2025, April 16). U.S. panel calls for suspending commercial salmon fishing in California for third year. Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2025-04-16/california-salmon-fishing-restricted

In March 2025, the Pacific Fishery Management Council voted to shut down commercial Chinook salmon fishing off the California coast for the third consecutive year because of historically low population numbers. This decision is due to a decline in salmon populations, which experts attribute to severe droughts during 2020-2022, water mismanagement by the state of California, global warming, dam infrastructure, and habitat loss. Limited recreational fishing will be allowed under extremely strict regulations. The shutdown has caused serious economic hardship for west coast commercial fishermen, who have been forced to seek alternative work or even sell their boats. Although, many of these men understand that the closure is necessary for the future of the salmon industry and our environment, while others blame state water policies that favor agriculture. Current salmon counts remain under historic levels, raising long term concerns for the species and the fishing industry.

This article directly points out the negative impact that climate change, droughts, and other environmental issues have had on wildlife. The decline in salmon, a key species in both the California fishing industry and the west coast waters, reflects the broader issue with our current ecosystem and the harm that our modern world has caused. I feel sympathy for the fishermen who have been forced to find new career paths and have faced extreme economic hardship as they come up on their 3rd year with the commercial fishing ban, but I think that it is necessary to protect future generations of salmon and the ecosystems that they support. I think that there are a lot of solutions that can be done that are mentioned in the article, namely using less water for the agricultural industry, and keeping more of the fresh water in the salmons’ natural habitats while also opening up floodplain habitats to further support their recovery.

McBride, Oliver. “Icelandic Sea Fisheries Catches Increase during July 2025 – the Fishing Daily – Irish, UK and European Fishing Industry News.” The Fishing Daily – Irish, UK and European Fishing Industry News, 27 Aug. 2025, thefishingdaily.com/icelandic-fishing-industry-news/icelandic-sea-fisheries-catches-increase-during-july-2025/. Accessed 27 Aug. 2025

There were recent changes in the amount of fish caught in Iceland during July 2025. It also features a graph listing various types of fish and how much the catches have changed. It lists Cod, Haddock, Saithe, Redfish, Flatfish, and many more. The graph shows that the amount of fish caught increased in July, but decreased in August. Even though the levels might have increased, the graph shows that after a bit of time, the levels evened out again. The article also discusses how the amount of fish caught was more than last July, but that the amount of fish caught overall was decreasing. 

I think it’s interesting to see the data of fish caught without including any opinions about whether or not changes should be made to make fishing more sustainable. Iceland has various policies in place to ensure sustainable fishing, including quotas for the amount of fish that can be caught. I’m not sure exactly how much fish can be caught, but since the amount of fish caught was able to increase, it seems like the limit doesn’t really have an effect on the fishing in Iceland.

Brooks, James. “Federal Appeals Court Preserves Alaska’s Two-Tier System for Subsistence Fishing Management | Alaska Beacon.” Alaska Beacon, 22 Aug. 2025, alaskabeacon.com/2025/08/21/federal-appeals-court-preserves-alaskas-two-tier-system-for-subsistence-fishing-management/. Accessed 23 Aug. 2025.

This article discusses the recent conflicts about subsistence fishing. A court ruling determined that the federal government can continue to offer preferential fishing rights to Alaskan natives. This preference only exists in public waters that are under federal control because the state does not recognize their need for preferential fishing rights. The main issue that is being debated is whether the federal government should be allowed to control who fishes in bodies of water that are on federal land. The federal government has also imposed other regulations on who has fishing priority, while the state has not, leading to disagreements over who has priority.

I think that it’s super important for Alaskan natives to have priority for subsistence fishing since it is way more sustainable than industrial fishing. Alaskan natives believe that animals are to be respected and that they should only take what they need, as well as that they should use every part of the animal and that there isn’t any unnecessary waste. I think that revoking their rights to fish would be damaging because it is deeply rooted in their culture. The oceans would be much healthier if Alaska only allowed subsistence fishing and commercial fishing was nonexistent or very heavily regulated.

The Maritime Executive. “Ghana Adopts a New Fisheries Law to Curb IUU Fishing.” The Maritime Executive, 24 Aug. 2025, maritime-executive.com/article/ghana-adopts-a-new-fisheries-law-to-curb-iuu-fishing. Accessed 23 Aug. 2025.

Ghana recently passed a new law to stop illegal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) fishing in West Africa. IUU fishing had dominated the oceans for a while, costing Ghana between $14.4 and $23.7 million per year. Ghana passed this law in order to remain a part of the European seafood market. This act protects the rights and livelihoods of over 200,000 small-scale fishermen by creating a larger IEZ that is double the size of the previous one. An inshore exclusion zone (IEZ) allows smaller fishing boats to fish without competition from industrial trawlers. Artisanal fishermen have been facing competition from industrial trawlers for a while, mostly Chinese-backed ones, and the government has suspended several of their fishing licenses.

I think that it’s great that Ghana is protecting the rights of smaller-scale fishermen, but I am kind of disappointed that the new law doesn’t do anything specifically for the sustainability of their fishing. Less industrial fishermen will probably help decrease overfishing, but it will still probably affect the oceans. It seemed like the law was more for necessity than a desire to save the oceans, since removal from global seafood markets was what spurred this act. Overall, I wish the law were doing more, but progress is still progress.

Feng Yingxin. “How Does China’s Draft Fisheries Law Balance Conservation with Livelihoods?” Eco-Business, 22 Aug. 2025, www.eco-business.com/news/how-does-chinas-draft-fisheries-law-balance-conservation-with-livelihoods/. Accessed 23 Aug. 2025

 The recent changes to fishing laws in China are upsetting local fishermen. The government is focused on preserving the ocean, and many people feel that the livelihoods of fishermen are in danger. Many fishers have had to seek alternate work with the regulations stopping them from fishing. The new law makes sure that fishers who are seeking other jobs are able to receive training from the government in order to be prepared for different jobs; however, that is not the main focus of the law. The law focuses on making information on when you can fish clearer, and it also bans some types of fishing equipment. Since it’s so hard for fishermen to get jobs, many are turning to illegal fishing and stealing other fishermen’s equipment to survive and make money. By doing this, they end up making more money than if they had looked for other jobs or if they hadn’t done it illegally in the first place. 

Although I can understand why fishermen are disgruntled with the lack of work, I think it’s good that the government is focusing on protecting the ocean. It seems like the system that they have in place to educate retired fishermen on other jobs is a great way to incentivize them to not fish illegally, but I can also see how it might not work in practice. Although it is bad that fishermen are struggling to make a living, I think that protecting the ocean is equally, if not more, important. I think that a better system has to be put into place to stop illegal fishing and help fishermen support their families without destroying the ocean. However, I think that overall, this system is doing a lot more than other countries and is a better system than ignoring the issue.

“Nepal Accepts WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, Three Remaining for Entry into Force.” Wto.org, 2025, www.wto.org/english/news_e/news25_e/fish_18aug25_e.htm. Accessed 23 Aug. 2025

On August 18, Ambassador Subedi of Nepal deposited an instrument of acceptance to WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. The Ambassador demonstrated Nepal’s approval of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, an agreement meant to stop harmful fisheries subsidies. The agreement was adopted by consensus at the WTO’s 12th Ministerial Conference held in Geneva in June 2022. Three more countries need to accept the proposal for it to enter into force. The Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies aims to prohibit subsidies for unregulated fishing and for fishing overfished stocks. The ministers also focused on the needs of underdeveloped countries that rely on fishing by developing a fund that would help the countries that signed the agreement.

I think that the agreement is important because it marks a major step towards ocean sustainability. It aims to prohibit harmful fisheries subsidies, which are an important part of fish depletion. This agreement is the first Sustainable Development Goal target to be fully met, and the first WTO agreement that is focused on the environment. Although I think it would be better if the policies that would help stop overfishing were already in place, I think that it’s good that at least some progress is being made. Once the agreement is confirmed and policies are in place, I hope that the agreement can have a huge impact on the health of oceans and sea life.

California Water Impact Network. (2024, November 25). Hatcheries and fisheries 101. C-WIN Water Blog. From https://www.c-win.org/cwin-water-blog/2024/11/25/hatcheries-and-fisheries-101

The California water impact network explains how hatcheries and fisheries play in the freshwater ecosystems. Saying how a hatchery is a place to breed and raise aquatic species, because of their low population in the wild. Fisheries are defined by their locations, what aquatic species they’re fishing for, and overall uses for human populations. Overall they’re explaining how things like as and habitats of these fish being destroyed is leading to a loss in fish because they can’t reproduce and survive as well. They say that hatcheries are really useful for declining populations however they’re very expensive, and don’t help the root of the issue.

This article is relevant to environmental science because it shows how people are trying to use conservation strategies and while others keep using methods that deplete life in the wild like fisheries. It shows how technological tools like hatcheries are helping in the short term. Instead we need to solve the root of the problem and help the natural ecosystems we are destroying and manage our water better in order to help biodiversity in the ocean. I think this article is good because it provides multiple perspectives on how hatcheries aren’t all good. It shows how there are limitations, and the need for better solutions to help the habitat overall. 

California Department of Fish and Wildlife. (2025). In-Season Ocean Fishing Regulation Changes. From https://wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Ocean/Regulations/Inseason

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) shows a timeline of fishing regulation changes for 2025. It includes important information like the August 13th groundfish rule change. Another is July 30th razor clam reopening. July 3rds commercial sea urchin fishery changes. June 23rd ocean salmon limit update. And some other stuff for endangered species. It includes bullet points detailing each change, especially the one that happened on August 14th, like mentioned above in the previous article I discussed.

This article is relevant to environmental science because it shows how keeping track of the regulatory and sometimes temporary management of marine resources is really important. It shows how management of these marine resources respond quickly to the health and protection of these species in such a quick manner. It helps keep the environment in check, adapting to different data. I see this organized regulation change timeline as a good thing because it helps bring attention to the fishery management challenges. 

California Fish and Game Commission. (2025, August 14). Commission increases fishing opportunities for the 2025 recreational groundfish season [News release]. California Department of Fish and Wildlife. From https://wildlife.ca.gov/News/Archive/california-fish-and-game-commission-increases-fishing-opportunities-for-the-2025-recreational-groundfish-season

On August 14th the california fish and game commission made an emergency regulation change to the depth restrictions on fishing groundfish in the north and central California. This is because it was shown that rockfish populations are healthier. Also there is a statewide bag limit for canary rockfish to make sure people are following the harvest guidelines they set. However in the south management areas there was no change. However, all of these updates are pending. 

This  article is relevant  to environmental science because it shows how quickly people are responding to new scientific data when it comes to fish, and how they use that data for conservation matters. It shows how regulation can change quickly. Its good to see the quick response on science driven data that they find. Restoring fish however is still a high priority so I think waiting could have been better until they started harvesting so quickly again. 

California Department of Fish and Wildlife. (2025). Summary of Recreational Groundfish Fishing Regulations. From https://wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Ocean/Regulations/Groundfish-Summary

This 2025 summary is explaining California’s groundfish fishing regulations. It contains boundary lines (20-fathom and 50-fathom). It shows us how they chose to divide the coastline and manage it between the north, san francisco, mendocino, and the south. Each zone to manage the fishing and conservation efforts. The document has maps that you can download to show closed off conservation areas like the rockfish, which is being looked over by federal and state officials.

This source is relevant to environmental science because it shows how the boundaries between spaces and regulation measures are being used to keep a sustainable fishing lifestyle for California. It shows ecosystem management and how policies can help combat the negative human effects that we are having on the ecosystem. I like how the regulations are divided by different geographic areas because it shows the targeted management for specific species in those certain areas. In this example being rockfish, it overall gives hope for conservation efforts.