Pilchard Impact and Requirement Essay Example for Free

Pilchard Impact and Requirement Essay Pilchard or sardines are groups of small fishes which belong to the herring family. They are caught almost throughout the year especially in the night. Pilchards are rich in minerals and they are usually consumed in different ways. They are also referred to as low-value pelagic species. Pilchard and Tuna The introduction of tuna farming had a major impact on pilchard hunting simply because it was found to be a major source of food for the tuna. This resulted in an increase emphasis on pilchard research and farming. Pilchards are mostly used to feed carnivorous fishes such as tuna, trout and salmon. Pilchard farming requires marine scalefish fishers, not targeted for recreational purposes, provides feeds for predator species such as salmon, and tuna, fishing methods (use of small mesh and fishing done by night), and pilchard farming done in temperate waters. Pilchard farming is of great economic importance. About 20 pounds of pilchard is required to produce a pound of tuna, indicating a resource-intensive form of producing tuna and depleting the stock of small fishes. This will ultimately disrupt the aquatic ecosystem in that it will not only affect the fishes alone but marine mammals and seabirds directly or indirectly. Some documentation about the introduction of viral infection into the aquatic ecosystem has been documented. Several factors such as ecological integrity, social justice and status of the pilchard population must be maintained. Pilchard and Dolphins Dolphin swim license is indirectly related to pilchard in that pilchard is not farm for ecological purpose, and dolphin only feeds on them as an opportunistic predator. Dolphin feeding on pilchard will cause a major and drastic decrease in their population and subsequently leading to enormous financial loss. Conclusion Considering the immediate need for tuna fishes and the relationship between the fish and pilchard, the tuna license should be granted while licensing dolphin swim should not be allowed because of it the negative impact on the aquatic ecosystem, and associated financial loss. References Lopez, D. (2005). â€Å"Interaction between bottlenose dolphins and fish farms: could there be an economic impact†. Retrieved May 23, 2009 from http://www. thebdri. com/resources/downloads/ICES2005X10. pdf PIRSA Fisheries, (2009). â€Å"Sardine (Pilchard) fishery†. Commercial fishing Retrieved May 23, 2009 from http://www. pir. sa. gov. au/fisheries/commercial_fishing/sardine_pilchard_fishery Primary industries and resources, (2009). â€Å"Ecological assessment of the south Australian pilchard fishery†. South Australian fisheries management series. Retrieved May 22, 2009 from http://www. pir. sa. gov. au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/12858/sa_pilchard_submission. pdf Stuart, N. (2001). â€Å"Tuna farmers face fresh challenges†. Landline Retrieved May 23, 2009 from http://www. abc. net. au/landline/stories/s363097. htm