View of the Carrick-a-Rede waters
The Carrick-a-Rede is one of many areas to fall to overfishing
The Carrick-a-Rede is a national trust location located in Ballycastle, United Kingdom (Northern Ireland). The area was initially used as a fisherman’s spot as it was rich in Atlantic salmon. At its peak, the fisherman would gather around 300 salmon a day (causeway coastal). This led to a larger attraction from further fishermen away. As more fishermen came, the population of salmon depleted to 250 salmon a season. At this time, Northern Ireland banned fishing altogether at the Carrick-a-Rede. This made many fishermen angry as what was once the best fishing spot in Northern Ireland now did not even allow fishing. A Washington College student, Emilee Cramer, stated, “Even if the Carrick allowed fishing again, I wouldn’t let people fish for salmon as they are continuously over-harvested in the East Atlantic Ocean.”
During the prime days at the Carrick-a-Rede factory processing of wild Atlantic salmon ran at alarming rates. The Fishing Cabin and other facilities were utilized by dozens of fishermen. The cabin was located on a rock island that had to be sailed to, so the fishermen decided to build a bridge across from the mainland or to the cabin. The first bridge that was designed was made of wood and rotted with the high wind speeds and high amounts of rain with the Ireland weather. Over time the fisherman decided to build a new bridge made of rope. This bridge does not rot but occasionally needs to be renewed. The area became increasingly industrialized until it eventually was no longer useful due to overfishing. The last man to fish in the area was Ackie Colgan (anphoblacht). He had just received his fishing company from a family member and was planning on utilizing it to the maximum. If the national government did not shut down the area, this could have completely depleted the natural Atlantic salmon on the north coast of Ireland. Michelle Cramer, a Carrick-a-Rede tourist, stated, “I would introduce more salmon into the area to spike the population and hopefully bring back the population that was once seen. Overfishing removed the balance in the ecosystem, and by adding more salmon, we could bring back the balance.”
Overfishing has been a significant problem globally. As seen in the Tragedy of the Commons, overfishing leads to the complete depletion of populations. When a species is depleted past the point of regeneration, it is no longer stable, and its biotic potential significantly decreases. This has led to the closing at the Carrick-a-Rede and around the whole north coast of Ireland.
Today, the Carrick-a-Rede has become a national trust tourist attraction. You can walk the path alongside the island as well as tour the rock island and fishing cabin that many fishermen used during the prime of the Carrick-a-Rede (national trust). The fishing cabin is continued to be redone for tourist purposes only, and there is no sign of reopening for fishing. The money gathered from entrance fees is used to refurbish the attraction as well as support wildlife conservation in the natural trust circuit.
To ensure you do not contribute to the countless areas that overfishing has harmed, catch and release in areas with a lot of fishing, do not pollute waterways, and be conscious of how marine environments are treated in your local area.
Sources:
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/discover/nature