SURFACE MINING CONTROL AND RECLAMATION ACT (1977):
Established a program for regulating surface coal mining and reclamation
activities.FISHING
Fishing is an important industry that is under pressure from growing demand and
falling supply. Globally, fish provide more than 1.5 billion people with almost
20% of their average per capita intake of animal protein and 3 billion people
with at least 15% of their protein intake.
The global wild fish catch per person per year has dropped 30% since its
peak in 1988 while, during the same period of time, the output from fish farming
has increased 95%.
Types of Fishing
Different techniques are used to fish the planet’s waters. The most common
methods include:
BOTTOM TRAWLING
Bottom trawling uses a funnel-shaped net to drag the ocean bottom for shrimp,
cod, flounder, and scallops. It is analogous to clear-cutting forests. Species that
are not wanted are called bycatch.
DRIFT NET
Drift nets are long expanses of nets that hang down in water and also trap turtles,
seabirds, and marine mammals. During the 1980s, 10,000 dolphins and whales
and millions of sharks were killed each year by drift nets. The 1992 U.N.
voluntary ban on drift nets longer than 1.5 miles (2.4 km) has made some
progress.
LONGLINE
Longline fishing requires placing very long lines with thousands of baited hooks
for swordfish, tuna, sharks, halibut, and cod. This practice endangers sea turtles,
pilot whales, and dolphins.
PURSE SEINE
Purse seine fishing involves surrounding large schools of tuna, mackerel,
anchovies, and herring, spotted by aircraft using sonar or other sophisticated
electronic sensors, with a large net which is then drawn tight.