Much of our food comes from plants and animals that have been domesticated for agriculture, and some of it comes from harvesting of wild stocks through fishing or hunting. The ways in which food is harvested, cultivated and produced can have major impacts on biodiversity. Areas of intensive agriculture support significantly less habitat and biodiversity than the ecosystems they replace, while for foods collected from the wild, overharvesting threatens wild populations and the natural habitats where they are found. The major biodiversity issues for hotel restaurants are linked to the production and harvesting of fish and other types of seafood, the hunting of wild game, and the farming of fruit and vegetables, meat and fish.
The unsustainable harvesting of fish and seafood from the world's oceans, rivers and lakes is leading to a decline of global marine and freshwater biodiversity. Overfishing is depleting fish stocks, while intensive and destructive fishing methods are damaging marine ecosystems and biodiversity. For example, tuna fishing using purse-seine nets risks catching certain dolphin species that are usually present among shoals of yellow-fin tuna. The use of driftnets, which are the most destructive type of fishing nets, is forbidden in many parts of the world today.
Over 75 percent of the world's major fisheries are so heavily exploited that reproduction cycles cannot guarantee the sustainability of continued catches, while deep seabed habitats are now vulnerable to destruction by bottom trawlers, which catch a significant amount of non-targeted species, or bycatch, which are then thrown away. Without healthy habitats, fish populations and other marine biodiversity will decline further. Many fisheries in freshwater and inshore areas are also at risk from overfishing and destructive fishing methods.
Unsustainable fishing practices can also have an unintended effect on non-marine species. Each year, 100,000 albatrosses die on fishing hooks from commercial longline fishing for tuna, swordfish and other species. Of the 22 species of albatross in the world, 18 are threatened with extinction.
Wild game is a featured speciality item on some menus, and many tourists are keen to sample foods and dishes made with local game meats. However, excessive and uncontrolled hunting of wild game for meat damages populations of the hunted species. For example, in Europe hunting is a factor in the decline of some bird species. If you plan to offer such foods, it is important to obtain wild meats from sustainable sources, such as well-managed sustainable hunting and game ranching operations, both of which support conservation and local economies and represent a sustainable use of biodiversity. Many countries have hunting and game management regulations for sustainable management of game stocks. In Europe, a European Charter on Hunting and Biodiversity has been developed under the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats, also known as the Bern Convention.
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