Greenland's Disko Bay, the home of the Sermeq Kujalleq Glacier and its iceberg that infamously led to the Titanic's ultimate demise in 1912, is now on the brink of its own boat-caused crisis. The notorious iceberg broke off of Disko Bay's glacier over 100 years ago before sinking the unsinkable boat and remains one of the most famous icebergs and glaciers to this day. This story, however, is not one of mismanaged lifeboats, deadly icebergs, or Leonardo di Caprio, but rather one of environmental negligence and gross exploitation of natural resources in that same area.
Disko Bay, despite its groovy name, is not the home to everybody's favorite dancing music. Located on the Western coast of Greenland, Disko Bay, or "Qeqertarsuup tunua" in Kalaallisut, is the largest open bay in Greenland, and has supported various populations of peoples since as early as 2400 BC. Inuit groups such as the Inughuit, Tunumiit, and Kalaallit have inhabited Disko Bay since 2400 BC, and became of interest to Europeans starting around 985, when Erik the Red, a Norse explorer, placed a settlement in Disko Bay to hunt for seal pelts, walrus tusks, whales, and fish.
Danish colonization of Greenland began in 1721 and continued to be ruled as such until 1954 when it was refined as a district of Denmark and given 2 (out of 179) seats on Folketing, Danish Parliament. The Act on Self-Government, passed in 2009, implements Greenlandic people's constitutional right to self-determination within the Kingdom of Denmark.
To this day, Greenland's population of 56,367 people is 88% Kalaallit (or Greenlandic Inuit), with the majority of its inhabitants speaking the official language of Kalaallisut (in addition to the secondary language; Danish).
Ethnographically speaking, the Kalaallit can be divided into three major groups depending on the region: the Livit of Kangia (East Greenland), Inughuit/Avanersuarmiut (North Greenland), and the Kalaallit (West Greenland).
Fishing is the primary industry of the country and Greenland has legislative power over the fisheries sector. The fishing industry is the largest source of income and is hence very important to the national economy. Also, it is the source of many people's livelihoods right across the country." -The Indigenous World 2024 Book
In addition to being home to a plethora of marine species and beautiful landscapes, Disko Bay is also home to one of Greenland's largest and economically successful commercial halibut fisheries.
The offshore halibut fishery, including Disko Bay, is dominated by two commercial companies, Royal Greenland, government-owned, and Polar Seafood, privately owned. Both companies also fish for other organisms in Disko Bay, such as shrimp, prawns, and more, however, this site serves to educate and generate awareness about the harmful practices that are impacting halibut populations and the ecosystem as a whole.
WHY SHOULD YOU CARE ABOUT GREENLAND HALIBUT?
ECOLOGY: Turbot are a crucial part of the Disko Bay food web, preying on crustaceans, squids, and smaller fish in addition to being prey for narwhals, seals, Beluga whales, and Greenland sharks.
CULTURE: Greenland halibut are an important part of Indigenous practices food and culture for Inuit peoples in both Greenland and Northern Canada.
ECONOMY: Greenland's economy is very dependent on fisheries, accounting for 15% of the countries employment and 87% of its exports.
What is Overfishing?
Overfishing occurs when a species is fished in great enough quantities that it can not naturally reproduce and replenish the population at an equal rate, causing the population to rapidly decrease. Overfishing can have a cascade of catastrophic effects, both on an ecological and economic level (for the people depending on the fisheries financially).
The Greenland Halibut population, especially the subpopulation located in Disko Bay, has been experiencing high amounts of overfishing by commercial fisheries over the last couple of decades, causing the Halibut population to dramatically decrease.
Unfortunately, the overfishing of halibut and its consequential dwindling population is not the only issue associated with this fishery. One of the methods used by both Polar Seafood and Royal Greenland, bottom trawling, to catch halibut in high volumes has dire negative effects on the physical environment and the species it supports.
LANDMARK STUDY FINDS BOTTOM TRAWLING RESPONSIBLE FOR INJECTING UP TO 370 MILLION METRIC TONS OF CARBON DIOXIDE INTO THE ATMOSPHERE EVERY YEAR; REVEALS TRAWLING IN EAST CHINA, BALTIC, NORTH SEA AND GREENLAND SEA HAVE LARGEST CLIMATE FOOTPRINTS.
WHAT IS BOTTOM TRAWLING?
Bottom trawling is a method of commercial fishing targeting species living in deep waters. Bottom trawl equipment consists of a large net with a wide mouth and tapered end, with two weighted doors meant to keep the net open and on the ocean floor. There are also more weights on the bottom of the net, which in sum weigh multiple tons and are capable of crushing benthic organisms and permanently damaging the physical seafloor landscape.
Bottom trawls are some of the worst fishing gear when it comes to bycatch—as of 2019, about 46 percent of all bycatch comes from bottom trawls. -Smithsonian Ocean
Bycatch is a term used in fisheries to describe organisms unintentionally caught during the commercial fishing process. These organisms are often discarded (which kills them) as they are not wanted or unable to be sold for profit. Bycatch continues to be a threat to ocean ecosystems and their resiliency on a global scale, especially for threatened and endangered species whose dwindling population numbers cannot recover from being caught, killed, and wastefully discarded by fishermen.
Bottom trawling reduces the complexity, productivity, and biodiversity of benthic habitats–damage is most severe in areas with corals and sponges. When disturbed by bottom trawling, as much as 90 percent of a coral colony perishes, and up to two-thirds of sponges are damaged. [...] Bottom trawling fundamentally altered the chemistry and geology of soft sediment habitats, permanently impacting the biological function and composition of these ecosystems. -Oceana
SO WHAT CAN YOU DO?
- Make an active effort to stay educated & educate those around you on Climate Change and the issues facing Greenland & Disko Bay
- Listen to alternate persepctives
- Seek out Indigenous ways of knowing
- Support local (sustainable, non-commercial) businesses and fisheries
- Donate where you can!
- Vote for leadership in your country who will support climate-friendly policies
- Fight for sustainable practices in your local community: we are interconnected and Climate Change impacts us all!
Become involved whenever you can, not just when you have to.
REFERENCES
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272771422003456
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165783622001941#:~:text=The%20long%20run%20economic%20optimal,in%202019%20(8759%20tons).
https://www.oceansnorth.org/en/blog/2020/10/hope-for-a-sustainable-halibut-fisheryongreenlandsnorthwestcoast/#:~:text=Combined%20with%20significant%20reductions%20in,the%20wellbeing%20of%20our%20communities.
https://japan.um.dk/en/about-denmark/greenland/economy
https://stat.gl/dialog/topmain.asp?lang=en&subject=Fisheries%20and%20Catch&sc=FI
https://www.polarseafood.com/products/fish/greenland-halibut
https://www.royalgreenland.com/sustainability/sustainable-fishing/
Bottom Trawling
https://www.royalgreenland.com/our-seafood/from-sea-to-table/fishery/#:~:text=Royal%20Greenland%20uses%20bottom%20trawling,more%20impact%20on%20the%20seabed
https://news.nationalgeographic.org/scientists-uncover-new-marine-source-of-carbon-emissions-into-atmosphere-finding-bottom-trawling-contributes-to-global-warming/ .
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/jan/18/carbon-released-by-bottom-trawling-too-big-to-ignore-says-study
https://news.mongabay.com/2022/09/greenlands-sustainable-halibut-fishery-may-threaten-newfound-corals-sponges/
https://www.britannica.com/place/Greenland/History
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X20302736
https://natur.gl/arter/the-greenland-halibut/?lang=en
https://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fisheries-peches/ifmp-gmp/groundfish-poisson-fond/2019/halibut-fletan-eng.htm#toc3
https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/greenland-turbot
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/one-greenlands-major-glaciers-thickening-again-180972187/
https://visitgreenland.com/articles/greenlands-modern-path-to-independence/
http://worldaquacultureatlas.pbworks.com/w/page/155422836/Halibut%20Aquaculture%20in%20Greenland#:~:text=Job%20opportunities%20would%20open%20up%20that%20Greenland,stocks%2C%20boost%20the%20local%20economy%2C%20and%20a
https://blogs.loc.gov/maps/2022/11/mapping-disko-bay/