Overfishing is unavoidable, because people in the world want two or three times as large as what our ocean can sustainably support. Every year, uncountable small fish are thrown back into the sea due to bycatch and bottom trawling. This kind of fishing habit can also be found in the West Sea: hundreds of fishing boats fish centering on Northern Limit Line (NLL) and the territorial waters of the West Sea.

Overfishing is a significant, imminent problem, because over twenty-five percent of fish stocks are either overexploited or depleted. Fifty-two percent of the fish species are fully exploited and seven percent of them are depleted, whereas only one percent of them is recovering from depletion. Also, if the number of fish decreases, the predators of fish would decrease, such as sharks, seabirds, etc. In other words, the survival of fish is closely linked to species diversity. In addition, fish are the best food source: they give us enough protein and contribute to reducing adult diseases.

Overfishing could also cause problems in economic terms. For example, Newfoundland, Canada. In 1992, the cod fishing industry came to a stop. Because there was no cod appearing at the start of the fishing season, the industry was forced to go bankrupt. Why did this issue come to surface? Overfishing! Overfishing was fully responsible for this problem, which changed into a big disaster. Almost 40,000 people lost livelihood and even after 15 year, the cod are still not appearing. Likewise, this kind of problem was made surrounding the East Sea. Pollack that were caught in the East Sea disappeared. Considering these situation, the blue eco-label of the Marine Steward Council is a good example to save the fish and save the earth.

McDonald?s attached the blue eco-label of the Marine Steward Council to the wrappers of Filet–0-Fish sandwiches sold in Europe. This blue eco-label requires fishing boats in Europe never to use fishing techniques: bottom trawling. After that, if companies use those fisheries, the Marine Steward Council, a certifying agency, let them use the blue eco-label, namely, in the case of fishes caught in an ecological-friendly, sustainable way. By doing so, companies can help the ocean to become sustainable and consumers are satisfied with this step. Around the world, including the West Sea, using destructive fishing practices cannot easily be kicked, but the case of the Marine Steward Council program hinted that a small step we take can help the earth to maintain its sustainability in the ocean.