Overfishing is Killing Our Oceans
This Greenpeace video takes a satirical approach to overfishing and how ridiculous some of the “advanced” fishing methods we are coming up with are. These new fishing methods are allowing us to catch more and more fish with less effort, but at what cost? The one certainty this video depicts comes at the end – NO MORE FISH!
What do you think about the video?
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Governments seem to be more aware of preserving marine life these days, and with good reason. More people are beginning to realize how valuable marine life and ecosystems are to us. Some strategies, however, have been backfiring with a vengeance. One example of this is the island nation in the central Pacific, Kiribati (KIR-a-bahs).
The people of Kiribati either pick coconuts from their trees and produce coconut oil, or catch fish. Most people, however, do both. The government of Kiribati was growing increasingly concerned about overfishing so they decided to subsidize the coconut oil industry. They figured that if people were paid more to do coconut agriculture, they would do less fishing. So ultimately, there would be less overfishing and people would have higher incomes.
This turned out to be far from the reality of the situation. Instead of decreasing overfishing, it actually increased it by 33 percent, decreasing the reef fish population by 17 percent. The reason behind these ghastly numbers was that since people were earning more, they could work less and eventually, they spent their new leisure time, um, fishing.
All of this is adds more to the idea that fisherman don’t fish just for money. In fact, some people even pay to go sports-fishing. There’s a certain thrill for people to catch impressive qualities and/or quantities of fish and coming home with something cool. Also, it’s been a proverbial bonding thing between friends, and especially fathers and their sons. We so often hear about “takin my boy fishin this weekend,” or “goin fishin with the old man.”
So this begs the question: what, then, is the solution to overfishing? Adding fishing as leisure only complicates the equation that has consisted predominantly of greed and money. How do we stop something that not only makes a huge profit, but is a great hobby to many people? Maybe jobs like patrolling the waters where people who like being on the water can still be there without doing any harm? Any ideas or thoughts? Maybe something to think about over the weekend for those who still have any brain power left.
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Their decision is appallingly a direct contradiction of their name. The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna. Key word: conservation. So why is it that after the ICCAT’s scientists specifically warned them about the endangerment of the bluefin tuna, the organization is still insisting on fishing them? It makes absolutely no sense.
An article on mongabay.com, a very detailed, well-known site high in conservationist content, says that the ICCAT dropped their quota from 19,500 to 13,500, despite researchers saying that they should ban it altogether. The researchers claim that only a zero catch limit could give the tuna the amount of time it needs to recover in order to exist in the future. It appears, however, that the organization is more interested in short-term gains rather than the long-term sustainability of the bluefin. Cutting quotas by a mere 6,000 will not help the tuna in any way, especially given that history shows the amount of tuna caught is usually twice the number that is set.
Bluefin Tuna
Earlier this year, the WWF released a report saying that the Atlantic bluefin tuna only has about 3 more years before becoming extinct if it is still fished at the current rates, meaning that if the ICCAT doesn’t change this quick, the tuna is sure to be a goner. That being sad, Monaco has asked that the species be placed under Appendix I on the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES), which would make it illegal to catch any bluefin tuna. This will be formally addressed early next year, and hopefully, they succeed in placing tuna on that list. Being on that list appears to be the tuna’s last chance, otherwise, it looks like they are headed for trouble.
Personally, I think that the ICCAT should change their name. It doesn’t look like they’re concerned about doing any real conserving, and therefore they should not be allowed to wear a false heroic badge. People who think they are working towards conserving tuna are being disastrously lead astray. Just saying. What do you say? Is this incredibly irresponsible and hypocritical of them or am I too full of zeal?
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Maybe I’ve been living under a rock. Maybe I’ve been too wrapped in other things to notice. Or maybe I just plain suck at life. I can’t quite figure out the reason just yet, all I know is that I am no longer in the dark about the Somali pirates. At a meeting for the Organization of African Students, I was educated on the situation with the Somali pirates and why they are doing what they are.
I was shocked to learn that it wasn’t because they were cruel, bloodthirsty savages, or crazed, greedy men hunting for buried treasure: it’s overfishing. Hearing the back story to this left my mouth agape. These pirates, who had been all over major news networks like CNN weren’t just monsters. They were men fighting for what they thought was right when no one else would stand up for them. Before you think I’m justifying this piracy, read on and try to follow along.
Many of Somalia’s people make a living as fishermen, but they have been without a central government for almost twenty years, therefore they have no authority to efficiently protect their rights to their own coastline. As a result of this, many foreigners come to Somalia’s coast, stealing an estimated $300 million worth of seafood and leaving Somali fishermen with little to no food to bring home. The men grew increasingly frustrated with the way things were going, and began a more harmless patrol squad that wandered the waters, seeking out foreigners who were illegally fishing and dumping waste in Somali waters, and demanding they pay a tax.
When this proved to be unsuccessful, the piracy began. This desperate measure has now led to 3 deaths and much violence. This story is one of vigilantes doing what they felt they needed to do in order to gain back control of their land. I’m not saying that this is a feasible excuse for violence, because it is not. Like Sting said in his song, “Fragile”: “nothing comes from violence and nothing ever could.” However, we must practice some compassion and attempt to understand these men and where they’re coming from. Knowledge and understanding are the only things that will help us solve problems.
Now, forgive me for going off topic but I come from a country in West Africa where I was very lucky to live a privileged lifestyle and be able to afford the best in life. However, I know that other places in Africa are in major trouble with many different issues. The deterioration of Africa and the seizing of its resources has often been referred to as “The Rape of Africa.” One of the most popular examples of this is the diamonds from Sierra Leone, an issue that has spawned a hit songsas well as a hit movie complete with Leonardo DiCaprio. Many Africans are growing more and more irate and this is what their frustration is leading to: violence.
I understand that this is pretty controversial and, to some, sensitive stuff. I would love to hear what you guys think. Feel free to voice your opinions on anything I mentioned.
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