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?

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.

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?

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.

The term is new to me as well as many of you, I’m sure. It sounds like something from an aquatic Halloween film, but “ghost fishing” has nothing to do with an apparition. It’s a term used to describe the process when lost fishing gear that doesn’t decompose in water ends up being a threat to wildlife and underwater habitat. Fishing nets, for example, billow up on the ocean floors and entangle the animals underwater. They also provide artificial habitat for organisms that shouldn’t be there, thus altering the ecosystem of the ocean floor.

Ghost Net Photo Courtesy of Midway Journey

The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary has created the Phantom HD2 Remotely Operated Vehicle and unleashed it into the waters for the first time on the 18th of last month. When researchers and deep sea divers see fishing gear, they notify the search team, which sends the robot down to locate the problem. The robot is tethered to a boat by a cable and has a camera which allows the crew to see live video of the sights down in the water. The team controls the robot’s movements using a joystick and can lift small debris as well as heavy things.

This comes as a relief to many divers, who did all the retrieving in the past, because the robot can go much deeper than humans can and it can also light up the seafloor. Since the robot has begun the project, it has helped pick up two large fishing nets, a 20-foot gill net fragment, and a crab trap. The team’s goal is for fisherman to notify them as soon as they’ve lost gear so that it can be retrieved before it causes major damage, eventually leading to a more pristine marine habitat. To view the original article, click here.

Personally, I think this is a great gesture to help out these organisms. Many animals suffer in waters because humans carelessly leave their fishing paraphernalia in the waters without considering how it might affect the animals and ecosystem. Actual fishing by humans is not the only way that aquatic ecosystems are being damaged and this is a great example of that.

Sashimi is a Japanese dish that contains some sort of raw, uncooked, saltwater seafood which is usually served in fresh, thin slices.  Many people already associate sashimi with the main reason for the overfishing of Bluefin Tuna.  Unfortunately, their dwindling populations mean that tuna fishers must look for other sources to satisfy Tokyo, Seattle, and California’s appetite for sashimi.

Courtesy of avlxyz

Some fisheries have started fishing Yellowfin tuna which are now becoming more and more scarce.  Although Yellowfin Tuna will likely survive past the expected 2012 extinction of Bluefin, they are now overfished and their populations are in increasing trouble.

Check out this video for a glimpse into the Yellowfin Tuna problems of the Phillipines…even the fishers know that this source is unsustainable!!

photo courtesy of Stuck In customs

When you think of Hong Kong you may think of a great fishing center, or at least you did 10 years ago. But Hong Kong is not that place anymore. In fact, most of the fish in Hong Kong fish markets are imported. Hong Kong’s own harbor has been so overfished and polluted that there are very few fish still swimming there, and the ones that are still there are not what you would call healthy. At this point Hong Kong is a microcosm, a miniature example of what the world could be like by 2048…except we wouldn’t have anywhere to import our fish from soooo it would be worse . I learned about this drastic situation in an article “Hong Kong’s ghostly seas warn of looming tragedy” by Lawrence Bartlet.  Read it and be stunned my friends.

Hello all and happy hump day! Here’s the deal: I’m a college student and I have needs. I don’t get to go home very often so sometimes I run out of food and I have to resort to desperate measures, like eating a filet-o-fish from McDonald’s (oops!). Well, over the weekend I had no food and I thought since I worked so hard on midterms I deserved a once-in-a-while treat. So… I went to McDonald’s after a gut-wrenching workout and I bought one. Then after I finished feeding my filthy fixation (sorry, I had the sudden urge to alliterate) I came across a list of 22 fish to avoid courtesy of greenpeace.org, and I realized that the hoki was on the list. The brutal list is as follows:

Yes, even these delicious looking scallops!

1. Albacore tuna
2. Atlantic cod or scrod
3. Atlantic halibut
4. Atlantic salmon
5. Atlantic sea scallop
6. Bigeye tuna
7. Bluefin tuna
8. Chilean sea bass
9. Greenland halibut
10. Grouper
11. Hoki
12. Monkfish
13. Ocean quahog
14. Orange roughy
15. Pollock
16. Redfish
17. Red snapper
18. SHARKS
19. Skates and rays
20. Swordfish
21. Tropical shrimp
22. Yellowfin Tuna

I’m gonna need moral support for this but I do promise to do everything in my power to avoid this fish along with other fish like salmon, many types of tuna, and cod. The list includes 19 types of fish, 2 shellfish, and 1 crustacean. Definitely take a look at it to find out more about each of the fish, and I dare you to challenge yourself not to eat any of these.

Overfishing is associated with several negative ideas such as: the consumption of unsustainable food, the extinction of million year old species, and the jellyfish taking over our oceans.  Yes, I know you weren’t really expecting that last one were you?  Well unfortunately, jellyfish such as the Mnemiopsis leidyi or Sea Walnut (pictured below), are starting to take over the overfished waters of the Mediterranean.

Courtesy of Vidar.

There are several factors, outlined in Time’s – Jellyfish: A Gelatinous Invasion,  affecting this jellyfish takeover including ocean acidification, a by-product of global warming.  A main contributor though is overfished waters.  When commercial fisheries target certain species in a specific location, they begin to wipe out all of this type of fish.  For instance, if you are targeting a smaller sized fish and the population begins to decrease, there is going to be less food for the larger fish to eat.  This also means that the jellyfish that the small fish used to eat are no longer around to eat them.  This results in more and more jellyfish in an environment where there are less and less fish.

This is creating huge problems that could be irreversible.  An example is Australian shrimpers who have been forced to keep their nets and boats at home, or the clogging of a Japanese power-plant’s cooling system because of an overwhelming jellyfish population.

Just the other day one of my roommates offered me a plum and said, “they’re in season right?”. The funny thing was I had no idea because I didn’t grow up in a time when fruits had seasons. All sorts of foods are shipped around the world from country to country so that if I want a plum in the middle of December I can go to the grocery store and find one, and the same goes for any other item I am craving.

The next day I came across an article that spoke about the same ideas of globalized food markets. It was called Upscale Sushi Chef’s Fighting for Sustainability, and in it they discussed Chef Michael Black who only serves fish in season.  This practice is what the author says is a measure called “naturally imposed check against depleting fragile stocks”.

I taste like extinction

Now I have had a lot of discussion about the ramifications of Globalization, I love taking political science courses, and I have heard about the detrimental effects it has on developing nations. But until reading that article I have never considered the detrimental effects globalization has been having on the oceans. Most of the food we eat seem to come from a limitless source, and maybe some of them do, but fish is not one of those. I think that in the future I am going to make an effort to learn the proper seasons for foods and stick to them, and maybe that small change will make a big difference in the future.