Jump to content
Fly Fusion Forums

60 Minutes Blue Fin Tuna


Recommended Posts

Rick

 

Just watched it and I see the same thing happing as the Cod fishing on the East coast. Sad very sad.

 

Did you notice how the local boats have been doing it for hundreds of years? Sustainable fishing, who'd a thunk it.

 

Once the factory boats move in on any fish stock, the end is in sight. No way to make it sustainable, at least from what I have seen. I have no trouble with the concept of fish as food. In the ocean, that's mostly what they are. But walking the line between sustainability and overfishing can look impossible at times.

 

About 30 years ago, a friend of my father was longlining tuna in the Gulf of Mexico. I don't remember what the limits were for yellowfin, but you could catch a lot. Bluefin was like 1 fish over 400 lb and you had to come in. My dad's friend caught a 900 lb (head off and tail off) blue. The Japanese inspectors were waiting at the pier. Cored, sampled, and sold for about $9000. This was like 1982 or so. Put that much economic incentive out there and the fish have no chance.

 

On the other side of the coin....

My father was a shrimper. Shrimp farms have pretty much ended the shrimping industry because the price today is lower than when I ran a boat back in the late '70s. Now, it bothers me that the farms have ended a way of life. But the increase in shrimp population in the Gulf, and the drastic lowering of bycatch will do nothing but improve fisheries in the Gulf. That is if the farms prove to be viable in the long term, which from what I understand, is not certain.

 

Anyway, sorry for the rambly post. I don't know what the answer is in all this. To say stop all commercial fishing is certainly naive and would also be detrimental to the health of the world as we do need the protein. But how do you control it? It makes me very sad to think of the ocean without Bluefin. But if nothing is done, that is the certain outcome.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...