Enough With The Ocean Raping...

[Harps]

I think we have a serious problem in Western Society when we rape the oceans to feed our pets....

 

I read this on http://www.midcurrent.com/news....-t.html

"Of course, house cats are not known to build dams, divert water to subsidized farming operations, dump massive amounts of trash in the ocean, or use rivers as sewers."

 

It's time to start buying pet food that doesn't contain ocean fish... there are a few companies in S. Alberta that produce a good quality beef based food.

Pass this along to pet owners that you know... ocean fish isn't cheaper than other pet food, nor is it healthier. Lets start this boycott here!

News from: http://uk.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMol...YD5344520080826

***************************************************************************

 

Cats a bigger danger to fish stocks than people: study

Tue Aug 26, 2008 1:05pm BST

CANBERRA (Reuters Life!) - Pampered house cats may pose a bigger risk to world fish stocks than humans, Australian researchers said on Tuesday, with gourmet felines chewing through more than two million tonnes of seafood each year.

 

The global cat food industry was using an estimated 2.48 million tonnes of sardines, herrings and anchovies annually, led by well-fed U.S. felines who downed more than 1.1 million tonnes, Deakin University researchers said.

 

Close behind were European felines, which consumed 870,000 tonnes each year, and Japanese house cats, which ate their way through 132,000 tonnes of fish. Canadian cats accounted for 111,000 tonnes, fish nutrition researcher Giovanni Turchini said.

 

"Our pets seem to be eating better than their owners," Turchini told Australian newspapers.

 

"I think giving a nice chunk of fish to a pet is important to satisfy the personal hedonistic needs of the owner, not the nutritional need of the cat. Cats will be very happy to eat the offal from a trout," he said.

 

The research, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, said Australian cats ate 13.7 kilograms (30 pounds) of fish each year, well over the 11 kilograms of fish and seafood eaten on average by humans.

 

Almost 80 percent of the world's ocean fisheries are fully or over-exploited, seriously depleted, or close to collapse, according to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization.

 

More than 200 million people worldwide base all or part of their income on fishing, and about 90 percent of the stocks of large predatory fish stocks are already gone.

 

Turchini said sardines, herrings and anchovies were an important link in the marine food chain and the diets of larger predatory fish like tuna and swordfish.

 

At the same time, pet food makers are increasingly turning to super premium and costlier foods for cashed-up pet owners.

 

"Forage fish could be better used for human consumption directly, particularly amongst the poorer nations of the world," Turchini said.

 

(Reporting by Rob Taylor, editing by Miral Fahmy)

*********************************************************************

[Harps]

And: http://www.endoverfishing.org/

 

I certainly don't eat tuna anymore...

 

AND

It looks like there is a sustainable seafood website...

http://www.seachoice.org/

It looks like a good guide?

 

We have no excuse, certainly not the "out of sight, out of mind" mentality we've been takng with ocean fisheries.

If you don't know where your feed is coming from, you're part of the problem!

[wongrs]

sea choice is a good start. there are a number of other organizations that put out cards that you can carry in your wallet to determine what fishes have been caught sustainably and which ones haven't. you can access one such card here:

http://www.seachoice.org/files/asset/file/...e_Alertcard.pdf

 

we carry ours around with us to give us pointers when we're at the store or restaurant as to what/what not to purchase.

 

if you look for it, you can find sustainably caught fish. globefish in calgary serves wild pacific salmon that you can pay slightly more for over the atlantic farmed alternative. you can also purchase tuna that is sustainably caught in grocery stores but it's slightly more expensive than regular tuna. you can also purchase sustainably harvested/raised shrimp that doesn't destroy mangrove forests in asia.

 

given the fact that fisheries are abused big-time, i think it's important to support those companies that are trying to do it right rather than giving my money to companies that don't give a damn and bottom trawl and by-catch everything to smithereens.

 

we like to reward responsible business practices and punish bad practices, don't we?

 

and that's just for human consumption. exacerbating these problems to feed pets is, well, just giving me a headache.

[Harps]

I've seen some of the shrimp that are farmed in rice patties... its a pretty cool idea. If I recall there is also a river in China where they are growing/building flooded vegetation like mangroves to have a shrimp industry.

 

Its good to know there are places in Calgary where you can buy sustainable goods.

 

Maybe the rising fuel costs will make ocean raping less of an attractive revenue... there is talk about the impacts of oil prices on fishing in the UK and Spain.

No more subsidies...

[Harps]

That UK fishing article is here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/20...g.climatechange

 

(Stolen from a link on Sexyloops)

[Guest Sundancefisher]

CO2 emissions have absolutely nothing to do with declining fish stocks. Increased CO2 increases plankton blooms which increases fish production. The problems is fishery management just like Alberta in the past but on a massive industrial scale. Picture 100 mile long gill nets. Seines that catch everything and kills them before release. 100 Trollers with 120 lines each making an almost impenetrable barrier to migrating salmon. Fish farms exponentially increasing sea lice right along the smolt migration routes. Fishermen lined up at mouths of spawning rivers killing everything with their nets until the DFO says enough (rarely do they it appears), destruction of habitat and increased sedimentation by poor forestry practices...the list goes on and on...

 

I like this concept below.

 

..and by the way...scientists predicted a 9th colder year in a row in Canada and we achieved that again easily. Now they are predicting an even colder winter than expected. Hurts fly fishing...helps ice fishing :-)

 

I received a pamphlet on sustainable fish consumption. Very nice to have.

 

Cheers

 

Sun

 

**************************************************************

Ownership key to saving fisheries

By Richard Black

Environment correspondent, BBC News website

 

Boats at port

Husavik in Iceland: an ITQ port

 

Giving fishermen long-term rights to catch fish is key to keeping stocks healthy, scientists conclude.

 

A global survey found that fisheries managed using individual transferable quotas (ITQs) were half as likely to collapse as others.

 

Long-term quotas give fishermen a stake in conserving fish stocks.

 

The study was published in the journal Science just a day after the European Commission announced a major review of EU fisheries policy.

 

"Under open access, you have a free-for-all race to fish, which ultimately leads to collapse," said research leader Christopher Costello from the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB).

 

I have come across situations where fishermen lobby managers to decrease the catch

Professor Christopher Costello

 

"But when you allocate shares of the catch, then there is an incentive to protect it."

 

The principle of ITQs is straightforward. A safe level of catch is set for a given species or group of species in a prescribed area, and that catch is shared out between individual boats or fleets.

 

The total allowable catch can rise or fall from year to year according to what scientists judge to be sustainable.

 

But the shares are guaranteed for a set number of years. They can be traded or transferred, but no new shares are allowed.

 

Back from the brink

 

Professor Costello's team analysed a global database of 11,135 fisheries, and identified 121 that were managed using ITQs or a close variant.

 

Their main conclusion is that using ITQs halves the probability that the fishery will collapse.

Sablefish

Transferable quotas are thought to be a way of emphasising quality of fish

 

This figure probably under-estimates the true impact, they argue, because some of the fisheries in their dataset had already collapsed by the time ITQs were brought in.

 

He said there was also evidence that some stocks had recovered from a severely depleted state after adopting an ITQ-based management.

 

"In places without catch shares, fishermen will often lobby managers to increase the quotas," he told BBC News.

 

"But in fisheries with catch shares I have come across situations where they lobby managers to decrease the catch, because they know that if they back off this season, the stock will grow to a level where they can increase the harvest next time around."

 

'No magic bullet'

 

Among academics studying fisheries, ITQs have gained a somewhat stellar reputation in recent years.

 

But Daniel Pauly from the University of British Columbia, a leading expert in the economics of fishing, warned they were not a magic bullet.

 

"They are rightly seen as an elegant solution to a big problem, the problem of over-capacity," he said.

 

"But there is unfairness in allocating the shares initially, because you are giving something to the biggest fishers and the others are not getting access and will not get access for ever.

 

We will put on the table the possible introduction of ITQs

Alberto Spagnolli, European Commission

 

EU to overhaul fisheries policy

 

"So I think it's one of the tools that can be introduced in specific fisheries, but you shouldn't look at it with the degree of absolutism and even fanaticism that has characterised the discussion in some countries."

 

Added to which, he said, ITQ fisheries could still collapse if overall catch quotas were set too high.

 

Another criticism levelled at the idea is that it is not appropriate for developing countries where fishing is usually carried with many more people using much smaller boats, and often a degree of community ownership.

 

But, said Christopher Costello, there are ways of getting around this issue.

 

"Many developing countries use territorial user rights (TURFs), where you allocate communities shares of the coastline, which again provides incentives to manage stock in a sustainable way.

 

"That's done in Chile and in parts of Africa. Or you grant communities the right to harvest over a period, say, of 20 years, as is practised in Mexico."

 

Stock shot

 

There is little doubt that many fisheries urgently need a change of management.

 

UN figures show that nearly one third are exploited to the point where yields are less than 10% of their original levels.

 

So far, the world leaders in adopting ITQs as a method of halting the slide have been Iceland, New Zealand and Australia, although the US is quickly catching up.

Map of ITQ fisheries

 

One spectacular success, according to Steve Gaines of UCSB, is the Alaskan halibut fishery. By 1995, he said, it was so depleted that the fishing season was just three days long.

 

Now, after adopting transferable quotas, it lasts for eight months. Fewer fish are caught; but fishermen strive to land only big, mature ones and bring them in in top condition so they fetch more at market.

 

"Halibut fishermen were barely squeaking by - but now the fishery is insanely profitable," said Dr Gaines.

 

With the management of European fisheries now up for review, will it too adopt the ITQ approach to recovery?

 

As things stand, the decision is in the gift of member states which decide how to allocate their national quotas.

 

The Netherlands and Denmark are two countries already using ITQs; most do not.

 

"Many member states are discussing the issue," said Alberto Spagnolli, head of the economic analysis unit within the European Commission's Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Directorate.

 

"What we did [with our discussion paper] in 2007 was to set the ball rolling for a debate with Europe that is broader than just ITQs, including access rights in general, days at sea, collective quotas that could be more or less transferable.

 

"But we will put on the table the possible introduction of ITQs."

 

A spokeswoman for the UK Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) declined to comment directly on ITQs, but - perhaps in a hint that they are being considered - said the UK was pushing for a more sustainable European fisheries framework with "an increased emphasis on long-term management planning".

 

Richard.Black-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk

[Harps]

I like this concept below.

 

..and by the way...scientists predicted a 9th colder year in a row in Canada and we achieved that again easily. Now they are predicting an even colder winter than expected. Hurts fly fishing...helps ice fishing :-)

 

I received a pamphlet on sustainable fish consumption. Very nice to have.

 

Cheers

 

Sun

 

It all revolves around having a competent gov't setting appropriate quotas...

 

Yeah on cold winters.... :$*%&: I need more insulation in my house!!!

[rehsifylf]

I've seen some of the shrimp that are farmed in rice patties... its a pretty cool idea. If I recall there is also a river in China where they are growing/building flooded vegetation like mangroves to have a shrimp industry.

 

Its good to know there are places in Calgary where you can buy sustainable goods.

 

Maybe the rising fuel costs will make ocean raping less of an attractive revenue... there is talk about the impacts of oil prices on fishing in the UK and Spain.

No more subsidies...

 

Not sure we should be pointing to China for good ideas on sustainability. Environmental concerns rank right below human rights in the list of priorities for China.

[Harps]

Not sure we should be pointing to China for good ideas on sustainability. Environmental concerns rank right below human rights in the list of priorities for China.

 

Highlighting any good practices is beneficial.... especially if it comes from a place that struggles with environmental concern because of population concerns. Western society living standards should not have been exported... the world can't take it.

[Guest Sundancefisher]

Highlighting any good practices is beneficial.... especially if it comes from a place that struggles with environmental concern because of population concerns. Western society living standards should not have been exported... the world can't take it.

 

China has uncontrolled growth with little to no governance. People can do what they what, however they want so long and they pay off the closest communist party member.

 

People are starting to distrust everything. I just bought an extension cord and am concerned it was made in China. Turned it on and no sparks so I will cross my fingers.

[Harps]

Just saw this on catch sharing:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.p...ft=1&f=1025