Over on the Foreign Policy website, Daniel Pauly of The Sea Around Us Project has an excellent set of info graphics on the dismal state of the globe’s fisheries.
The whole thing should be studied and gaped at by anyone who values the oceans as living ecosystems. You should know, for example, if you don’t already, that the world’s appetite for sushi has driven three species of bluefin tuna to "near extinction," and that it will take decades to revive them—if and only if we "stop eating them now."
But what really reeled me in (sorry, everyone) was the comparison between small-scale and large-scale fishing operations. Turns out that small operations are actually much more efficient. Key fact:
Large-scale fisheries burn through 14-19 million metric tons of fuel each year to produce 29 million metric tons of fish. So in the best case, it takes about a ton of fuel to produce two tons of fish. Their small-scale counterparts use one to three metric tons of fuel to produce 24 million metric tons of fish. So in the worst case, a ton of fuel yields eight tons of fish. What happened to economies of scale?
It gets worse. For large-scale operations, more than two-thirds of the catch (22 of 29 metric tons) goes to industrial purposes, i.e., producing fish meal and fish oil to feed fish farms. (Land-based factory animal farms also suck in a large amount of sea-based feed). So the great bulk of the catch isn’t eaten directly, but highly processed and fed to other organisms that are then consumed by humans.
For small-scale operations, "almost none" of the catch goes to industrial purposes. These fisher people are harvesting food for people to eat. Their large-scale rivals, like corn and soy farmers, are creating industrial inputs.
Then there’s the "bycatch" problem. In small-scale fishing communities, the concept of waste barely exists. All along, say, the Mediterranean and Adriatic seas, there are traditional seafood soups that turn low-value fish into something nourishing and delicious. These dishes— brodetti, paellas, bouillabaisse, etc.—rank among the glories of world cuisine.
Every year, large fisheries throw back 10-20 million metric tons of dead sea creatures. Small fisheries throw back "few" such critters, by contrast.
Finally, there’s employment. As global unemployment rises, large fisheries employ just 1 million people. Small operations provide livelihoods (and access to top-quality fresh food) to more than 12 million.
In the murky waters of ocean health, one solution seems clear: Crack down on resource-sucking large fishing operations, and figure out how to make small-scale fishing communities viable.
Black (fly) magic
James Bond calls for more marine protected areas
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biodiversivist Posted 1:19 am
18 Feb 2009
A popular restaurant on Capital hill was being protested the other night. I asked one of the participants what they were protesting--Foie_gras.
I rolled my eyes. Hundreds of millions of malnourished children, a major extinction event, the oceans dying, global warming, and these people have as their highest priority the quality of life of domesticated farm animals. Sorry, a bit off topic.
In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Poison Darts--Protecting the biodiversity of our world
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Tom Laskawy Posted 1:41 am
18 Feb 2009
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Erik Hoffner Posted 2:27 am
18 Feb 2009
http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2007/12/5/84020/7064
And then multiply the amount of waste you see by a very large factor to imagine what a factory trawler might dump overboard...
Erik
The Orion Grassroots Network: supporting grassroots groups working for conservation, justice, & more
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biodiversivist Posted 2:39 am
18 Feb 2009
In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Poison Darts--Protecting the biodiversity of our world
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amazingdrx Posted 2:44 am
18 Feb 2009
This picture on some big posters held up by protestors might be a good way to stop sushi entirely. Reputable restaurants could go vegan.
Vegan sushi is every bit as good as tapeworm sushi, but of course if you want to diet the tapeworm way, eat the tuna sushi.
But the really great point of this article is that small local fishing rules, in every respect. Offshore floating wind/wave/ocean current power generators and desalination systems would help prevent factory fishing.
This is a powerful green juggernaut that could assault fossil fuel and nuclear power and it's GHG and ocean life killing factory fishing symbiotically. Save the fish, fishing communities, and the climate. Do it yesterday!
http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog John Schneider, Northern Wisconsin
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amazingdrx Posted 2:50 am
18 Feb 2009
Naturally the faux green people are fighting offshore wind....in the name of fisheries? Wake up fisher folk, you are being sold out by the likes of the Kennedy clan.
http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog John Schneider, Northern Wisconsin
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