Fishing and Cruising - But the End Is Nigh

[Blue Crab]

Most of us worry about nukes, the Middle East, the Muslim take over, incompetent leadership, robber barons and bankers, ocean plunderers, pick-your-own disaster, but we may simply run out of breathable air first.

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by conachair

Sorry, none of us here are high up the list of potential survivers - maybe these guys are though - First ever aerial footage of uncontacted Amazon tribe released

.

That video was a crok! "Uncontacted" tribe? Wearing a red bandanna and shorts? They must already have TV to rip off Wille Nelson!

[joey69]

People keep saying the Fisheries are in danger.The largest ever recorded fish harvest was recorded last year in Alaska.Too many people BELIEVE everything they are told is the truth.It amazes me that people believe everything the government controlled media reports.Government biologists say something and every one assumes it is a fact.We have had one of the coldest winters in 40 yrs.,but I don't hear anything about Global Warming.


"the sky is falling,the sky is falling"

[Mark Johnson]

My cruising has been in several segments over the last 40 years, because my three boats took me so long to build. As an avid diver and spearfisherman, I was originally trying to "Seastead" in the most environmentally conscious way possible. I never had a freezer, and never caught more than I could eat that night!

I spent thousands of hours freediving and snorkeling in the 70s, 80s, 2000s, and more recently as well. Most of this was on or around coral reefs... The condition of the coral now, breaks my heart! Along with it, the populations of reef fish, conch, sponges, lobsters, Etc... are only a fraction of what it was 35 years ago.

Humans are VERY high impact animals, and we have overpopulated our species by at least 400%! No one is even talking about this!

At the same time our use of fossil fuels just goes up and up. I still enjoy many of the things that I always did, but in a much more conscious way.

Living totally off of the Sea's bounty, is no longer a sustainable option. There are just too many of us who would like too. I for one, go cruising the same way that I live on land: "treading lightly on the planet".

It may not be too late to turn this pattern around. I know I "feel better" trying to, than I would by ignoring the obvious, or copping the common attitude: "Aw, at my age, I'll be dead, long before all that starts to happen"... What a selfish point of view that would be.

Yep, I'm a tree hugger, but not the coral... I try hard not to touch it!

Mark

[atoll]

sustainable fishing on yachts.........

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UecpUA0g_Ww

[Blue Crab]

Originally Posted by Mark Johnson

My cruising has been in several segments over the last [5]0 years.... As an avid diver and spearfisherman, I was originally trying to "Seastead" in the most environmentally conscious way possible. I never had a freezer, and never caught more than I could eat that night!

I spent thousands of hours freediving and snorkeling in the 70s, 80s, 2000s, and more recently as well. Most of this was on or around coral reefs... The condition of the coral now, breaks my heart! Along with it, the populations of reef fish, conch, sponges, lobsters, Etc... are only a fraction of what it was 35 years ago.

Yep, I'm a tree hugger, but not the coral... I try hard not to touch it!
Mark

Ditto. This has been my exact experience as well. I am doubly troubled because I've been a small time commercial fisherman as recently as last year. I just can't make any money at it anymore and it's just me, I'm not one of the many diehard fishers in these parts trying to support a family.

I didn't catch the red hankerchief/shorts that MarkJ did in the video as I was staring at the forest. Most literate folks know what's happening as the region is deforested ever more rapidly. That was my reference to running out of breathable air. If that oh-so-thin layer of air we breathe changes composition we won't be here to see the sky fall.

[hummingway]

Originally Posted by joey69

People keep saying the Fisheries are in danger.The largest ever recorded fish harvest was recorded last year in Alaska.Too many people BELIEVE everything they are told is the truth.It amazes me that people believe everything the government controlled media reports.Government biologists say something and every one assumes it is a fact.We have had one of the coldest winters in 40 yrs.,but I don't hear anything about Global Warming.


"the sky is falling,the sky is falling"

You live in Alabama. I'm curious, do you have first hand knowledge of the fish harvest in Alaska or did you choose to believe someone?

Global climate change is a fact. There are ways to judge sources of information and it takes researching sources and considering the facts presented. There are very few sources that don't recognize the change as a fact. None of them are legitimate. There is still some discussion of whether the changes are caused by human activity or not but none of that discusssion is by recognized climatologists. They universally believe mankind has contributed significantly to a rapid change in the global climate, what is sometimes called global warming.

The sky isn't falling but the ozone layer is getting thinner, green house gases increasing in the atmosphere, lower elevation glaciers retreating and higher elevation glaciers increasing, artic pack ice diminishing, humidity levels rising and with it rainfall is increasing, the oceans are getting warmer and there is an increase in the incidence and intensity of storms planetary wide.

For the years previous to this one the sockeye run had collapsed. To everyones surprise this year was a banner year. To those who just want the worlds problems to magically go away this means there is no problem with the fish.

[Mark Johnson]

Originally Posted by joey69

People keep saying the Fisheries are in danger.The largest ever recorded fish harvest was recorded last year in Alaska.Too many people BELIEVE everything they are told is the truth.It amazes me that people believe everything the government controlled media reports.Government biologists say something and every one assumes it is a fact.We have had one of the coldest winters in 40 yrs.,but I don't hear anything about Global Warming.


"the sky is falling,the sky is falling"

No offense intended to you personally, but...

World wide... fisheries ARE depleted by a huge percentage, from our over population, over demand = over harvesting, and fishing techniques like factory ships! Some country's fishermen, that used to thrive on their local Cod fishing for example, have had to move to other countries!

"Climate Change" isn't just about "Global Warming"... It is record harsh winter weather as well, mostly because of an excess dip in the jet stream along with more moisture in the air... Other symptoms of climate change are world wide floods, droughts, and for different reasons, a huge portion of the world's drinkable ground water is already gone. There will be world wide struggles over territory, in response to mass migrations as the seas rise, and all forms of energy, but mostly, struggles over fresh water! This is a very complex problem, and too important to ignore on the pretense that it is just a worldwide conspiracy! Travel to 20 or 30 other countries and talk to their most educated people on the subject, before saying that it is all made up. I have been around, and the US is the only 1st world country, with such a large number of "na sayers". Many people just "choose" not to believe, because for some it is profitable, (like all producers & users of fossil fuels), and for others, it allows the least amount of sacrifice on their part.

Ground water loss is largely because, worldwide, it is being sold or piped to somewhere other than where it came from, which normally allows it to resume the cycle. Drinking bottled water from 8,000 miles away is partly to blame, as is occupying desert areas and piping in water...

Like I said, it is a complex and serious situation that the world is in. One can be part of the solution by choice, but we are all part of the problem. It it likely too late, but minimizing our participation in the problem, is the best we can do. If you really understand and research the issues, it all becomes clear!

BTW, I don't know what country you are from, but in the US... the government does not control the media, or they would not have allowed the constant criticism that has always existed toward EVERY administration.

Mark

[Dustymc]

Oh boy...

"Uncontacted" tribe...

"Uncontacted" means, of course, "uncontacted by white guys with doctorate degrees." Being human almost by definition means they're trading (things and genes) with those around them. Still, cool (if 4 year old now) story.

The largest ever recorded fish harvest was recorded last year in Alaska

Check your calendar.



And by "fish" that statement of course means pollock, and by "Alaska" it means 600 miles offshore in the Bering. Yummm, surimi.....

And, of course, "most caught" does not mean "most catchable."



I've been a small time commercial fisherman

NOW we're getting to the problem. Alaskan POLLOCK are doing OK, but pollock != fish. In fact, there's pretty strong evidence that pollock are only as plentiful as they are because the herring are in serious trouble, and that the sea lions are in serious trouble because pollock, unlike herring, are shitfood. That story is repeated a thousand times across the state - it's largely run it's course in the rest of US waters. We're changing our ecosystems, which means the small-time salmon or herring fisherman is a thing of the past. If you want to fish commercially, you need a 600' boat to get 600 miles offshore in the Bering and a 10-ton net to pursue what's essentially the dandelion of the sea. But if you ignore all that, there are indeed still fish to be caught. Did I mention surimi yet?


We have had one of the coldest winters in 40 yrs.,but I don't hear anything about Global Warming.

That's because most (some?) people are smart enough to not confuse weather and climate, nor to confuse events with trends.

Humans are VERY high impact animals, and we have overpopulated our species by at least 400%! No one is even talking about this!

This is precisely the problem. Fix this, and most everything else goes away or becomes manageable all by itself. And people are talking about it. Just a couple pages up someone mentioned China's very effective program, and was met with overwhelming scorn. It's a lot more fun to bitch about the damned chinks than to actually develop or implement policies, especially when they get in the way of our {pick your deity}-right to be {pick your idiotic thing to yell about on AM radio}! (PS: I'm married to a Chinese person, and some of you need better stereotypes.)

region is deforested....running out of breathable air.

Regional changes happen all the time. You'll also occasionally hear that the global forested area is increasing, which is true if measured from when Eastern North America was deforested. What you won't hear is that much of that area is Scotch Pine in Australia and oil palm in Indonesia and other agricultural endeavors. Those things are terrible for biodiversity, but they do just fine at scrubbing CO2. You're not going to run out of air.


Ground water loss...

...is actually mostly due to local agriculture. See Ogallala Aquifer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, or have a drive through Kansas sometime. If you want to feel shitty about bottled water, have a look at the plastic in the bottle. The water is insignificant.

the government does not control the media

Conspiracy theories aside, Julian Assange might wish to disagree. I think largely we (US) as a country would rather watch some "reality" show than think about any of the above and don't need too much controlling. And if you do want to control people, NEVER stop the criticism - they'll just find another, perhaps violent, outlet for it. Rather, FOCUS the criticism on something so unimportant that nobody will ever take it seriously enough to pick up a gun - whether or not the President of the United States is a Kenyan-born seeekret moooslim perhaps.

[Bash]

Originally Posted by Mark Johnson

BTW, I don't know what country you are from, but in the US... the government does not control the media, or they would not have allowed the constant criticism that has always existed toward EVERY administration.

He claims to be from Alabama. Then again, since a few of the claims he's made herein would be difficult to substantiate, we might want to take that with a grain of salt.