Deep-Sea Fishing Not Sustainable - Study

[capn_billl]

Originally Posted by coyfish9906

Im done with this thread before I get any angrier....commercial fishermen will always have a bad rep unfortunately. I guess boycotting eating fish and putting the real fishermen who care about the ocean as myself out of wrk is easier then stoping our fuel consumption or carbon monoxide emissions or the millions of other things u could do like toughing up the laws in other countries were the over fishing is taken place , what ever helps u sleep

It's not that you are neccessarily part of the problem, other posters have noted the US has the strictest fishing laws in the world. Other countries have less regulations. The giant factory fishing fleets that pull in thousands of tons of fish at a time can't be doing the enviroment any good.

I am a rec fisher and enjoy fishing and have no personal problem with commercial fishing as long as it is done in balance. I do have a problem in that commercial fleet owners in Texas are standing behind regulations reducing MY take of fish, (4 - 6 per year), and continuing to take collectivly 3 times the total take of rec, (including head boats and charters).

A single line fisher can target a species with ZERO bycatch. Even a long liner can reduce bycatch, but I know of no way that a purse seine can eliminate bycatch.

I know there are plenty of fish out there, but I have to go further and further to find them, (as do commercial vessels). Deep sea tuna fleets surround an entire school of tuna with nets eliminating the entire school from the ocean.

No one, (well maybe a few), is trying to put you out of a job, but limiting the amount of fish we take today can only mean more fish tomorrow, (if rules apply to all).

Maybe you could make a profit with less fish, if there were less license fees, and taxes, (and gas was cheaper)

[Geoduck]

Jesus was a commercial fisherman - look what happened to him!
Since when have humans done anything other than take, use and discard?
These topics really fry me!
I'm an old commercial salmon/tuna fisherman, commercial diver, ex rancher/cowboy and a 100% disabled Vietnam Vet who has been around the world and lived/worked in 15 countrys and nothing has changed and it's getting worse all the time. Our only hope is doom so enjoy it while you can - I'm too old to worry about it anymore so just keep sending me my check so I can go sailing and have fun!!!

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by atoll

decreasing the population on earth by 3-4 billion would go a long way to achieving those goals.........

Yep, all these problems (oil, food, water, environment etc) are population issues and no one wants to talk about it.... well the chinese do maybe.... think oil has been an issue? wait until the water and food shortages hit and the poor cant eat!

[Astrid]

Jesus was a commercial fisherman

Actually a carpenter; but at least three of the apostles were fishermen and were martyred.

[coyfish9906]

I worked on a lot of purse saners my last one we mainly went for squid and rarely did I see enough by catch to even make worthy note of...there was always something but no where enough to be considered dangerous.

[coyfish9906]

Oh and for not being abel to find fish ......the charter fishermen are doing prity good even in this economy.


Maybe its the person finding the fish in most cases...I do agree some places over fish

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by avb3

(...) The problem is, we, as humans, need to find a way that makes us work with our environment, and not continually impact it to the point where choices we may want to make are no longer available.(...)

We, humans?

When you mean you and me, then yes it may work.

When you mean the humankind, you are wasting your breath.

b.

[David M]

It's not the fisherman who are at fault. It's countries which do not have laws that stop fisherman from taking more than what is sustainable. Until this happens fisherman are going to take whatever amount makes them the most money, which is quite understandable.

Fishermen cannot be expected to know what is sustainable nor be expected to self-regulate themselves. Every fishing boat would have a different opinion, probably leaning on the side of taking more than what is sustainable. This is why we have fisheries scientists. Countries that do not want to pay for the research and enforce laws relating to the results of the research are at fault for the over fishing.

[capn_billl]

Read the tragedy of the commons. Anytime something belongs to noone, taking care of it is somebody else's problem. Private property is usually kept neat and clean by the owner who has a vested interest in keeping it's value. Public land is often abused and trashed because the only interest is in taking as much as possible before somebody else does.

If the worlds oceans were divided up between the ocean going nations with each required to only allow a set per capita amount of fishing in "their" section of ocean, and given free reign of interdiction in "their" section, most of the problems of the oceans would go away. This might also have an effect on piracy if the nations were held at fault for crimes in their allotted area.

[perchance]

Originally Posted by Astrid

Soylent Green anyone?

Yes please. As long as it isn't made from Charlton Heston, I have an aversion to Ham.

[s/v Beth]

This conversation makes me a little sad. Sad not because you have not identified the problem- I think you have. But sad because you are unwilling to do anything about it. You will exhort all day on what the world and people as a whole should be doing, but how many of you take public transport, use solar or wind in your home and consider what you can do to decrease the pull on the world's resources? Debate all you want, but until you do something to change your behavior you are the problem and not the solution.
Think Globally,
but act Locally.
And invest in thrift and recycled goods.
If you think the Tuna boats are ruining the world- stop eating Tuna- but plant a garden too.

[zeehag]

wondering how to change behavior of mine to satisfy all--i recycle, i make sure nothing is afloat in bay from my boat except my lil boats, only throw recyclable organix to fishies, catch fishies to eat and only enough for me, feed some to kat, and give my hair that falls out to the birds for nests, buy only in thrift stores, and i use my old t shirts for rags, .........oh,yes, and i have now a basil plant, a bgunch o tomato plants and a chile- serrano -plant growing......

[Jimbo485]

The problem is that dolphins are competing against us humans for the fish catch. Remove the dolphins and there will be more fish for us. Just because god engineered the dolphins DNA with a smile should not change your perception of the situation. If they were really ugly and stole food from your galley, what would be your attitude? So use that same attitude against flipper! Be consistent and logical, not emotional!

[coyfish9906]

Originally Posted by s/v Beth

This conversation makes me a little sad. Sad not because you have not identified the problem- I think you have. But sad because you are unwilling to do anything about it. You will exhort all day on what the world and people as a whole should be doing, but how many of you take public transport, use solar or wind in your home and consider what you can do to decrease the pull on the world's resources? Debate all you want, but until you do something to change your behavior you are the problem and not the solution.
Think Globally,
but act Locally.
And invest in thrift and recycled goods.
If you think the Tuna boats are ruining the world- stop eating Tuna- but plant a garden too.

How could it make you sad? U don't know what other ppl do and to presume nothing is a lil offensive even tho I don't think that's what u intended .....at least I hope not

[Jimbo485]

For the mentally challenged, please take the previous post with a huge pinch of sea salt, preferably from the Dead Sea.