13 replies to this topic

[gina]

As a conservationist who spends a lot of time on dive boats I've always been concerned about the fact that said boats serve fish. After all, if divers come out of the water complaining about the dwindling number of fish it seems odd they would turn around and eat fish (which may or may not be the same species they just saw swimming).

In what I consider to be a groundbreaking move, the Undersea Hunter Group has now moved to serving only responsibly-caught fish from local artisanal fishermen. I think this is wonderful and I hope more dive operators follow in their footsteps (fin steps? ).

Here is their announcement from January: http://www.underseah...selections.html

-Gina

[Steve Williams]

Great to hear Gina. Their competition at the Cocos serves fish at almost every other meal. When I asked for something else they whipped up a couple of chicken breasts but I've never understood eating fish on a dive boat. I don't eat it anytime but that's just me.

Steve

[errbrr]

Part of the reason I don't eat seafood is because I find it too difficult to get the information about where it's come from and how it got to me. I think this is a great move, and especially given their clients should all be aware of marine conservation issues.

[derway]

Thanks Gina.

Yup, good news. I've been vegetarian for about 3 years, for all the environmental and health reasons, and it is working well for me.

Thanks!

[Ross1978]

I'm manager at Kri Eco Resort, Raja Ampat, Papua Diving. We have a no reef fish policy and no shellfish. All our fish are caught with hook and line by artisan local fisher folk.

[Steve Douglas]

I have always written down 'no seafood' on any live aboard I have ever been on. Last year at the Cocos both Steve Williams and myself were always served something else. I do not know why divers insist on eating fish on board ship; maybe it is being a bit self righteous and hypocritical( I admit to enjoying a tuna sandwich every once in a while) but if anyone should be aware of the need to change culinary habits, you'd think it was divers.

Steve

[AMW]

This is very, very good to hear!
It never made sense to me how one could spend a 2-dive morning photographing fishy images and then dine on fish during the liveaboard luncheon...

[DamonA]

Here's a list for the north Americas-
http://www.davidsuzu...-seafood-picks/
http://www.seachoice.org/
I love seafood, but I only eat things I know are sustainable and of low environmental impact.
Things like-
Farmed Mussels, Scallops and Oysters from coffin bay South Australia.
http://www.coffinbayoysters.com.au/
Blue smiwwer/manner/sand crabs caught locally on sand using witch hat traps.
Yellowfin tuna I troll up on my boat, usually around 8kg so one every month or so, in summer a mahi mahi or wahoo.
Sand and diver Whiting, bream(sparid) and garfish. species that are seasonal breeders not tropical reef fish or big brood stock fish. I never fish the same area twice in a season and I do it for a feed at that time, meaning I don't freeze up fish.
Probably the lucky country here, because the fishery hasn't collapsed absolutely like in other continents and the government is moving at a speed quick enough to return the fishery back to it's best.
Its fair to say both in the marine environment or on land 50% of any habitat type should be locked away for natural preservation, if we as humans want to stop the rate of extinction going on.
It's hypocritical when you have developing countries being told what to do by countries who already destroyed their native environments(UK & Europe especially), loud mouthing about other parts of the world, while being the financial driver of that exploitation. US off-shoring it's dirty manufacturing to China is another great example. Then there is mining and oil which probably has done the most damage as a total to the marine environment.
Whats the answer?
World Trade Agreement with standards in human, environmental and political rights(corrupt governments are a big part of the problem). http://pdf.usaid.gov...cs/PNACT876.pdf http://www.un.org/en...corruption.html http://eworld-isao.org/eradicate.html http://www.icgg.org/...on07_andvig.pdf
ATM we are only seeing the bad side of world free trade, maybe times for tariffs and banns on "dirty traders", like the USA's benthic, investment bankers which have caused the most damage to the world, with its high/low market manipulations(look at greece got sold a bum deal by GoldmenSacks and the eurozone).

International waters need a better convention, then the maritime laws set up during the whaling/sealing and pirating days of plundering "uncivilized lands".

What about the world's UN Navies, doing a ocean cleanup operation for 1 month every year? they could compete against each other to see who can pull out the most rubbish(maybe fishing trawlers could be commissioned or conscripted to do this too).
http://en.wikipedia....c_Garbage_Patch


In short the English and Americans have a lot answer for when it come to being fair and square.....Vote with your dollar, don't buy big multi-national and use non-profit banks like credit unions.

Eating a fish is of little consequence, unless it's for personal satisfaction....in reality it changes little about the world stage- stop being a share investor would be more helpful for the environment.

Dive charters that use a septic tank(not flushing it out to the ocean) and don't drop anchor in reef areas would be worth advertising that fact, artisan fishers who know there operational waters and share those waters with dive charter operators would be wise to have positive relationships. I guess anything that's a big company- even dive operators are going to put profits in front of environment impacts due to cash flow requirements. The small business that is a cooperative ownership is what I prefer to use in any service or supply, be it work or play!

I like this guys take on things-
http://www.davidsuzu...hy-oceans-blog/

He uses the legal industry for purposes it wasn't designed for!

Apathy is the enemy!

Thank you Canadians, for showing the rest of the world up!

Edited by DamonA, 27 May 2012 - 04:51 PM.

[Steve Douglas]

Unfortunately, unless they develop a truly farm raised seafood industry of sorts (and I am not even sure I understand what that is) the decline of marine life due to over fishing, long lining and shark finning will continue until there is nothing left. It won't end in my lifetime but it will come to that eventually. It is one thing for people in America or Europe to, perhaps, change their ways but in reality, the Asian countries have had their traditional diets based upon seafood for 1,000s of years. It is part of their culture and, sadly, I do not ever see that happening. When I was a writer for Asian Diver Magazine, the magazine did take an ecological approach, but that reached a very small number of people though out Asia. It will continue despite all we might protest about it. But very happy to hear that at least some of the diving liveaboards are thinking of changing their menus.
Steve

[DamonA]

Unfortunately, unless they develop a truly farm raised seafood industry of sorts (and I am not even sure I understand what that is) the decline of marine life due to over fishing, long lining and shark finning will continue until there is nothing left. It won't end in my lifetime but it will come to that eventually. It is one thing for people in America or Europe to, perhaps, change their ways but in reality, the Asian countries have had their traditional diets based upon seafood for 1,000s of years. It is part of their culture and, sadly, I do not ever see that happening. When I was a writer for Asian Diver Magazine, the magazine did take an ecological approach, but that reached a very small number of people though out Asia. It will continue despite all we might protest about it. But very happy to hear that at least some of the diving liveaboards are thinking of changing their menus.
Steve

I think they can change their ways, they have changed a lot already-sea pen farming of fish isnt the answer like over grazing land kinda, except we are talking more about the fishes effluent- managing the oceans better is only way and the change in behavior will come thru necessity as they have no commercial viability left, change their eating habits and the fish will recover over time. Partial due to other countries efforts like the developed nations.

Global warming is a greater threat overall, the upside is an increase- we have seen here in Australia extreme increases in prawns and squid due to a lack of high level predators and higher nutrient levels and temps in the water, we are also experiencing a habit changes including corals migrating further south then usual, things like spotted mackerel in sydney harbour!

Nah I think humans are like a good footy game, and win at in final seconds of the game- what's really scaring "bigtimers", is the socialism that's on the grow- hate the fat man! not the poor!

Lot more people eating Chinese tofu and noodles, then cheese burgers! hhahhaaa

Dump the multi-nats in the garbage where they came from originally.......

Edited by DamonA, 28 May 2012 - 09:45 PM.

[John Bantin]

The whole thing is very complicated. For example, eating chicken doesn't help because so much cheap chicken is raised on fish meal. Eating meat from ruminants encourages destruction of the ozone layer due to methane output and so on. When I went to Bikini Atoll, I realised how nuclear war could help the planet by getting rid of all the people. The world will recover. Like the age of the dinosaurs, the planet is infested but with people. When people talk about saving the world, it means saving THEIR world!
I don't know what the answer is for humans, only for nature and for nature it will be Wait And See.

Edited by John Bantin, 30 May 2012 - 10:47 PM.

[gina]

The whole thing is very complicated. For example, eating chicken doesn't help because so much cheap chicken is raised on fish meal. Eating meat from ruminants encourages destruction of the ozone layer due to methane output and so on. When I went to Bikini Atoll, I realised how nuclear war could help the planet by getting rid of all the people. The world will recover. Like the age of the dinosaurs, the planet is infested but with people. When people talk about saving the world, it means saving THEIR world!
I don't know what the answer is for humans, only for nature and for nature it will be Wait And See.

The simple answer for humans is 1) eat lower on the food chain (think a plant-based diet instead of an animal-based diet), and 2) eat foods grown in an organic and sustainable manner. For example, if you want to eat chicken, then eat chicken that was fed a vegetarian diet and/or was raised in a pasture to eat grass, bugs, and other things that the birds would eat naturally. Stop buying factory farm-raised chicken (and other food animals) and that way you will not be buying animals raised on fish meal.

I don't know how bad the big commercial food animal industry is outside of the U.S., but here in the States it is awful. Food animals raised on factory farms are often literally fed trash (cows eat chicken waste, as well as other cows, etc.), the animals are treated horribly, the people are working there in horrific conditions, and the environment for miles around large farms has been destroyed. All this to give Americans cheap meat. It's disgusting.

-Gina

[Steve Douglas]

Don't disagree with you Gina but, 1) I could never be a vegetarian since, other than salads, I hate cooked vegetables and have always been a meat and potatoes guy. 2) I love chicken and would be happy to buy the type you suggest but when they charge $4.00 a lb as compared with 1.75 lb, my retirement pension picks the lowest price. Not every one can afford the so-called health food type stores and their prices are always significantly higher.
Steve

[Marjo]

"Farm raised seafood industry" i.e. Aquaculture is not necessary the answer either. This comes with plenty of risks the environment, such as disease introduced to wild specimens from enclosures holding large amount of specimens, introduction of non-native, sick or otherwise less than desirable fish into the wild, over-fertilization from enclosures leading to algae growth and destruction etc etc Also, as we often think that "eating local food" is good, it is not always the best option when it comes to seafood, despite the fact that the food has to travel a long way. For example, I would rather eat a wild-caught Alaskan sockeye, knowing the strict catchment quotas and openings are regulated by biologists that monitor the fish runs every single day, than a locally caught grouper here on my island if the Caribbean knowing that there are almost no Groupers left (I have not seen a good sized grouper in he last decade, while 14 years ago I would see them regularly). Eating seafood really comes with a responsibility of doing your homework these days. Now I can only hope everyone will start asking for Caribbean caught lionfish, because we really need to fish these suckers out. Incidentally they do taste fantastic, it has a tender "sweet tasting" flesh. Wish we could make them the new sharkfin alternative and have (Caribbean) "Lion soup" become the status symbol of the future.