National Geographic: The Global Fish Crisis

Here are some key facts I noted from an Article titled "The Global Fish Crisis" in the recent edition of National Geographic.

• Nearly one third of the world's fish stocks are overfished--the Atlantic is the hardest hit
• Majority of the world's fishing fleet is concentrated in Asian waters
• Trawling, though banned in many countries, bulldozes the seabed and catches sea life indiscriminantely--more than 50% that are caught are discarded
• In Africa, only the carcasses of the NIle perch are affordable sources of protein for some Tanzanians living around Lake Victoria
• Perch fillets are stripped in 35 lakeside processing plants and shipped north, mainly to Europe, but also Israel
• With years of overfishing in Africa, perch stocks have fallen drastically--imperiling the livelihoods of more than 100,000 fisherman, and depriving local people of food
• To suply the world's sushi markets, the giant bluefin tuna is fished in the Mediterranean at four times the sustainable rate
• The bluefin tuna is being fattened off the coast of Spain--69 ranches have been created in the Mediterranean Sea in the last 10 years--this is demolishing the fish stocks
• In Europe, fisheries management is difficult, due to the number of countries bordering the seas
• Aquaculture now contributes to nearly 50% of the world's seafood--filling the void left by declining stocks in the wild

Turtles Enter the Sea

check out this video...

http://dsc.discovery.com/beyond/index.html?playerId=203711706&categoryId=210014204&lineupId=452340373

Tsunami in the Solomon Islands

A region-wide disaster and tsunami warnings were issued for the South Pacific states after the quake struck about 45 kilometres off the coast of the Solomon Islands at 7:39 a.m. local time on Monday (4:39 p.m. eastern time on Sunday).

The U.S. Geological Centre said the earthquake struck at 7:39 a.m. local time, Monday -- about 10 kms. beneath the sea floor. The epicenter was 345 kilometres from Honiara.

Police in the Solomon Islands capital, Honiara, say authorities in the western town of Gizo have reported that houses near the sea were flattened and buildings inundated when wave several metres high crashed ashore, shortly before communication lines with the region were cut.

New Zealand: Leading the Way

New Zealand implemented a "no take" position in a 2 mile stretch of sea (Goat Island) This meant that this stretch of sea needed to be completely free from human interference. This meant no line fishing, no spearfishing, no hooking a lobster out of its lair, no prying off a clump of rock oysters. The action was revolutionary not justbecause it was one of the world's first no-take reserves, but also because it protected an ordinary stretch of coastline. The legislation was enacted in 1971. New Zealand has a coastline greater in length than the US, and has the fourth largest EEZ recognized by the UN. High school classes have participated in the action to designate their local coastal community a reserve.

Today, New Zealand has 31 reserve sites, covering 8% of the country's coastal waters. 99% of this protected habitat lies within 2 reserves, each hundreds of miles from the mainland. The smallest of the country's 14 terrestrial national parks protects an area greater than all the coastal marine reserves combined.

No-take reserves have develped in other parts of the world, such as Australia's Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. California has recently established a network of 29 reserves, half of which ban all fishing along its central coast, covering nearly 200 square miles of state waters from Santa Barbara to Santa Cruz. The state plans to set up reserves along its entire coastline by 2011.

New Zealand's billion-dollar fishing industry recently proposed that 30% of the country's EEZ be set aside. Dredging and bottom trawling would be prohibited in these areas in recognition of of the destructiveness of these forms of fishing.

Despite the recent gains, only 0.01% of the world's oceans are closed to fishing. The World Wildlife Fund has called for 20% no-take protection by 2020. Some scientists have suggested that 40 to 50% closures may be necessary to prevent the commercial extinction of some species.

New ocean ethic needs to be developed. The ocean needs to be seen not as a commodity we own but as a community of which we are a part. The sea is worth saving for tis own sake.

Sushi Anyone?

http://www.fao.org/docrep/006/y4743e/y4743e04.jpg

Anisakis simplex (left) in cod

One of my friends invited me to go out for sushi tonight (coincidence considering todays lecture!!)...fair enough, I am a vegetarian and I had class so I couldn't/wouldn't go....BUT I did want to mention Herring Worm Disease (after we discussed it in class today) to her...just to bug her a little!!



The presence of parasites in fish is very common, but most of them are of little concern with regard to economics or public health. Anisakiasis is a gastrointestinal parasitosis caused by the larval stages of anisakid nematodes. Humans acquire the disease by eating raw or improperly cooked or preserved seafood. Surviving worms will then penetrate the gut wall and enter the peritoneal cavity. Symptoms are often non-specific with abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. Vague abdominal pain and possibly fewer may persist for weeks. Anisakiasis is common in Europe (the Netherlands), Japan and the US.

Lunenburg-The Fisheries Museum

The field trip to the fisheries museum was really enjoyable! I didn't really know what to expect upon going there. I was pleasantly suprised with the vast history in Nova Scotia, and especially Lunenburg! My great-grandfather was a ship builder so it was really fascinating to learn the history of the boats built and how they functioned out at sea. I thought that the model of the Atlantic coast was really neat and how we saw the 200 mile limit, as well as the extent of the continental shelf. I found it really interesting when Nancy, our tour guide mentioned that when her husband is out at sea, sometimes when the tides are low, they can get out and actually play a game of baseball.

My grandfather grew up as a fisherman, and I honestly didn't realize how difficult and dangerous of a job it was. I definitely attained a much greater respect for his work.

I asked Nancy what the general feeling was in Lunenberg in regards to bottom trawling was...she said that they are making great efforts to become more sustainable fishers, and they have developed a 2 tierd net, so when they are fishing haddock for example, there will be a barrier in one level, and the cod have a natural instinct to duck, therefore do not catch the cod.

The old way of fishing was intensely difficult, and really heoric, especially going out in the smaller boats, by themselves or with another mate. Hooking two miles of net by hand would be exhausting! I was also astounded that those small boats could hold up to 2000 lbs of fish at a time!!!

I didn't know much about the Bluenose Expeditions, but I do intend to do more research on that in another blog. ---Not to mention the massive size of that lobster crustacean...and the metamorphosism of Halibut! I have grown up working in a seafood restaurant and never knew that happened!!! It was really neat to see that the camoflauge themselves too!!!

Nancy's (our tour guide) last name is Knickle which seems to be a well known family in Lunenberg, from company's named after them, to many men in their family who lost their lives. I couldn't believe that 9 year olds or 13 year olds would be out working on these ships! What a different time it is today!!

Lunenberg was a beautiful town and is a great example of a self-sustaining coastal community! It is nice to see that not every place in the world has become inundated with commercialization....even if they do have a few tacky tourist shops!!!

Killer Jellyfish!!

Today in class we discussed the "Portuguese Man-of-War" is found in the waters of Hawaii. I found this species interesting because when I was younger and travelling in Mexico, a woman in the ocean near me had a sea snake wrapped around her leg. She was not phased by this, and proceeded to show her5 year old daughter. The beach security cleared the beach and grabbed the woman. The snake was exteremely poisonous, and if it bit this woman, she would die within 30 minutes. The topic today reminded me of this situation.

The man-of-war ranges or occurs most commonly in the tropical and subtropical regions of the Pacific and Indian oceans, and the northern Atlantic Gulf Stream, although found in warm seas throughout the world. It is sometimes found floating - some even say "swarming" - in groups of thousands.

The man-of-war's body consists of a gas-filled (mostly nitrogen), bladder-like float (a polyp, the pneumatophore) - a translucent structure tinted pink, blue, or violet - which may be 3 to 12 inches (9 to 30 centimeters) long and may extend as much as 6 inches (15 centimeters) above the water.

Beneath the float are clusters of polyps, from which hang tentacles of up to 165 feet (about 50 meters) in length. The polyps are three different types that are concerned, with detecting and capturing prey, with reproducing, and with feeding. The "animal" moves by means of its crest, which functions as a sail.

Tentacles of the dactylozooids bear stinging nematocystic (coiled thread-like) structures that paralyze small fish and other prey. The gastrozooids then attach to the immobilized victim, spread over it, digesting it. The Portuguese man-of-war is eaten by other animals, including the loggerhead turtle, Caretta caretta.

In case you are stung by a Portuguese Man-of-War, this is what you should do:

1. Pick off any visible tentacles with a gloved hand, stick, or anything handy, being careful to avoid further injury.

2. Rinse the sting thoroughly with salt or fresh water to remove any adhering tentacles.

3. Apply ice for pain control.

4. Irrigate exposed eyes with copious amounts of room temperature tap water for at least 15 minutes. If vision blurs, or the eyes continue to tear, hurt, swell, or are light sensitive after irrigating, see a doctor.

5. For persistent itching or skin rash, try 1 percent hydrocortisone ointment four times a day, and one or two 25 milligram diphenhydramine (Benadryl) tablets every 6 hours. These drugs are sold without prescription. Diphenhydramine may cause drowsiness. Don't drive, swim or surf after taking this medication.