By Chris Milton •
November 9, 2009
Once cursed with killing dolphins, tuna fishing is now being blamed for a shocking reduction in albatross numbers.
Long line fishing is being blamed for a startling drop in the number of albatrosses around the world. Fish, squid and other bait are trailed on hooks behind a trawler to catch tuna and swordfish.
However, because the hooks for these fish are set just below the surface it attracts albatrosses who think they’ve spotted a nice free meal and dive into the water to get it.
Instead they get hooked and tangled in the line, dragged under the water, and drowned. In many cases the bait has been dislodged meaning that hook will now catch nothing.
By Chris Milton •
October 27, 2009
The devastation Man’s appetite for seafood is wreaking on the ocean environment has been thrown into sharp relief by a “red fish list” published by Greenpeace.
These are the fish which are most in peril from destructive, illegal or simple over fishing. It lists 19 fish, two shellfish and one crustacean.
Cod we all know about and hopefully everybody avoids. However the list also includes other common white fish, including hoki and pollock.
Then there are other common seafood: salmon, quahog, swordfish, red snapper, halibut and most types of tuna.
The list goes on and on and is truly astounding: you can read it all at the Greenpeace Red Fish List page.
According to Greenpeace and the Environment and Animal Society of Taiwan (EAST), Pacific tuna could face extinction by 2048, due to overfishing, pirate fishing and exploitation.
In a news conference held last week, the two groups recommended a 50 percent reduction in tuna catches and asked the Taiwan government to support the Western and Central Pacific Fishery Commission (WCPCF), to “close the four pockets of international waters in the Pacific Ocean as marine reserves to sustain the tuna stock.” The WCPCF, also known as the Pacific Tuna Commission, is a decision making body comprised of 27 countries and territories around the world that manages tuna fishing in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean.
By Daniel Hohler •
August 8, 2009
We have all been waiting for this day. Finally, shark repellent has arrived to the world… except this shark repellent is not used to save humans from sharks. No this shark repellent was made to save sharks from humans. With good reason, while only about 4 people die of unprovoked shark attacks each year, humans kill an estimated 73 million sharks each year. You do the math and tell me who is the biggest threat to whom?
Many sharks are inadvertently killed in fishing equipment used for tuna, swordfish, and other commercial fish. This is called bycatch. These unwanted sharks are often thrown back into the ocean dead, dying, or injured.
By Rhishja Larson •
July 21, 2009
100,000 albatrosses are killed every year due to longline fishing activities - and four species of albatross are now critically endangered. Simple changes in fishing techniques can give these birds a chance.
Longline fishing is having a devastating effect on albatross populations. In order to catch species such as tuna and swordfish, longline fishing boats set fishing lines that can extend 80 miles of hooks into the ocean. Of course, when an albatross swallows the bait, the hook lodges in the bird’s throat. The result is a slow, painful death by drowning as the bird is trapped and dragged under the water.
The staggering death toll combined with the slow reproductive cycle of the albatross has put these birds at significant risk. Fortunately, there are bird-friendly fishing techniques that can reduce the number of albatross deaths.
By Ben Robinson •
November 25, 2008
The world over, fish stocks are declining, catch rates are falling and management is failing. Ever bigger ships with ever bigger nets employing more advanced technology should surely result in increasing catch sizes. However internationally, catch rates are declining. Even small scale subsistence fisheries are in decline. Why is this happening?
The ocean is a complex system which crosses our arbitrary international boundary’s making management of these resources incredibly difficult. Over fishing of one fish species in one area can have a knock-on effect in areas far removed and on completely different species. Our understanding of these delicate interactions is very limited.
Since 1983 the fisheries of the European Union have been managed under the Common Fisheries Policy. In September this year the European Commission announced a full review of of the Common Fisheries Policy because it has failed to protect fish stocks.
By Lester R. Brown
After World War II, accelerating population growth and steadily rising incomes drove the demand for seafood upward at a record pace. At the same time, advances in fishing technologies, including huge refrigerated processing ships that enabled trawlers to exploit distant oceans, enabled fishers to respond to the growing world demand. In response, the oceanic fish catch climbed from 19 million tons in 1950 to its historic high of 93 million tons in 1997. This fivefold growth—more than double that of population—raised the wild seafood supply per person worldwide from 7 kilograms (15.4 pounds) in 1950 to a peak of 17 kilograms in 1988. Since then, it has fallen to 14 kilograms.
As population grows and as modern food marketing systems give more people access to these products, seafood consumption is growing. Indeed, the human appetite for seafood is outgrowing the sustainable yield of oceanic fisheries. Today 75 percent of fisheries are being fished at or beyond their sustainable capacity. As a result, many are in decline and some have collapsed.
While oceanic fisheries face numerous threats, it is overfishing that directly threatens their survival. Oceanic harvests expanded as new technologies evolved, ranging from sonar for tracking schools of fish to vast driftnets that are collectively long enough to circle the earth many times over. Indeed, a 2003 landmark study published in Nature concluded that 90 percent of the large fish in the oceans had disappeared over the last 50 years, as a result of this expansion.
By Stuart Stein •
August 8, 2008
To misquote Elmer Fund, ” It’s Tuna Season!”
Pacific Albacore tuna season started a bit late this year but is now in full swing, running from July through September. In case you didn’t realize it, Albacore, IS NOT its overfished and mercury-laden tuna cousins. It is troll or pole-and-line caught, endorsed as a “best choice” by Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch and certified sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council.
Albacore tuna (Thunnus alalunga), also called Tombo tuna, is a medium-size tuna found in temperate, subtropical and tropical oceans. Albacore tuna live longer and grow more slowly than other tunas. Most Albacore is sold as high-priced “white meat” canned tuna on supermarket shelves. Fresh Albacore has whitish-pink flesh, fairly soft texture and a mild, leaner flavor compared to other tuna species. I do not recommend Atlantic Albacore because it has been substantially overfished, but Albacore populations have remained abundant and sustainable in the Pacific.
By Sharon Troy •
February 22, 2008
Tuna has been quite the newsworthy fish lately, popping up in all kinds of reports. The New York Times ran an article last month on dangerous levels of mercury in tuna used in sushi. A recent post on Sustainablog takes a look at the safety of canned tuna as well.
If you’re concerned about health risks (or have given up fish for other reasons), but can’t get enough of that lunchtime staple, here’s a simple recipe for an alternative to traditional tuna salad:
1 Can of chickpeas (Bonus points if you can soak them yourself. Find instructions here.)
2 Heaping tablespoons of mayonnaise, or alternative (My favorite is eggless Vegenaise.)
1 Tablespoon flax seed oil
1 Medium carrot, shredded
1/3 Cup chopped celery
4-5 Sprigs of dill, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
By edfblog •
January 25, 2008
Today’s guest blogger is Environmental Defense scientist Tim Fitzgerald.
As a marine scientist who has been researching seafood sustainability and health issues for a long time, I’ve known for a while that bluefin tuna not only has high mercury levels but is severely depleted, too.
These magnificent fish are highly prized for their rich, buttery flesh. The global sushi market can’t get enough bluefin, and as a result, exorbitant prices and severe overfishing are driving bluefin tuna to the brink of extinction.
I love sushi as much as the next person, but given its dire population numbers and high mercury levels, maybe its time that we all lay off for a while.
Now making big headlines is a New York Times report that found that much of the bluefin sushi served in upscale New York City restaurants actually exceeds the Food and Drug Administration’s “action level” for mercury. (The threshold is 1 part per million.)
To reiterate: It’s no surprise that bluefin tuna has high levels of mercury – it’s one of the largest and most predatory fish species in the ocean. What is surprising is just how many New York City restaurants are serving the really high-mercury tuna.
In my first exploration of the issue of by-catch in commercial fishing, I looked at the devastating effects of fishing not simply for the "target" species, but on those animals who are unlucky enough to be caught in the lines, traps, hooks, and nets not meant for them. In this second part, I further explore this issue and take a look at how the dolphins, sea turtles, and seals - animals for whom
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Long line fishing is being blamed for a startling drop in the number of albatrosses around the world. Fish, squid and other bait are trailed on hooks behind a trawler to catch tuna and swordfish.
