When Starving Children Meet Recreational Fishermen, The Children Lose?

Oceanic fish farming is a 21st Century way of providing renewable protein for our growing population. As farmland gets maxed out beyond it’s practical use, the next best idea is to turn to the sea to supplement our species growing need for protein. Since most current fishing stocks have been fished to the point of depletion (in some cases, up to 90% decline) anything to increase the commercial harvest of fish without further depleting the existing stocks would be welcome; however, in a paradox that makes the mind boggle, the bullhorn environmentalists are coming out against this practical use of ocean waters. And they have made some odd bedfellows: the chronically-polluting environmentally-unconscious recreational fisherman. How did this courtship even take place?

I Went To Bed At 2 With A 10, And I Woke Up At 10 With A 2…

Beer goggles aside, there is no practical purpose for the shrill environmentalist and the beer-drinking bubba to unite to deny a starving planet of a sustainable source of protein. But greed makes odd partnerships in the best of times, and this is a prime example. The recreational fishing industry is a multi-billion dollar conglomerate of yachts, fishing tackle, tournaments, and tourism. Shrill environmentalists like to see their names in the paper and their spokesmen on television. What you have here is a confluence of press releases that paint oceanic farming in a negative light based on PROJECTED problems. Recreational fishermen bemoan the loss of habitat for their fishing excursions; the bullhorn crowd draws attention to the demise of the wild salmon and the propagation of sea lice. Completely disregarding the long and storied history of rampant salmon overfishing for the last 120 years, the bullhorns wring their hands over the potential disappearance of a fish that is over 90% depleted through standard commercial fishing. The recreational fisherman sheds crocodile tears over his $2000 graphite and seal skin fly rod that he won’t ever get a chance to use, his $250,000 yacht that just sits in its little corner of his 5 car garage gathering dust and bug poop, and his increased time spending time with his family instead of being in his natural element, namely, drunk on the water throwing up.

Sustainable Protein, Farmed From The Oceans Responsibly

Ok, now that we have gotten the tearjerkers out of the way, let’s look at a few problems and solutions. The recreational fisherman’s arguments are without merit and can be discarded out of hand. If he can’t fish for relaxation, he should take up recreational farming instead. For the bullhorn environmentalists, the solution to your gripes and complaints lies in deep water instead of coastal waters, where indigenous species are most fragile and subject to competition. Already fish farms are moving out to sea into deeper water, with stronger currents that flush away the potential harm of a sea lice outbreak. What you should have been shouting through your various mouthpieces was the dangers of overfishing, and you should have been doing this 5 decades ago instead of ordering organic wild salmon salad at your favorite restaurant. Oceanic farming is the next wave of agriculture, and it is not restricted to just fish. Plankton for feeding existing stocks of wild fish, seaweed for biomass fuel and human consumption, shellfish, and other forms of food and energy are being looked at closely as an efficient way of maintaining our standard of living as our planet population approaches 10 billion people. Time and regulations are necessary to make this viable, but it is a superior starting point.

So, What Can I Do To Help?

When reading press releases for environmental ways to save the planet, try and remember the motives of the authors. Some groups are pretty sketchy when it comes to a funding base, so they will seek to drum up interest in their causes by taking extreme positions against rational thought. Other well funded groups will seek to keep their money coffers full, so they will take a position to encourage more donations from deep-pocketed corporations that will use these as charitable gifting and use the regulation to sell more toys. The odd man out in this case is the oceanic farmer, who has very little space in the argument for or against this particular technology, nor the deep pocket or shrill bullhorn to announce his presence. In the meantime, as always, some things you can do to help include :

* If you are a recreational fisherman, realize two truths. Your recreation is other people’s sustenance. When it comes down to your quality of free time and a family on the brink of starvation, get another hobby. The second truth is this : You are overfishing. Native Americans knew enough to leave a spot and follow the game and leave enough for the next generation. This is something you need to emulate.
* To the bullhorn environmentalists, just one truth. If you are not willing to be part of a solution, do not be a part of the problem. Guide and direct the proper utilization of this fragile resource without being disruptive and antagonistic.
* If you do fish, respect and follow your state guidelines for catch size and quantities.
* Read between the lines in respect to information, and be sure to read differing opinions. The corn farmers are pro-ethanol for a reason, just as the coal industry is pro-coal. Keep an open mind.
* When eating seafood, skip the frying part. Frying takes up vegetable oil, cornmeal and flour, and extra energy to cook the food. Simple sautee’ or broiling is healthier and uses less of other commodities.
* If you live near the coast, local seafood is a cheap source of protein. The farther inland you live, the more expensive it gets because of transportation. If you live in the Midwest, don’t be afraid to eat frozen catch, because it keeps longer and is easier to transport frozen rather than fresh.
* Pacific cuisine and Italian cuisine are wonderful compliments to any seafood without relying on deep frying. Learn a few recipes, or make up your own healthy concoctions.
* Make it a point not to eat wild caught salmon. Let nature have a fighting chance at replenishing the resource rather than letting commercial fishermen deplete it all together. Farm raised salmon and wild caught salmon taste exactly alike when drowned in Florentine sauce.

video : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCz1KNBI60I
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video : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y70aQxLzuLI
embed :