Future of Commercial Fishing?

Longliner buddy, I know what your saying, remember that a lot of the frustration vented on his forum is just that frustration; and will probably not go much further - but if governments can't do (or won't do) what their elected for something has got to break! and as you said the poor bloody fisherman is the guy who's going to suffer because he's got look after his family, so in the long run he's the one who will end up doing something. We are all agreed that something has to be done and fast!

Just remember that for some of us the problem is quite close to home - in Cornwall some of our problems are the Spanish poaching 'our' fish! and Guillermo has already posted on this net as a representative of the other side! This could turn into a real bunfight if we aren't careful and neither of us wants that! I can already feel the blood rising just by thinking of it and I've only done a small amount of profesional fishing compared to you guys, yep it's hard, but if we don't do something soon there'll be nothing left; for anybody!

 

Society in general is not giving enough attention to the dwindling vital resources of the sea. This issue needs to have a higher priority in minds of society in general. More resources need to be redirected toward fishery policy enforcement and making better and fairer fisheries policies would help. Making changes in a beurocracy is like trying to turn a large ship, it takes a lot of effort and a lot of time, but it can be done.

 

Longliner

I hear you 'bout them vietnamese - being more than capable of shooting back!

All the same - I can't help thnkin of a line from the Beverly Hillbillys, when Jethro...says to Granny (after being conscripted to go to vietnam)...

Jethro:

Granny:

Damn I like that show - always have and always will...Granny and Jethro - being my two favourite characters...

Another classic...from the movie of same name..

Jethro.

(as he drives under the great big oak? tree and whacks grannys skull fair on the lowest limb - knocking her and her rockin chair clean off the back a that ol truck...)

Heck even my kids like Beverly Hillbillies, afullgeneration after it was made...

Where the heck are all the good shows these days - seemingly all my kids see n do is some kinda computer playstation shootemups things...I fear they will grow up with absolutely NO sense of humor!

Cheers!

 

I have never imagined such a situation, and I provide fishery-protection vessels!

I never imagine the Thai's going to fish in Oz waters - where are coastguards for?

The Tsunami aid did not at least arrive to make new boats. A few canoes has been distributed but no reports have coming in that any sizeable fishingboat has been donated, or paid for.

Nevertheless, here you have the political game. Believe me, the politician is your biggest enemy. The one that will be the first to deny you a decent income as well as life.

The first one that impounds you with uncounted regulations in order to stop you in your tracks, in favouir of????????????

A peculiar crowd of politicians have been raised from the '60-s and '70-s - the so called hippies.

Now they have provided themselves with easy jobs but their die-hard political ideas have remained. The slumbering danger that have spread all over the western world, apparently not only in Holland!!!

 

As I read somewhere else on one of these forums; "politicians and diapers need to be changed regularly - for the same reasons!" Now that guy had sense! But how do we get them to do something about the dwindling fish stocks?

Or is this a dream - politicians will help people!!

 

Tell you something hilarious: on one of my coastal expeditions from Holland to the UK I was sailing under Hastings when I sighted a small trawler. BM and some thing was his number.
I thought it was a vessel from Boulogne, poaching in UK waters.
"Boulogne Sur Mer, Boulogne Sur Mer, F*** of, you are in British waters." I yelled in French. No reply at all and when we sailed along, no nothing moved on the boat although I repeated my message a few times more.

I told this story in Falmouth and the audience started to laugh at me.
"Why are you laughing at me? Did I do something wrong?"

"BM is Brixham, not Boulogne Sur Mer, they even haven't understood you."

 

blowing off steam! on a web site like this!I dont know what your talking about besides Im still apolgising on 2 other threads anyway'.how about this ........a global czar of fishing? or a comitty (is that spelled right)? sure alot of guys are gonna get hurt,but,,,its a solution,maybe, (for the betterment of us all sombodys got to lose,perhaps the well off countrys can subsidise the poor.Its like walruss says (ban the nets ) I say close down some fisherys and let um rest, now I gotta say this......here in ohio were Im from ..when the cops come they all come because I dont go down easy .....not bragging ...but when I think Im right I think Im right( usually get my own cell too !) Lets do something with our lives (make it count) get a little radical make some noise. But first lets organise longliner45

 

One more cool thought .I think his name is Eion Hunter or Anderson from the (band Jethro tull) he has a salmon farm on a river ;he has severall big swimming pools,and has created a cycle of salmon; you hatch the eggs .insimiat a sent ,release the fish they, swim away into the sea and come back to were they were born ............pretty cool!!! huh

 

Cool indeed!

I hear You long liner...

Radical intervention? too late...someone already thought of it...ahh whatsis name again - yeah thats it Green Peace or summut - sails down to antarctica and rams the Japanese whaling ships...in some kinda steel ice breaker or something - skippers some crazy dude - goodness knows how he's kept his skippers ticket with all the collisions he has!

Maybe it's coz he's in international waters and no one has jurisdiction to take it away from him. Funny thing is the people love it Green peace survives on public donations from folks who WANT civil disobedience as a way of bringing about radical change!

Makes ya wonder how such a radical bunch can survive in todays world - they must be in someones pocket - no doubt the oil oligarchy probably use em for their own nefarious ends...under the guise of "ënvironmentalism".....and no doubt for the $ they are happy to be so used - or they simply wouldn't have survived in todays "shrub" benevolent dictater world!

Yes a new Fish stocks lobby group... Fish Scales (hey - it works for green peace!)..

We'd need a bumper sticker slogan tho - "land rights for Gay whales oughtta do it (sorta encompasses all the hippie agenda's in one statement....hey it's better than the bumper sticker I saw today on the way to work...

Whats with that anyway?

Go get em longliner...the fish are counting on you!

I often wonder about the need tho - for total closures on a species - such drastic action certainly works - but is it really necessary or could other measures (quota's / reduced harvests / slot sizes / closed seasons(Spawning aggregations for eg) or min sizes & bag limits achieve the same outcome?

IFM (Integrated Fisheries Management) is the latest craze downunder...where "the resource is assessed, valued and the estimated sustained yeild harvest % is distributed between recreational and professional fishers.

Any changes with growth of a sector (such as increasing rec fishers due to population growth requires they BUY a share back from commercial fishers who have been traditionally allocated that share of the resource.

Another timely issue downunder is resource rents....paying the community a royalty on volumes of fish harvested commercially.

Heck - wiith a volume related sliding scale of royaltie system - stocks could be protected from exploiutation by making them to dear to catch above a certain quota figure!

At the moment - the whole emphasis of commercial fishing is that it's a free resource that no one owns and the "best"(read most efficient) fisher makesthe most "honest living"sheckles per year due to his efforts, skill, knowlege...

This along with the fiscal imperative (Satisfying the banks / investors / govts) - is whats killing the resource (read goose that lays the golden eggs!).

Why as a species - do humans think they can consistently ask of mother nature (this earth) more than she can ecologically sustained yeild to us - wothout consequence?

When in life did we come to believe in the fairys at the bottom of the garden / father christmas / easter bunny idea, that life is a free ride...and that our lives are full of endless free lunches?

The earth will strike back (heck it already is) and wipe us out like the species specific plague/virus we are upon the face of the earth.

The earths survived this long - with a few simple rules (like the school of hard knocks) - that keeps everything in balance.

If we are stupid enough to believe we will keep on getting away with this wanton destruction of the life support system that created and sustains us....the natural evolution demands that our numbers and capabilities to harm, be culled sufficiently to preserve that life support system.

The day it comes - people have the temerity to ask..."why me?"

I reckon I know....

Cheers!

 

One reason why fishing tends to overfish is the boats are an asset that exists.
Probably a new boat would not be built for some poor fisheries , but having the boat , another trip or 300 is not costly , and there could be a profit.

For the folks having a hissy fit over "depleated fisheries", the cure is really simple.

GO PURCHASE a fishing boat (with your OWN CASH) and scrap it.

1 down , 2,000,000 to go!

Just don't demand others to pay for your fantisies to "save " the world.

FAST FRED

 

HOLY COD!!!!

No wonder my moma told me not to play with matches!


Here's a REAL unpopular idea. A REAL United nations. One where NOBODY gets veto power. Not even U.S.

This is an international problem that can be solved by the collective (I know how some of you hate this word. I read Ayn Rand, too) will of all the worlds sea faring nations. Or vigilantes of every stripe and color may appear on the scene.

Think "Water World (C)" with mines and torpedoes.

If a boat's capability was limited, (and power, the ability to do work, is, in my mind, the best limitation) I think three things would happen: 1.) boats would become less expensive, 2.) The rules would be easier to enforce, and 3.) because the lower capital outlay needed to play, large corporate players would be discouraged from entering the game.

To be done right, there would have to be a lengthly 'phase in' period so the poor blokes can pay off their loans and the new 'aproved' fishing methods can be instated.

None of this would be pleasant. But I think the alternative will be much less so.

Just like a new century. Comes in with the promise placid prosperity for all and ends up a notty tangle of thorny issues.

 

sounds good - Ban Nets, ban boats bigger than a certain size, ban sophisticated gear (sounds like the Falmouth Oyster fishery - only done by sailing or rowing vessels at certain times, It does actually work! They can motor to and from the grounds but can ONLY sail/row whilst fishing) Now make it global! Developing nations are into subsistance fishing so they have no problems! Every body else better had be soon or get sunk/scrapped if they don't comply!

All we gotta do now is Police it! aye, there's the rub!

Or we could let nature do it! All the "Natural disasters" of 2005 is nature's way - a people cull - this is OK until it's your turn! Not that you'd have a choice!

What a smashing (literally) prospect for a brave new world!

 

the earth is already striking back ...more shark attacks ,they are looking for food too,....modifing boats wont do it ,because the skipper will just make more trips . and you guys are right , it will just make dangerous boats.as far as that go`s every commericial boat is set up like that...you just make more trips,,,,,,,,,,when I was a fisherman,I would go fishing ,,come home ,unload ,make repairs load up fuel ,bait,ice grocerys and gear, wheather permitting .leave within 24 hrs for another week ,,,,,,,maybe thats why she left me ,,,,for that homo., (ahem)there `s some solitions.....sail is a good one. maybe restictions! perhaps the gulf for example,,,,,,, one year fish the east one year the west something......as for fast fred,Im sure your a good guy ,but read my history,put the crackpipe down ......and get serious love longliner

 

there are boats in the cheasapeake bay virginia ;oyesterboats that is ;swimmin pools ,movie stares,black gold texas tea............... anyway these boats have ben rebuilt one plank at a time , they are sailboats from 1800s ,and they are beatifull and it works for them ....................what Im saying is .......ther are solutions ( if we put our heads together we could come up with something

 

I agree there are solutions,but we have to get off our arse's and do somethin, NOW!!!.........Oh, by the way, I'm not some tree huggin hippie type
Not that there is anything wrong with tree huggin hippie type's