Our Oceans are Under Attack

Enjoy the harbour events but leave the fish alone



Hamilton Spectator

(Aug 14, 2010)

Re: Harbour fishing

There are many things to enjoy at the harbour, especially this weekend, such as the harbour cruises and the Happy Dayz Festival. These events are sustainable entertainment with minimal direct impact on our local environment. What people should reconsider is the Fishing Derby.

This event neither provides sustainable entertainment nor is needed to promote the harbour but promotes instead the idea that fish are just there for our amusement to pluck out of the water (and suffocate).

We need to teach respect for all life and this cannot be done by tormenting fish for fun. Catch and release is a cop-out designed to make people feel better about playing with the lives of fish as they do not see the end result nor after-effects of this massive intrusion into the water ecosystem.

Between dangers such as predatory birds, pollution and invasive species, does the city need to torment our aquatic life further?

The answer is no. So by all means go to the harbour this weekend and enjoy it, but leave the fish alone.

 

Consider, for example, the consequences of human overpopulation. Estimates place the worldwide human population at about 200 million at the dawn of the Christian era, 700 million at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, 1.2 billion by 1850; 2.5 billion by 1950; about 7 billion today; and, if trends continue, 9 billion by 2050. As human numbers have soared, people have destroyed the habitats of thousands of other species in their ongoing quest for ever more land for their own settlements and crops. Human needs and appetites have also resulted in the exploitation of many nonhuman species beyond the ability of those species to remain viable. Many kinds of fish, for example, are on the brink of extinction due to overfishing by humans.

 

As I gawk, he smiles. "This looks pretty good, doesn't it?" Clinton asks. It looks better than good. We sit down and with great relish start passing plates back and forth. He favored the quinoa; I loved the roasted cauliflower and snow peas; and we both liked the beans.
At age 66, Bill Clinton still travels and works at a pace that completely exhausts staffers who are two or three decades younger.
As we talk, Clinton is clearly enjoying every virtuous bite, helping himself to seconds of both the quinoa and the beans. He still has a hearty appetite, but what he loves to eat now is obviously good for him.
It's a testament to his discipline that he pulled off a 180-degree pivot overnight — motivated not only by his own urge to live but by the goals he has set for his foundation. Worried by the increasing prevalence of diet-related disease among Americans of all ages, he and the Clinton Foundation are committed to promoting healthier lifestyles, with what he sees as far-reaching effects on the nation's finances, quality of life and even climate change, which is exacerbated by meat production. "I wanted to do it because this health and wellness work I've been doing is increasingly important to me," he says.
To most Americans of Clinton's generation — especially those, like him, who grew up in places like Arkansas, where barbecued pork and cornmeal-crusted catfish dominate the local cuisine — cutting out meat, fish and dairy would seem a radical deprivation. But Clinton quickly adapted. "The main thing that was hard for me actually — much harder than giving up meat, turkey, chicken and fish — was giving up yogurt and hard cheese," he says. "I love that stuff, but it really made a big difference when I did it."

 

"The 45,000 submissions the public has made... shows that New Zealanders have matured in their attitude to the oceans a great deal from the 'Jaws' days when the only good shark was a dead shark.

"This measure of phasing in a ban on shark finning is also very important for New Zealand's clean, green reputation."

The plan was likely to cause some controversy because blue sharks were one of the most vulnerable species to the finning practice.

Between 50,000 and 150,000 blue sharks were believed to be killed in New Zealand waters every year. They were included in New Zealand's quota management system but total population numbers were not known because a stock assessment has never taken place.

Mr Guy said blue sharks were a highly migratory species and were usually caught as bycatch on tuna long-lines. Government would consult with industry and consider new technology to reduce shark bycatch.

Dr Smith said fishers had expressed some concern about how to safely release blue sharks alive.

Finning of live sharks was banned in 2009, but fishers are still able to cut fins off dead sharks and throw away the carcass.

The new regime requires fishing companies to release sharks alive or bring them ashore with fins attached for processing.

New Zealand is among the world's top 20 exporters of shark fins, most of which are sent to Asia to be made into a popular delicacy or traditional medicines.

Seven species are already completely protected under the Wildlife Act: great whites, basking shark, deep water nurse shark, spine-tailed devil ray, manta ray, whale shark, and oceanic whitetip shark.

The first tranche of species will be protected from finning in October this year.

A second tranche of sharks will come under the ban in October 2015, and the blue shark a year later.

 

Six ways you can help stop climate change | The Guardian

 

“The beef industry has contributed to more American deaths than all the wars of this century, all natural disasters, and all automobile accidents combined.If beef is your idea of “real food for real people” you’d better live real close to a real good hospital.” Neal D. Barnard

 

“The beef industry has contributed to more American deaths than all the wars of this century, all natural disasters, and all automobile accidents combined.If beef is your idea of “real food for real people” you’d better live real close to a real good hospital.” Neal D. Barnard

Neal D. Barnard (born 1953) is an American physician, author, clinical researcher, and founding president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), an international network of physicians, scientists, and laypeople who promote preventive medicine, conduct clinical research, and promote higher standards in research. An advocate of a low-fat, whole foods, plant-based diet, he has also conducted research into alternatives to animal experimentation and has been active in the animal protection movement. As of 2013, he is an adjunct associate professor of medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences.[1]

Barnard is the author of more than 50 published papers on nutrition and its impact on human health, and more than 15 books.

 

Number of Animals Slaughtered in the U.S.:
• 38,627 per minute
• 2,317,596 per hour
• 55,622,293 per day
• Tens of Billions per year

World Hunger:
• The 16 pounds of grain used to produce just one pound of animal flesh could feed 16 people per day
Food Safety:
• Drinking commercial cow milk also means drinking pus
• Eating animal flesh also means eating poop
“Fantastic news: Bono Vox "U2" and his wife, Alison, have decided to go vegan. Bono said ‘I thought it was pretty silly of me to, on the one hand, raise awareness of the plight of our hungry in Africa while, on the other hand, continue eating meat, dairy and eggs which require enormous quantities of Africa’s grain and plants in their production. I suppose you could say that I have quite literally seen the light through my shades.’”

 

http://www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai=...LP/Finance/CTI/Cold-Truth-MN?dkt_nbr=smrrn8fd

 

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/us-china-unveil-ambitious-climate-035353551.html

The United States and China pledged Wednesday to take ambitious action to limit greenhouse gases, aiming to inject fresh momentum into the global fight against climate change ahead of make-or-break climate talks next year.

President Barack Obama announced that the U.S. would move much faster in cutting its levels of pollution. Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to cap China's emissions in the future — a striking, unprecedented move by a nation that has been reluctant to box itself in on global warming.

"This is a major milestone in the U.S.-China relationship," Obama said, with Xi at his side. "It shows what's possible when we work together on an urgent global challenge."

The unexpected breakthrough by the world's two largest polluters, unveiled on the last day of Obama's trip to China, reflected both nations' desire to display a united front that could blunt arguments from developing countries that have balked at demands that they get serious about global warming. Yet it was unclear how feasible it would be for either country to meet their goals, and Obama's pledge was sure to confront tough opposition from ascendant Republicans in Congress.


Foot in Mouth disease.

 

What else do you expect from a rigid narcissistic statist?

 

Indeed!

 

Why warnings on climate spark aggressive denials | Climate News Network

 

Maggie Q: Fight Climate Change With Diet Change
Animals and the planet depend on us, and actor Maggie Q wants us to know what we can do to help, go vegetarian and reap the benefits of a healthier you, keep animals out of the slaughterhouse, and help heal our planet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cpYZd2KMpA

Maggie Q goes nearly nude for Spice Up Your Life - Go Vegetarian - youtube.com/watch?v=vxYv5TVi2EE

 

http://junkscience.com/2014/11/12/india-to-double-coal-output-by-2019/

India will double coal output promising electricity to all by 2019.
This is really good news for the poor in India.
Coal plants are going up everywhere, Germany, India, China. Huge amounts of CO2 will be released, massive amounts, enough to chill the global warming alarmists hearts to ice cold.