The Ocean. Fishing & Whaling. Sustainable? Illegal? Over fished?

tempo_n_groove said:

@brianlux
The fishing industry in Alaska actually hires a person called an "observer".  They take note of all the by-catch and tonnage of fish.  There is a set number of tonnage of fish pre determined before the start of the season.  The tonnage and/or season could come to an end if there is an abundance of by-catch caught.

For salmon there are hatcheries up and down the coast and it is proven that most of the fish come back to spawn where they were hatched.

In the late 70's the king crab was at 20% the previous years numbers.  The crab was almost fished to extinction.  Most of the crab boats converted into fishing boats so they could still make a living.

After years of controlling and monitoring catch quotas there is a thriving King crab market and the crab come back every year.

The Cod come back every year.
The Pollock come back every year.
The salmon come back every year.

oftenreading said:

Yes, fish farming is a different beast, but while you're reading up on it, be aware of the sources and their biases. For instance, here in BC there has been a longstanding and concerted campaign against fish farming largely driven by one individual with a grudge against fish farms and an axe to grind. Massive amounts of misinformation has been put out to the public over the years, all of it alarmist and most without any scientific basis. One big "scandal" after another, and when one has proven false they are on to the next. It has caused a lot of damage to an industry that is otherwise potentially a viable alternative to the problems of the capture fisheries that you allude to, Brian. 

brianlux said:

oftenreading said:

Yes, fish farming is a different beast, but while you're reading up on it, be aware of the sources and their biases. For instance, here in BC there has been a longstanding and concerted campaign against fish farming largely driven by one individual with a grudge against fish farms and an axe to grind. Massive amounts of misinformation has been put out to the public over the years, all of it alarmist and most without any scientific basis. One big "scandal" after another, and when one has proven false they are on to the next. It has caused a lot of damage to an industry that is otherwise potentially a viable alternative to the problems of the capture fisheries that you allude to, Brian. 

Yes, oftenreading, basing an opinion on ones man being on a mission is not a good way to go.

I've read a fair amount about fish farming and several sources concur that fish farming:

-On numerous occasions has lead to escaped exotic fish being introduced to an ecosystem thus throwing off the balance of that system
-Alien species spread disease to native species.
-Often times, domesticated fish are fed steroids and antibiotics
-Hundreds of thousands of tons of small fish are converted to fish meal to provide food for farmed fish
-Fewer small fish means less competition for jellyfish which are beginning to proliferate widely.  These jellyfish kill both wild and domestic fish.
-Algae blooms result from excessive amounts of nutrients added to the ecosystem creating another system imbalance
-Sea lice from farmed salmon are a problem for wild salmon
-Some salmon farms use Emamectin benzoate (marketed as SLICE) as a chemical treatment.  Long-term effects are unknown and potentially hazardous
-Farmed fish waste matter collects on the ocean floor creating yet another imbalance, contaminating marine ecosystems and depriving some species of oxygen
-Marine debris from fish farms is often let loose into open waters due to storms, accidents or carelessness
-Many farmed fish contain higher than normal concentrations of PCBs
-Farmed fish are dependent on a variety of chemicals.

Again, look widely.  Read many sources.

You will never see me eating farmed fish.


This post was not cut and pasted.

oftenreading said:

More recent studies do not find higher levels of PCBs in farmed fish. PCBs are commonly found in wild  fish, too. 

Farmed salmon  are higher in omega 3 fatty acids than wild. 

Farmed fish get their colour from the same sources as wild fish - naturally occurring pigments found in krill and other small shellfish. 

jeffbr said:

The Alaska fisheries are some of the most sustainable in the world. Limited entries, controlled quotas, and lots of monitoring.

Like Go Beavers, I eat seafood, but avoid farmed seafood. Those shrimp farms in Asia are disgusting mud holes (and they provide 90% of the shrimp in the US).  And for some reason Atlantic salmon is farmed up here in the Northwest, even though wild Pacific salmon is the best in the world. I dislike the taste and texture of farm raised Atlantic salmon (not to mention the coloring they have to add to make it look halfway appetizing). We just had a disaster here where an Atlantic salmon fish farm's pen collapsed, and a quarter million Atlantic salmon are now swimming free. Department of Wildlife just gave the green light to fishermen to catch as many as they can, no limits, no size restrictions, just to try to get as many as possible out of the water before they start heading for local rivers. Apparently these farm raised salmon are harder to catch, because they've been fed pellets all their lives, so normal salmon fishing techniques aren't as effective.