NOAA’s Fisheries Service is holding a series of public meetings this summer seeking comments on potential changes in the way commercial and recreational fishermen fish the U.S. quotas for swordfish and bluefin tuna in the Atlantic.
In the case of both fish stocks, U.S. fishermen have not been able to catch the U.S. quotas designed to ensure that the stocks are fished sustainably. While these species are managed internationally, the United States manages the domestic part of these fisheries by taking into account the ecosystem and working to reduce bycatch of turtles and other species. This approach increases expenses for U.S. fishermen and makes it more difficult for them to compete in the marketplace with cheaper imports from fishing nations that subsidize their fleets and do not use an ecosystem approach.
June 3, 2009
Overfishing: The End of the Line
The world’s first major documentary about the devastating effect of overfishing premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.
“Overfishing is the great environmental disaster that people haven’t heard about”
– producer George Duffield.
In the film we see firsthand the effects of our global love affair with seafood – from right here on Shem Creek, all the way to the world’s biggest consumers of seafood: Asians, Japan specifically.
The documentary examines the imminent extinction of bluefin tuna, brought on by increasing western demand for sushi; the impact on marine life resulting in huge overpopulation of jellyfish; and the profound implications of a future world with no fish that would bring certain mass starvation.
May 19, 2009
The healthiest sea on the planet
In a vast, turquoise-blue corner of Earth, the forces of nature have crafted a truly amazing underwater tapestry of corals – Coral Triangle, the ‘nursery of the seas’ – an area where tuna is part of the culture and biodiversity is paramount.
Find out more at http://www.panda.org/coraltriangle.
May 12, 2009
How well do you know the fish you just paid for?
Sure, it’s easy to tell the difference between a tuna steak and a fillet of salmon, and even easier, shark vs. grouper or trout, but what about halibut and turbot?
Turbot? Huh? Exactly. That’s what a fish broker just got arrested for after an investigation by NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement. Turns out he was selling turbot – a flatfish native to marine or brackish waters of the North Atlantic – as halibut.
I haven’t tried turbot myself, but fortunately for us here on the East coast, most of his sales took place in Utah and Texas, so it’s a pretty safe bet you’re getting what you pay for here on Shem Creek – and I’ve never heard otherwise.
