#by-catch

Coast Diary – January 29th

I was wondering last week how I’d keep a coast diary going, I mean how often can you say ‘I saw the sea today. It was nice.” But I forgot that things have a habit of…happening. There was the news that Russia is planning military manoeuvers off our southwest coast, which will likely be damaging to the ceteaceans, besides being politically – and in all other ways – dubious. Jokes abounded, mostly…

EMPTY OCEANS: Is The World Running Out Of Fish?

This video will forever change how you look at the ocean and seafood. Is the world running out of fish? Will the collapse of the ocean be the collapse of humankind? See what the most up-to-date research says about the dire state of our oceans. Learn the shocking truth about humanity’s decimation of the natural resource it depends…

What a waste - the problems of un-selective fishing

Small fish tend to hang around the big fish, this keeps them safe. It doesn’t seem very practical does it? The small fish actually likes hanging around the big ass sharks that see them as food.

As a result of this, there are usually large schools of fish around the areas where sharks hang out, and as a result.. in come the fisherman.

I don’t know what happened to this particular shark, however I know teams from the Sea Life aquariums in Sydney managed to catch and remove hooks from other Grey Nurse Sharks in the area.

All organisms pictured above were caught and killed as by-catch by commercial fishermen off the coast of California. These fishermen were using drift gill-nets--mesh nets that can reach one mile in length--to catch sword fish.

As estimated by Geoff Shester, the California Program Director for Oceana, one marine mammal dies for every five swordfish caught. These marine mammals--as well as other marine organisms such as sharks, rays, and turtles--die of either suffocation or intense wounds caused by the nets.

The use of drift gill-nets has been outlawed in California State Waters for over 20 years; however, fishermen who specifically target sword fish are allowed to fish with few restrictions. This basically means that they receive special privileges--one being the fact that they are allowed to use drift nets.

Oceana--an organization promoting marine conservation--supported the legislation to completely ban the use of gill-nets in Californian waters. Unfortunately, those supporting the ban lost their chance to protect marine organisms by one vote.

A friendly tip to those of you who enjoy seafood: please stop eating swordfish--especially if you know that the animal was caught through the use of gill-nets. If you ask a waiter or butcher where they purchase their fish from, they should be able to give an answer (even if they have to ask a manager). If it was caught in California, there may be a good chance that gill-nets were used.

Most of us understand the issue of over-fishing (catching more fish than the ecosystem can naturally replenish) but perhaps not aware of the underlying issue of by-catch.  

We recommend which seafood to buy or avoid, helping consumers and businesses become advocates for ocean-friendly seafood. You can get our recommendations online, in our printed pocket guides or on your phone.

Many people do not realize the harmful effects of modern fishing practices on our oceans and environment. Large, predatory fish are quickly being depleted from the oceans, and whales and dolphins are falling victim to incidental capture. The seafood watch gives suggestions for seafood choices that are sustainable and less threatening to habitats, fish populations, and marine mammals. This is a great resource for those who wish to continue consuming seafood while being mindful of animals and the environment.

You can download these FANTASTIC pocket guides here: 

Eating Shrimp & Bottom Trawling

Photograph by: Brain Skerry

Those of you that like to eat shrimp, did you know that through your consumer choices, you are actually contributing to one of the most destructive forms of fishing?

Shrimp are caught by a method known as bottom trawling, an extremely destructive and unsustainable method of fishing. Bottom trawling is, in effect, when large steel balls with nets struck between them, are rolled across the bottom of the ocean. Bottom trawling destroys everything the balls steamroll over, scooping up everything it its path.

Such methods, by design, gather all the other corals, plants and sea life as it scours the ocean floor. These unwanted bits are known as by-catch, and by-catch accounts for approximately 80% of bottom trawler take.