fishmonger

All kidding aside there is actually a long standing festival in Louisiana that highlights the relationship between these two diverse industries and honors the hardworking men and women of both. Lets all hope that by the scheduled Labor Day weekend event that things are back to normal. Image from festival website. http://www.shrimp-petrofest.org/

A Researcher at Ohio State University has claimed to develop an egg laying male fish. That strikes me as wrong. I am all for advances in aquaculture, but this one I do not think will sit well with the public. From UPI

Today is Earth day. The Earth is composed of mostly water. Therefore today should be mostly about water. I hope you do not mind my philosophical stretch. But how can you blame me since the fishmonger must be focused on the seas and such? Let us not make light of today's significance, even though I may not agree with many that take a particular extreme view of today's environmental issues, PETA for one. I for one enjoy eating seafood, and I am especially invested in the seafood industry for my livelihood. I just believe that protection does not exclusively rule out enjoyment. If you are a first time visitor please take a moment to look around. I hope that you enjoy my musings and smattering's of actual information. I welcome, actually I encourage your comments and questions be they friendly or otherwise. Actually I hope to expand the content here with additional authors, so stay tuned. And happy Water, eh.. Earth Day.

French fishermen protest quotas by blocking transit. Chinese could eat all of Florida's turtles. Shad and the wheels of politics, fortune wanes.

One of the MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) great success story has been the certification of the Alaskan Pollack fishery. Some 100 plus boats (factory type ships) harvest huge amounts of pollack under the watchful eyes of The MSC and the Alaska division of NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency). One problem is the huge amount of salmon bycatch that is inadvertently caught with the pollack. Strict guidelines currently have these boats discarding tons of fish. Surely there has to be some better way to handle all this bycatch. Below is today's AP article. Please cast your vote in the sidebar about bycatch. Associated Press/AP Online Enlarge Photo June 23, 2008 - ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Florence Johnson can rattle off myriad ways to prepare salmon. Drawing on a lifetime of fishing the Yukon River, she recommends canning, salting, or drying the fillets in her smokehouse near the heart of downtown Eagle. "I'd be very lost without it," Johnson said. "I ...

In the past month the rising costs of fuel, diesel in particular have caused an uproar from coast to coast and from sea to sea. Strikes in France, Spain, and Portugal. Work stoppages in Japan. Limited days at sea for struggling American boats, and the list goes on. So how is this good? It is not. But maybe it could be good for those threatened species you say. You know less fisherman out there catching fish from day to day, that has to take some pressure off of the reserves right? This line of thinking only highlights the problem with the perception of fishing today. Unlike what most consumers might think about the fishing industry; small boats and small crews hand lining fish, most fish is taken by larger vessels with high tech gear, and high yield fishing techniques. High fuel prices really only affect the small guys. So when fuel costs rise some of these old school artisanal fishermen are the ones most hurt. So despite what may seem like a panacea for ocean conservation, could actua...

As someone who makes a living trading in seafood for human consumption I have the opinion that the wholesale taking of a valuable natural resource by only a hand full of people is not good. Apparently there are even a few elected officials that are of the same opinion. I think that the effects of the Menhaden fishery is similar to the corn for ethanol scheme. By removing these fish from the food chain it no doubt effects the fish that rely on them for food. The other added benefit of that menhaden, and fish like them offer is the improvement of water quality as they filter feed upon algae, and detritus. Now that "Friend of the Sea" has sold them the sustainability label the fight to protect them might be harder. Below are two recent articles for your consideration: Taken from Asbury Park Press 5/16/2008 Bunker Bills Will Protect This Valuable Resource Two Republican congressmen are pushing legislation that would provide further protection to menhaden stocks that are so vit...

I was watching a the National Geographic channel and a program last night about world greenhouse gas production. One thing that struck me as having great truth when it comes to seafood as well was the notion that there is good news and bad news. The good news was that if we could alleviate the problem in China, then we would solve the problem for the world. The bad news was that if we didn't change the way things are going in China almost nothing else matters. This I think is true when it comes to seafood. Already China is the largest producer of seafood and they are soon to become the biggest consumer as well. Of course there are hundreds of reasons why this is true including the vast number of people, and the growing level of wealth that gives China such incredible buying power. I have read the following report that was put together in late 2006 by Glitner. Chinese Seafood For seafood consumption in China will increase by more than 40 per cent by 2020

For those of you with an appetite for information about farmed seafood, and seafood sustainability I have a new site to recommend . That site is for the Urban Aquaculture Center, a group of people in Milwaukee, Wisconsin of all places dedicated to aquaculture and seafood awareness. Below is a copy of their mission statement: The Urban Aquaculture Center’s mission is to: PROMOTE urban aquaculture in Milwaukee through a fully operational demonstration facility and informational campaign PRODUCE high quality aquaculture products to help meet the area’s consumption needs and reduce dependence on imported food sources PREPARE citizens to live in a sustainable way through educational exhibits and community demonstrations on urban aquaculture and its global benefits Check them out URBAN AQUACULTURE CENTER

California, and Oregon are acting to save the future of wild salmon. There is a big problem concerning the amount of water available in that area. Apparently too much water is being diverted to agriculture to provide the salmon with the river and stream beds needed to reproduce. I think that it is a good move to stop the harvest this year, but it is obvious to me that we need to think about the root causes of these problems. Attention government officials you need to relax your allegiance to Agra powers that be. Not only does this problem drastically affect the salmon, but it is a huge financial burden to the local fishery, and those people involved with it. This is one case where the lack of fish is not solely due to poor management. Today is Earth day and this should be a wake up call for everyone. If you want to do something write your elected officials and let them know you care. I hope that the closure is not too little or too late. Take a look at these related websites as well. h...

Another case of limited number of fish, and a bigger consumer appetite than it can accomidate. In todays dining section of the New York Times

The PFMC (Pacific Fisheries Management Council) claims that the reasons for the sudden collapse of the Sacramento fall Chinook stock is “not readily apparent.” “Ocean conditions have been poor, and there are a lot of things that can go wrong for salmon in freshwater, “ said David Artmann, Vice-Chairman of the PFMC. However, fishermen point to massive increases in water exports from the California Delta in recent years as the key factor in the decline, accompanied by dams, increasing water pollution, poaching, unscreened diversions, habitat loss and other problems. “There are many factors that went into our salmon decline, but none as significant as the loss of freshwater flows to the Delta and San Francisco Bay which are essential for maintaining the biological function of this estuary and sustaining native salmon and other fish populations,” said Zeke Grader, executive director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, in a press conference held by a coalition of...

Salmon decline could lead to widespread ban - Associated Press Chinook Salmon Vanish Without a Trace - New York Times Fishing ban on horizon, groups say; Declining salmon population has anglers preparing for yearlong halt of season as best, perhaps only option - Contra Costa Times Salmon may be off-limits; Salmon fishing off California and Oregon may be banned. Shrinking numbers prompt consideration of the unprecedented step, which would hurt an already beleaguered industry - Los Angeles Times Salmon fishermen face dire choices - Sacramento Bee Salmon season: Brief or none; Most liberal of panel's 3 options allows fraction of normal catch - Santa Rosa Press Democrat Salmon collapse leaves fishermen high and dry - San Mateo County Times Prognosis negative for salmon fishing - Eureka Times Standard River salmon fishers expect at least a partial season - Redding Record Searchlight

Many indicators abound for less fish to be available in the coming year. From problems with the last years magic bullet frozen Chinese tilapia to the collapse of the California king salmon on the other end of the spectrum. Like every problem the limited output of the next years could spawn new ideas and new solutions. Here is one. By Stephen Leahy Dec 11 (IPS) - Catch less fish. Make more money. Could this be the solution to the global overfishing crisis? Australian economists writing in the current issue of Science magazine think so. Reducing fish catches in the short term will bring fishers big profits later. And that profit potential may finally persuade an intransigent fishing industry to agree to lower catch limits, they say. FULL POST HERE

Due to the effects of the recent fuel spill dungeness crab fishing has been delayed . This is just one of what may be many problems that could arise from the fuel spill in San Francisco Bay. Local fisherman are eager to help in the cleanup.