From today's Southland Times, alarm sounds over the blue cod fishery in the south but not everyone is 'concerned'
"Declining blue cod catch rates have fishery experts concerned about the future of a multimillion-dollar quota area off the Southland coast."
"Saltwater Science director Glen Carbines said his company was two years into the four-year study and preliminary findings were concerning."
"... We can safely say we have concerns for the fishery," he said.
However, our 'rip, sh*t and bust' spokesperson, Cyril Lawless, famous for his dismissal of the plight of the Hectors dolphins, thinks otherwise.
"Riverton Fishermen's Association president Cyril Lawless said he did not have concerns for the industry."
If you didn't laugh, you'd cry.
I'm not feeling so chipper about what's in my freezer either...
15 comments:
You shouldn't feel guilty of catching a few fish for your own use Robert, that sort of fishing should be part of a sustainable society.
It is the people that will happily hammer away at fish stocks knowing that they are fishing them out, but are making too much money to give a damn.
Up here it is the Hoki that are being wiped out, and the fishermen know it but they don't care.
One guy told me they are going to "slaughter it" until someone makes them stop.
They are just blinded by the money they can make.
I've never been able to fathom how commercial fishermen could call their industry 'sustainable' - it's an extractive industry that has tipping points, unlike the sustainable solar 'industry' that plants involve themselves with.
I've refused to eat whaitebait for over ten years now. My 'no more blue cod' phase starts as soon as my freezer's empty.
You shouldn't feel guilty of catching a few fish for your own use Robert, that sort of fishing should be part of a sustainable society.
Exponentiality chimes in and says otherwise, backed closely by physics. An exponentially growing population uses resources, well, exponentially. Revealing the ultimate oxymoron, 'sustainable growth'.
“Central to the things we must do, is to recognise that population growth Is the immediate cause of all of our resource and environmental crises” - Dr. Albert Bartlett
I don't agree Nick, what are you basing your KJ intake on? a fat American processed fish sticks muncher?
There is no shortage of food in the world, just certain individuals are eating more than their share.
As my belly has expanded as I head into my thirties my conviction over the amount of food I eat is growing to alarm, we collectively live like pigs in the West. We could probably sustain twice our population on the same food resources if we lived right.
I want to learn to live right.
Learning to live right is admirable Shunda. I suspect though that while you are refining your intake, the rest of humanity will be attempting to ramp up theirs. Individual decisions made are the only way we can 'save the planet' imho. I've a few more I need to make. (Must stop cooking and eating kakapo)
I think that reducing intake is the only way to go - we have got fat as part of the exploitation of resources based on our consumerist culture. The fact that there is enough food and water on our planet is true but the point is that it is overused by western greedy societies - that we are part of.
It is actually okay to choose not have 3 meals a day - your body likes it IMO. By reducing our consumption, we will reduce many things including waste, pollution and our waste-line.
It will be too late when everything is gone.
I run into confict where it comes to tangata whenua harvesting species that I consider endangered. I have a great interest in kaitiakitanga and close knowledge of the titi harvesting but on other issues I'm fearful that modern life has distorted the kaupapa. I'm very interested in exploring these concerns in a shared forum and hope the hui with Te Roopu Taiao and 'my' council will clarify those concerns. It's just that when I see commercial Ngai Tahu owned fishing boats crewed by Korean fishermen hauling up hoki by the tonne ...
Learning to live right is admirable Shunda.
I am hoping you will have a few pointers for me Robert.
Convert me to the Green side!
First up Shunda, rid the West Coast of all it's fat-cat, boom-and-bust, drill-baby-drill, mine-all-mine, a seal-is-a-moving-target red-necks, then come and see me for your first green 'pip'.
And a glass of cider.
Gee, it's a bit harder than I had thought, all of them? at once?
That's an expensive glass of cider!
Hope it's good.
yes rob kaitiakitanga is an interesting area - my view is that the mauri of the waterway or whatever was/is exhibited by the resources available from the waterway - the more resources the stronger the mauri. Harvesting was part of the cycle and contributed to the strength of the mauri. Mana was associated with the resources available and able to be shared.
I agree about the commercialisation of the whole process - it really stinks that some get sucked into the illusory world of money.
Marty - 'those who get sucked in' can destroy in the blink of an eye the things that kaitiaka have protected for a long, long time. The money-valuers are winning.
the more resources the stronger the mauri.
What is mauri? I have heard people mention it but I have no idea of what it really means (please forgive my ignorance).
Mauri is an energy which binds and animates all things in the physical world.
Hard to describe, though there are many descriptions. If you spoke Maori fluently and or lived life ki te taha Maori you'd better understand, I'm sure.
Mauri is like the lifeforce.
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