• About
  • Archive
  • Contact
The Greening of Gavin
  • Home
  • Our Green Shop
    • Little Green Workshops
  • Green Workshops
    • Cheese Making
    • Soap Making
    • Soy Candle Making
  • eBooks
    • Clay Oven eBook
    • Keep Calm and Make Cheese eBook
  • Podcast
    • TGOG Podcast
    • TGoG Podcast Archive
    • Little Green Cheese
  • Vlog
  • Cheese
  • Green Living
    • Chickens
    • Gardening
    • Soap Making
    • Recipes
    • Climate Change
    • Peak Oil
    • Solar Power
  • Resources

End of The Line – Understanding

February 11, 2012 @ 17:24 By Gavin Webber 15 Comments

You would have learned about my dread when I came to learn about the Global overfishing issue that faces it in my last post, and thanks for the many comments.
This post is about trying to understand this issue so that we can make some educated decisions when it comes down to how we source our fish, or even if we eat it at all for that matter.

So in a nutshell here are the main issues;

Unsustainable fishing or Overfishing:  In every ocean around the world, fish stocks are in decline. Every year, many fishing fleets catch fish faster than young fish can mature and breed, so there are fewer fish left in the ocean to form the next generation. If this continues, the fish will become commercially extinct. A great example of this is Cod Overfishing in Newfoundland.   Even after a 10 year moratorium on Cod fishing, the Cod have still not returned.

Furthermore, a study by Marine biologist Boris Worm of Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia found that;

“In 1994, seafood may have peaked. According to an analysis of 64 large marine ecosystems, which provide 83 percent of the world’s seafood catch, global fishing yields have declined by 10.6 million metric tons since that year. And if that trend is not reversed, total collapse of all world fisheries should hit around 2048.”

Bycatch.  Often when fishermen are fishing for one species they inevitably catch other creatures that live near them. These may be other fish species, but may also be marine mammals, turtles or even birds that are diving to catch their fish dinner. If they become entangled in the nets or caught on fish hooks they usually drown. Over 300,000 small whales, dolphins and porpoises die each year as a result of becoming entangled in fishing gear, as well as many other fish species that are thrown back into the ocean, dead.

Competition for food. Because fish are caught in complex ecosystems, when too many fish are being caught it disrupts the balance of the food supply for other species. For example, if seals mostly eat one type of fish, and humans catch a lot too, then the seals might struggle to find enough food to survive.  Same goes for penguins in Antarctica, who have to swim further away from the coast to find food to feed their young during breading season due to fishing fleet now invading the Antarctic Ocean in the search for more fish stock.

Habitat destruction.  Some fishing methods like bottom trawling destroy sensitive habitats like coral reefs, sea mounts.  Others like aquaculture destroy mangroves and estuaries, which are essential breeding and feeding grounds for many different animals and birds. When these sensitive habitats are destroyed it can make it more difficult for the fish to find their food, hide from predators and reproduce therefore escalating the collapse of these species.

These main issues are brought further to light in this video featuring Dr Daniel Pauly, a biologist of fishings.  He is regarded as specialist of his discipline and is the Director of the Center of fishings from the university British Columbia in Vancouver (Canada).  I believe he knows what he is talking about. Note: the sound quality is not the best.

So in summary, we need to stop raping the oceans, and start fishing sustainably, setting aside major areas of ocean as sanctuary so that they can recover, but more on that in the next post.

Further reading:
National Geographic, Global Fish Crisis: Still Water
Overfishing.org – Why is overfishing a problem?
End of the Line movie
Australian Marine Conservation Society – Sustainable Seafood Guide

Will this article help someone you know? If so help them out by sharing now!

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Fish, Sustainable Living

← End Of The Line – Dread End of The Line – Possible Solutions →

About Gavin Webber

Gavin Webber's daily goal is to live a more sustainable lifestyle, in an effort to reduce his family's environmental footprint so we can all make a difference for our children & future generations to come.

Learn more about him here and connect with him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

Comments

  1. Hana says

    February 12, 2012 at 01:03

    Gavin, I was just wondering what are your thoughts on this:
    part of the overfishing problem is that ocean fish is now readily available deep inland, aka the opposite of a local diet. I am wholeheartedly supporting “if it does not grow here, don’t eat it” philosophy.
    I live on a coast. Our traditional food is fish and shellfish.
    So my question is: In your opinion, should we all limit our consumption of seafood even if it is our local and traditional diet?

    Reply
    • Gavin Webber says

      February 12, 2012 at 10:54

      I agree with you Hana. We eat as locally as we can, and I remember that when I was growing up, the only fish we ate were the ones we caught ourselves in the River Murray. As long as fish is sustainably caught, and allowed to regenerate, then there shouldn’t be an issue.

      Reply
  2. Theanne says

    February 12, 2012 at 02:42

    I rarely eat fish…when I do it’s Alaska Salmon, definitely not local since I live in Florida! I also take Omega 3 capsules and that fish oil is coming from somewhere. My husband once worked for a company that had a motto that went something like this…”there are no problems only solutions”! But what is the solution to the ocean/fish problem? What needs to be done is to allow the fish populations TIME to recover (doesn’t sound like even this will be possible in some cases)! Will this happen or will greed win in the end, to the ultimate destruction of our beautiful planet! I’m not a doomsayer, but I am a realist…the handwriting is on the wall!

    Reply
    • Gavin Webber says

      February 12, 2012 at 10:55

      Theanne, the future is yet to be written, however as you say the handwriting is on the wall. From our past deeds, we many not act in time.

      Reply
  3. Anonymous says

    February 12, 2012 at 08:07

    Therr is a really good website and app produced by the Australian Marine Conservation Society. It shows different fish products as poor, ok, and great depending on the environmental status of the species. It also looks at the problem of aquaculture from the perspective of what the farmed fish are feed.

    Reply
    • Gavin Webber says

      February 12, 2012 at 10:56

      Hi Anon, Thanks for the site, I added it to the further reading section and will talk about the app in the next post which will be about solutions

      Reply
  4. Tracey says

    February 12, 2012 at 09:33

    Hana raises an excellent point and one that I’m thinking about more and more.

    I also live in a coastal city (although not a fishing port) but rarely eat fish, and follow the Australian Marine Conservation Guidelines when I do. For me, the preferred options would be eating fish line caught by myself or someone I know, or second best would be buying direct from a small local fishing operation that I felt was reasonably sustainable.

    But at this point I’m not sure anything is even remotely sustainable. Every technological advance in fishing methods, catch preservation (drying, salting, freezing) and transportation has brought us some distance further down the road to the place we now find ourselves.

    I fear only a severe restriction in catch sizes & bycatch, and restriction of fishing methods to those that are less ‘efficient’ at stripping the oceans, have any hope of working, but these things would impact especially severely on the small operators and the coastal populations for whom fish/seafood are staple foods.

    What to do for the best? I wish I knew….

    Reply
    • Gavin Webber says

      February 12, 2012 at 10:58

      Hopefully I will go some way to answering your question in the next post.

      Gav x

      Reply
  5. frazzledsugarplummum says

    February 12, 2012 at 09:42

    Thanks for bringing this issue up for discussion, Gavin.

    Reply
    • Gavin Webber says

      February 12, 2012 at 10:59

      No problem, I think it needs to be brought out in the open, even though it seems that a lot of readers already know about it.

      Gav

      Reply
  6. Linda Woodrow says

    February 12, 2012 at 11:34

    There are species of seafood that are sustainable. There are even, arguably, some that have outbred their niche, due to overfishing of their natural predators, so humans balancing it up a bit by taking on the predator role till the natural predators breed up again is not too bad a thing. Squid, for example. Sea mullet and Australian salmon (sea perch)are still sustainable in my region, partly because they’re less desirable fish, but they’re oily fish and as such really good for you, and it’s just a matter of cooking them right. We live inland, but the ocean is within our “100 mile” zone, and my partner loves fishing, so I’ve got a whole collection of recipes using sustainable seafood.

    Reply
    • Gavin Webber says

      February 12, 2012 at 14:14

      Good point Linda. Your recipe list is mouth watering, and thanks for the link!

      Reply
  7. Kim says

    February 12, 2012 at 13:44

    I am thinking about how supermarkets market fish and if we can trust it. For instance Aldi now advertises selling ‘sustainable fish’that is polecaught which I bought thinking I was doing ‘the right thing’ …but when I got it home but in fine print says that it is ‘made in Thailand ‘ from local and imported ingredients’…with catchment areas as ‘S1’ and ‘S7′(whatever that means).
    I like Linda’s 100k zone which I will look at more closely….but there are times when I am shopping for my family that I really wonder if I am saving the planet or just getting tricked by clever labelling.

    Reply
    • Gavin Webber says

      February 12, 2012 at 14:14

      Hi Kim, check out my latest post about the MSC certification.

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Trying To Say Sane in an Insane World - The Greening of Gavin says:
    September 19, 2014 at 10:20

    […]  He rolled his eyes and walked away.  [For more info on overfishing check out this post titled "End of the Line – Understanding"].  I knew I had gone too far, and knew it when I was saying it, but I couldn’t stop.  I […]

    Reply

Comments build lively communities. Let me know your thoughts, but keep it clean and green! Spam is removed instantly. Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Search This Blog

Follow my work

About Gavin Webber

About Gavin Webber

An Ordinary Australian Man Who Has A Green Epiphany Whilst Watching A Documentary, Gets a Hybrid Car, Plants A Large Organic Vegetable Garden, Goes Totally Solar, Lowers Consumption, Feeds Composts Bins and Worms, Harvests Rainwater, Raises Chickens, Makes Cheese and Soap, and Eats Locally. All In The Effort To Reduce Our Family's Carbon Footprint So We Can Start Making A Difference For Our Children & Future Generations To Come.

Delve Into the Archives

Visit Our Online Simple Living Shop

Little Green Workshops

Latest Podcast Episode

Subscribe on iTunes

Top Posts & Pages

Strawbridge Family Inspiration
The Seven Stages Of Change
How To Remove Scaly Leg Mites
Building a Wicking Bed on Concrete
It's Not Easy Being Green TV series
Broad Bean Rust
Liveable Home Update - Glass Brick Window
VegTrug Fail
Black Aphids On Garlic
Clay Oven First Layer

Recent Awards

Recent Awards

Local Green Hero

Categories

Favourite Daily Reads

Debt Free, Cashed Up, and Laughing

The Off-Grid Solar House

Greener Me

The Rogue Ginger

Little Eco Footprints

Down To Earth

Surviving the Suburbs

Little Green Cheese

Eight Acres

The Witches Kitchen

TGOG Readers On-line

Podcast Reviews

  • Always inspiring and entertaining!
    August 4, 2016 by floriographer from Australia

    I've crowed about Gavin's podcast before but I just have to recommend it once again - I love that he shares his learning as well as his successes - it helps the rest of us try try try again! Thanks Gavin!

  • ms
    July 22, 2016 by Ketaea12 from New Zealand

    I really enjoy listening to Gavin, he has a kind lovely voice. He covers some great relevant topics for the everyday greenie. With lots of tips or how to or what not to do. Thanks Gavin, love it!!

  • Well worth your time to tune in
    October 23, 2015 by A Vision Splendid from Australia

    I can highly recommend Gavin’s podcast ! I have followed Gavin’s blog since the very beginning and have loved to see his journey unfold. Gavin has a lovely speaking voice so this podcast is always very easy to listen to. Gavin has a very authentic approach to his green living lifestyle. He shares the ups and downs but always provides motivation and practical steps that we can all implement.

  • very good
    June 28, 2015 by Scared pax from United Kingdom

    This is a great podcast if you want to improve your life in so many aspects and become a more sustainable person. I love the soothing voice, the good pace, and it contains lots of useful information. Recommended!

  • opened my eyes
    May 25, 2015 by Gorn4lyfe from Australia

    A wonderful show!

  • Inspiring
    April 30, 2015 by Alan Whelan from Ireland

    This is a great podcast if you're looking for practical info on saving money by living more sustainably from someone who's made that journey over the last few years. Told in a nice, easy conversational style

  • Green Living, inspiring and practical
    January 8, 2015 by EliseMac from Australia

    Thanks Gav for sharing what has (and hasn't) worked along your journey for living a greener lifestyle. Inspiring and achievable for anyone, I look forward to this podcast weekly.

  • Local food equals less waste
    December 27, 2014 by allotmentadventureswithjean from Australia

    Another brilliant podcast from Gavin Webber encouraging us, and showing us how, to cut down on food miles, growing our own food, and cutting down on food waste. Gavin is a really interesting speaker, showing us how to eat better, growing our own food and how to live more sustainably.

  • Honestly australian
    December 15, 2014 by HodgepodgeOz from Australia

    Fantastic podcast, with a wide variety of well thought and researched topics. Gavin is a honest, forthright pod aster with a genuine interest in helping others get green. Like a day alongside is a day wasted, so too is a week without listening to Gavin. Highly recommended for people starting out, or those in the midst of their new lifestyle. Keep it up Gavin, wish there were more great reviews! Kimberley

  • Morning motivation
    December 8, 2014 by Bunnyworm from Australia

    Gavin has a great passion for living this greener lifestyle that motivates others to do the same. The podcasts are always interesting and informative. :)

  • Passionate Advocate
    October 18, 2014 by BoomOpGirl from Australia

    Gavin's enthusiasm and passion for creating a more sustainable world is nothing short of contagious. Thanks Gav, you are my weekly source of motivation for living a sustainable life! :)

  • Gavin speaks from the heart
    October 13, 2014 by Green gavin from Australia

    Gavin's podcasts are required listening for anyone planning to live a more sustainable life. He doesn't preach, but tells you his story from the heart. You'll laugh, smile, share in his concerns and along the way you'll pick up some great tips on living a simple life.

  • Green thoughts, so well iterated
    October 9, 2014 by Kwasikwami from Australia

    This is a wonderful podcast. Not only does Gavin talk knowledgeably on a range of sustainability topics from gardening tips all the way to the issues facing humanity as a whole, but he does so in such a wonderful voice, it's like listening to my Dad, love it!!

  • Easy listening inspiration on being green
    September 24, 2014 by Broomedy from Australia

    Gav knows how to share his journey to a more sustainable life in a manner that shows just how easy it really is. Not to mention healthier, economically beneficial and generally rewarding. The podcasts are an easy way to absorb Gav's great lifestyle. I recommend to anyone.

  • Thanks Gavin!
    August 31, 2014 by Honeywoodmilk from Australia

    Great practical advice for a greener lifestyle. This podcast is for anybody interested in growing their own food in suburbia, saving electricity, brewing beer, making cheese, all that wonderful business and most of all, saving money! Thanks Gavin, love the podcast mate!

  • Enjoyed those ideas for staying warm
    August 15, 2014 by enduringdragon from United States

    Like you we are having winter here in Chile—brrr! Every bit we can save on heating we will.

  • Green Podcasts
    July 26, 2014 by Carneu from Australia

    Excellent podcasts, which are full of information to help get started on a sustainable lifestyle.

  • Practical ideas and inspiration
    July 19, 2014 by HeathrowHeath from Australia

    I highly recommend Gavin's podcast and blog. Down to earth, entertaining and inspirational. Thank you.

  • Interesting & easy to listen to
    April 27, 2014 by Velocity3 from New Zealand

    Gavin & his guests make this green journey lots of fun.

  • Great green listen
    April 18, 2014 by Obscurenickname from Australia

    Gavin is a great down to earth, tell it like it is aussie with a passion for sustainability and growing food and making cheese

Carbon Offset website

Copyright - Gavin Webber © 2023