Jacques Cousteau believed the the oceans where great resources, but he also believed in their conservation. His belief was that if a population was kept at a certain level and still fished it could still feed all the people it needed to, instead of overfishing that population and getting temporary gain, but longterm losses. A foresting analogy is if there is 10,000 pine trees in an area and there are 500 seedlings reproduced each year that would reach adulthood/cutting at age at about 30, and a timber company wants to get maximum gain from that forest. They could clear-cut it immediately and get 10,000 trees out of it, or they could wait 20 years cutting 500 trees per year and break even. After that point in time any tree they cut they would be making more profit than they would if they clear cut it. While this analogy isn't accurate and the figures in it are made up, this same concept applies to the quickly diminishing bluefin tuna populations. While it is easier for a company to just clear-cut a forest and move onto the next one, the bluefin tuna populations are running out of "forests" to get overfished. There are ways to have a sustainable and profitable fishing industry, but it would take patience to rebuild the population and cooperation between fishermen all throughout the world to make this viable.
Already the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna population throughout the Atlantic is declining rapidly. The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas stated that in 2009 over the past 40 years stocks have diminished by 72% in the Eastern Atlantic and by 82% in the Western Atlantic. At one time the Greeks and Phoenicians described them as a pest of sorts, found all over their waters. Now they are extinct in the Black Sea where they once thrived and are endangered throughout the Mediterranean and the Atlantic.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Solution Document
Overfishing of bluefin tuna is an
emerging issue in recent years. It’s not that the current restrictions are or
are not strict enough, but that there needs to be an incentivized program that
helps the fish and the fisherman. The way to create this system is to adjust
the specifications on the amount of tuna allowed to be taken in, and to change
the limits on the size and weight of the tuna being fished. Along with these
adjustments, there should be unions created specifically for bluefin tuna
fishermen (union may not be the correct term, but will be used throughout the
passage). In this case, they would have to check in with the union prior to
going out and fishing, which will limit the intake of the tuna. All tuna
catches will go through the unions to make sure they level up to the proper
specifications and of the right numbers of intake. This will provide the
ability to regulate the population of bluefin tuna. Overall, this union
wouldn't be associated with one particular country, but would be implemented in
countries where the fisherman and fish are.
The unions would hopefully be implemented in countries by political
influence of certain governments or the United Nations, because in the long run
the fisherman will have a higher yield.
In the words of Mike Parks, from the
Scottish White Fish Producers Association in Scotland, "A state of anarchy
still exists in parts of the fishing industry where everyone is out for what
they could get from a diminishing stock.” This is a similar philosophy as the
fishermen have on derby days where they catch as much fish as we can. This system also worked in Alaska with Halibut
fishing. This fishermen could fish
according to their schedules when the prices are higher, which would allow them
to get more money and have less of a need to overfish. If the unions could allow a longer season,
but with pound limits fisherman would be more responsible and reduce the
unnecessary catching of tuna and the by-catch of other fish from "ghost
fishing." To be more specific with
the pound quotas, for every tuna that they would catch a certain number of
pounds would be "added" to the fish for using up the quota. This number of pounds added would be the same
for large fish and smaller fish. Therefore, it would be much more effective and
financially better to only keep the larger fish instead of the smaller ones
because proportionally that number of pounds (per fish caught) would be
smaller. Of course the quota would be
higher than an average pound quota to account for the "pounds added"
by this new rule, but would still incentivize to catch larger fish. Statistical research would be conducted by
biologists and mathematicians to calculate what amount the added pounds should
be to allow more fish to reach above reproductive size (and age) so that they
could spawn multiple times before they were caught and what pound value would
influence fisherman the most.
The "unions" that
fisherman would have to become part of would also have a presence in the
markets, the transportation industry, and the marinas so that fisherman would
have a hard time breaking these rules. This would take much funding, so there
should be an additional sales tax for tuna in the first market. This would be fairly large and would provide
funding for the unions. This would also have trickle effect down to the
consumer and would their prices are higher; when their prices are higher there
is less of a demand, therefore reducing overfishing. When the overfishing is reduced there is less
of a need for these unions so they would need less funding from the tax so it
would be lowered. Statisticians would
have to determine the appropriate percentage for the tax and the money gained
would be distributed throughout the unions by fishing activities or related
activities or the financial need. Along with the unions encouragement, and
lower demand for bluefin tuna would encourage fishermen to fish for other fish
if there is more financial incentive.
This would help the bluefin tuna population recover to a level where it
is more sustainable and the regulations and pound quotas could be changed. While this could effect the overfishing of
other species the tuna fishermen would move to, the unions could be expanded to
help with those species as well.
Causes Document
Overfishing of bluefin tuna, also
known as Thunnus thynnus, has been
very detrimental to the overall population. As the larger of the tuna are being
overfished, these fishermen begin fishing the smaller tuna before they had time
to reproduce. Because of derby days where fisherman would have 24 or 48 hours
to catch as much fish as they could they would throw unnecessary amounts of
equipments into the water, often loosing much in bad weather days. This equipment would then "ghost
fish" and kill and catch fish without a fisherman on the other end.
Therefore, the overfishing of the bluefin tuna has not only caused a decline in
population but also the younger tuna are not able to reproduce, which affects
many other animals in their ecosystem, as well as us humans. The disruption of
one animal in a specific ecosystem can severely affect many other living
organisms in that same ecosystem, as well as other ecosystems.
Research Document
· -Population of blue fin tuna in the Atlantic
Ocean has declined 70% in the last 30 years.
· -Fishermen use a technique called long lining,
where 60 miles of baited line is laid out. This results in an effective catch
of blue fin tuna but also an immense amount of by catch of organisms including
sea turtles and sharks.
· -European and Asian countries have exploited
their own tuna populations and have moved onto African waters to find tuna.
· -Experts say that two thirds of major marine
fisheries are currently fully exploited, over exploited or depleted.
· -Overfishing of one species can completely ruin
an entire marine ecosystem.
· -Fishermen
are suffering financial losses because of a smaller catch.
· -Committees
have been formed and legislation has begun to be written and passed but nothing
seems to be a permanent solution.
· -Only
major committee focuses only on the Atlantic Ocean and its surrounding seas.
Works cited
ICCAT Introduction.
(n.d.). ICCAT. Retrieved April 18,
2012, from http://www.iccat.es/en/introduction.htm
Marine Fisheries
& Aquaculture Series: Empty Oceans, Empty Nets – Tuna | PBS. (n.d.). PBS:
Public Broadcasting Service. Retrieved April 18, 2012, from http://www.pbs.org/emptyoceans/eoen/tuna/index.html
Marine Fisheries
& Aquaculture Series: Empty Oceans, Empty Nets – Tuna: Case Study | PBS.
(n.d.). PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Retrieved April 18, 2012,
from http://www.pbs.org/emptyoceans/eoen/tuna/casestudy.html
Marine Fisheries
& Aquaculture Series: Empty Oceans, Empty Nets – Tuna: Viewpoints | PBS.
(n.d.). PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Retrieved April 18, 2012,
from http://www.pbs.org/emptyoceans/eoen/tuna/viewpoints.html
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Original Research
World Problem: Climate Change (Dan)
Climate Change can refer to any significant change in measurements of climate.
Causes/Effects
· Energy from the Sun drives the Earth's weather and climate. The Earth absorbs energy from the Sun, and also radiates energy back into space. However, much of this energy going back to space is absorbed by “greenhouse” gases in the atmosphere (see Figure 1 of Greenhouse Effect). Because the atmosphere then radiates most of this energy back to the Earth’s surface, our planet is warmer than it would be if the atmosphere did not contain these gases. Without this natural "greenhouse effect," temperatures would be about 60ºF lower than they are now, and life as we know it today would not be possible.
· Rising average temperatures are already affecting the environment. Some observed changes include shrinking of glaciers, thawing of permafrost, later freezing and earlier break-up of ice on rivers and lakes, lengthening of growing seasons, shifts in plant and animal ranges and earlier flowering of trees.
· Global temperatures are expected to continue to rise as human activities continue to add carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and other greenhouse (or heat-trapping) gases to the atmosphere. Most of the United States is expected to experience an increase in average temperature.
Solutions
· Greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced through simple measures like changing light bulbs and properly inflating your tires.
Possible Solutions
State and local governments and businesses play an important role in reducing greenhouse gas intensity.
-- Leading businesses are taking steps to understand and manage their greenhouse gas emissions by preparing annual greenhouse gas inventories and setting long-term targets to reduce emissions. EPA's Climate Leaders program provides technical assistance and recognition to U.S. companies that have joined this program.
-- Identifying and documenting cost-effective policies and initiatives that address climate change, including those that promote renewable energy, energy efficiency, and related clean technologies. Fostering peer exchange opportunities for state and local officials to share information on best practices and lessons learned about innovative policies and programs.
Overfishing
of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (Chase)
The
Atlantic Bluefin is one of the most prized fishing catches out there. They can reach up to 15 feet in length
and can get a hefty price in fish markets after the Japanese made the discovery
that it tastes very good raw because of its high fat content. They used to be caught by the hundreds
all around the atlantic. Now
they have become overfished and aren’t even found in some areas they used to be
because of this overfishing. They
also are found in much smaller sizes.
First the largest ones were fished and once they were all killed they
moved on to the smaller ones and so on. Now one of the issues is that they have started to
catch many before their spawning age where they can reproduce. Many times they “herd” them into
groups, then keep them in nets and fatten them up before they slaughter them
and bring them to market, but this problem is that they don’t reach the age of
sexual maturity and don’t reproduce.
There
currently is the International Commission for the Conservations of Atlantic
Tunas, but they haven’t proven to be effective. By most estimates scientists estimate that the Bluefin stock
has declined by 80% in the past forty years. The ICCAT is viewed as ineffective because of their lack of
ability to control the countries, fishermen, and what they do. Countries sometimes even would withhold
data for scientific studies to see the levels that they should place
regulations at.
Problem
for the fishermen: if they don’t fish they don’t have an income, and if they
keep fishing they won’t be able to fish anymore and in the long run they won’t
be able to have any more of the fish.
This
is what we need to find a way to combat:
-Mike
Parks, from the Scottish White Fish Producers Association, based in north-west
Scotland, said a "state of anarchy" still exists in parts of the
fishing industry where everyone was out for what they could get from a
diminishing stock.
-(Suzanne
Ludicello Author of Fish, Markets, and Fishermen: The
Economics of Overfishing)What the system needs to do is to
build options so that there is an assurance that if you back down today, if you
forego some income, then there will be something more for you tomorrow.
-Dr. Daniel Pauly Professor of
Fisheries Science, British Columbia: One of the
paradoxes about fisheries is that the catch could be increased by fishing less.
I think that globally if each of the fish populations were exploited at its
appropriate level, you would actually see an increase.
This
is not science fiction. It could be done quite straightforwardly and everywhere
it has been possible to break the cycle of despair, it has been possible to
massively increase catches. So in a sense it's possible in fisheries to eat
your cake and have it too but for this you have to break this notion that
fishing more is the thing.
-Viewpoint of a fisherman of cod in
Alaska, talks about the ITQ system (LEARN WHAT THAT IS): Arne Fuglvog (Commercial fisherman, Petersburg, Alaska) In the derby days we would set as much gear as possible because we
would only have 24 or 48 hours to fish. And a lot of times, you didn't get all
of your gear back, especially if the weather was really bad. So there'd be all
of this lost gear on the bottom, ghost fishing, and catching and killing
millions of pounds of fish. There was an unlimited number of vessels, all
trying to race and catch as much fish as possible in this set amount of time.
We knew we only had one, maybe two shots at it, to make our entire living.
Under the present ITQ system, we have an 8-month
season. We can choose when we go out and fish. We can go when the prices are
high. We can work it around our crew schedule, our family schedule. We fish
totally different now.
I do think it's true that ITQs have
fostered better stewardship. And one of the main reasons is that we do own part
of the resource. We want to keep the resource healthy. We don't want to
overfish it. We want to keep making a living at it for as long as we can and
keep it for future generations
Other
species that have been greatly overfished include: halibut, haddock, cod,
swordfish, marlin, and skate.
Works
Cited:
http://www.pbs.org/emptyoceans/eoen/halibut/viewpoints.html
http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/books/2010/08/02/100802crbo_books_kolbert
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/sep/30/uk-cod-collapse-overfishing
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/fishwatch/species/atl_bluefin_tuna.htm
Coastal
Erosion (Tom)
·
What is Coastal
Erosion? : Coastal erosion is when wind, water, and ice take away
sediments of land, which are made of rocks, dirt, sand, and other natural forms
of the earth. Coastal erosion takes land away forever from one area to
deposit it someplace else. Coastal erosion is constantly changing the
boundaries between land and water throughout the entire world.
· What causes Coastal Erosion? : Natural processes by nature are the main
causes of coastal erosion. These processes are the winds, water, and ice caps
along the coasts and shores throughout the world. Winds, water, and ice cause
the sediment along the shores to be deposited out to deeper waters into inlets,
tidal shoals, and bays. The waves crash along the shore taking away sand and
deposit it elsewhere. The change in climate implementing higher sea levels and
higher severity of storms causes this erosion as well.
·
Where does
Coastal Erosion occur? : Coastal erosion occurs along the beaches and
coastal areas throughout the entire world. More specifically, coastal erosion
occurs along the shorelines where the waves and tides reach the sediment to a
certain extent. Also, erosion by wind occurs mostly on beaches and shorelines because
there is no continuous vegetation or plants in those particular areas.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=what-causes-beach-erosion
http://whyfiles.org/091beach/
http://library.thinkquest.org/J0110230/what_is_coastal_erosion%20page%20two.htm
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)