Save the Sea Kittens

[Bullitt]

Only when they start punching it.

[Aliantha]

Pesticides in the water are a problem all over the place. Just recently it has been found that some fish hatcheries in the Noosa River are now completely sterile thanks to a pesticide banned in the US but used in Australia on Macadamia trees.

With regard to the reef, there are conflicting reports on what damage is occuring and who or what is causing it, or whether it's naturally occuring. Daryl has an associate who has written papers on both sides in order to garner more research dollars, so even within the scientific community, it's hard to know who to trust or believe. There is no doubt that the reef is in a period of decline, but the causes could be just about anything you might think of naming.

With regard to fish stocks in the Great Barrier Reef area, there have been a number of measures put in place to ensure the survival of many fish species such as restrictions on fishing zones for either or both commercial and ammature/recreational purposes. Different licensing laws for commercial fishers with regard to periods they're allowed to fish and catch restrictions and also mandatory installation of suitable by-catch reduction devices. These restrictions while great for the environment have had serious negative social repercussions such as an increase in domestic violence, divorce and suicide in all coastal fishing towns due to the fact that many fishers found themselves unable to provide a living for their families. The government severely underestimated the compensation package which would be required and this in turn caused more conflict between fishers and also local authorities. Daryl has been involved with this whole process and was at the time a member of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority committee. He advocated for the fishers and what compensation should be paid. Unfortunately initially he was one small voice (among a few others) which was shouted down. He was vindicated later when it was revealed the the government would be spending almost 10 times what they had initially planned to spend.

So, the issues with Australian fisheries is contentious at best. There are various groups involved in monitoring and managing fishers from all areas, but it's a big job and not much funding is available. There have been some wins though, but it's a constant battle.

[tw]

Originally Posted by Aliantha

With regard to the reef, there are conflicting reports on what damage is occuring and who or what is causing it, or whether it's naturally occuring. Daryl has an associate who has written papers on both sides in order to garner more research dollars, so even within the scientific community, it's hard to know who to trust or believe.

That would be consistent and explain what I have read. Everyone seems to have numbers that don't always agree. None mention where those numbers come from, define the underlying concepts being measured, or the contraversy. I guess I will have to wait for the eventual article in Scientific American to understand why so many authors write as if they have the only fact.

Any ballpark numbers for depletion of any fish or shellfish species?

As I understand, knowledge about the Indian ocean has been minimal, at best, until the Chinese did some noteworthy research there.

[Aliantha]

Not off the top of my head, but I can say that the Orange Roughie is in serious trouble here just as it is in US waters, along with a lot of other species.

Gotta go now. Taking the kids to the beach to see if they can get eaten by a sea kitten. I'll try and convince Dazza to log on and tell you more about it if you're really interested.

[tw]

Originally Posted by Aliantha

Not off the top of my head, but I can say that the Orange Roughie is in serious trouble here just as it is in US waters,

So that is a fish. I kept reading about it but had no idea what is was. In fact, I kept rereading the sentence to correct what I thought was a typographical error. Is it an apex predator fish equivalent to tuna, bluefish, or swordfish?

[classicman]

Not at all - it is more like the saltwater version of a perch. Mot really predatory like those you mentioned at all. They grow very slowly and don't mature to reproduce for something like 10 or 20 years. They also are a relatively small fish growing to about a foot or 2 max. That's why their numbers are declining so fast. They are very tasty and high in demand.

[tw]

Originally Posted by classicman

They are very tasty and high in demand.

I have this gift certificate for a fish store. Are Orange Roughies sold under another name (as some fish are)?

[classicman]

not that I know of, but I won't eat it. I tend to stay with whatever I personally catch or those species not as damaged as others. Just trying to do a little to save that which I can. Have some tilapia - very close to the roughy in taste, but a farmable fish.
Some cool info on the link there about tilapia farming.

[TheMercenary]

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/27/us/27grouper.html

[classicman]

That is more common than most people know. Shark is commonly sold as scallops too. Its a very common practice to "mix" in some inexpensive fish with the good stuff - increasing the profits. As WHIP says - Its all about the money.

[TheMercenary]

That is such a huge problem. The average consumer just can't tell.

[classicman]

devils/ If they can't tell, why is it a problem? /advocate

[TheMercenary]

real/$$$$$$$$$/ity

[classicman]

Ohhhh, the honesty issue eh?

yeh, whatevah.

[Aliantha]

incorrect labelling is a big problem in most places. Over the last few years consumers are at least required to be informed if the fish they purchase are local or imported which is a big step forward. Most shops also put the country of origin if they're imported. The reason this law was finally introduced is largely thanks to the asian prawn farming industry and their habit of loading the product with anti-biotics which are not permitted over here.

It definitely is a case of buyer beware though. Why wouldn't you inform yourself on what you're planning on putting in your body? Some things - such as imported prawns imo - could be very harmful.

tw - with regard to the Orange Roughie, they basically live on the tops of sea mounts and once the area is harvested they don't regenerate very well simply because of the reasons classic covered re breeding cycle etc along with the fact that they really don't move from sea mount to sea mount if that makes any sense, so before bag limits were introduced, a sea mount could literally be 'fished out' and that's the end of the OR.