Saddening or Maddening
We were in town the other night to check out the public hearing on spiny lobster importation sizes. We were the only ones there. Michael and Goliath and I were the “public”. There were three people there to conduct the meeting. At the St. Thomas hearing, there was only one member of the public who attended. Okay, I guess it’s not a big deal for most people. I thought we’d see at least some local fisherman wanting to weigh in on the subject. Oh well, it was interesting for us and Goliath got a ton of attention from the lady who was here from Puerto Rico.
The lack of public interest there is not what bothers me. What does bother me is the fact that when we had tuna sashimi at the Deck Bar (it was fantastic, as were the sushi rolls Maggie prepared for us), and asked whether it was caught by our local fisherman in our waters, we were told that no, it came from FL. It may actually have come from our waters but if it was, it came through a distributor there.
Our local fisherman have been having difficulty catching tuna recently, and this is the sad part, because there are Japanese floating fish factories in the waters down island taking everything they can from the sea. Many of the migratory fish don’t make it back up here.
When we were in St. Vincent, we saw evidence of this. Not only did we see the trawlers, but when we snorkeled, we saw only tiny reef fish. The governments down island have sold water rights to other countries in exchange for having marketplaces or soccer stadiums built. This makes me sad. Because the island people who have already very little (the agricultural economy seems to be less healthy than it had been in the past, as well), cannot now find fish to feed their families.
We have heard of other island nations selling their votes in favor of ending the moratorium on whaling to Japan as well.
It makes me wonder about the future of our little planet. It truly does.
July 24th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
What you say is so true and is going to have a devastating effect on the planet. We can control what is happening in territorial waters, but not outside it. I did think you were joking about the “exciting” public hearing on sizes of spiny lobsters, however. Sorry to have missed it!!
July 24th, 2008 at 5:57 pm
You can see the minute size of the parrot fish for sale in Plaza. They don’t have a chance to grow to adult size before they’re taken.
The Japanese floating fish factories are a sin and we’re all going to pay for the excessive amounts of more more more that humans seem to heedlessly continue to want.
July 24th, 2008 at 10:09 pm
You are so right - it is so sad. Gluttony is the sin that is killing our oceans and everything else around us. Its time that we start to focus on our POWER as consumers. Buy local, buy seasonal, buy only what you need and not more and buy with your conscience. I’m certainly no angel, I’ll admit, its something I struggle with all of the time - but it can be done.
July 24th, 2008 at 10:45 pm
The only place I saw anything about the meeting was on this blog, and I read the papers and the Source. If it was on the Community Calender I missed it. I do not always look at that since it started being mostly religious stuff with the art and entertainment events in a separate section.
Of course Goliath was the most popular member of the public.
July 25th, 2008 at 12:28 am
All I can say is “amen”… damn shame about the lack of tuna in our waters the last few years. Even the best equipped, most capable and talented fishermen are finding zilch. The only thing I can think of that may make a difference is a concerted global effort aimed at halting fish factory boats. But then, maybe not. Look at the nations still harvesting whales under the “scientific research” loophole, long after other nations gave up hunting them. They thumb their noses at the rest of the world in continuing to consume these endangered creatures.
Maybe Greenpeace will come and surround tuna balls, preventing their capture, and then ram a factory ship with their research vessel! Or even a zodiac! YEAH! Action on the high seas!