Prince Charles sees doom for fish and chips

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Colles Stowell

Ok. The only headline that could potentially cause more hysteria in Great Britain might read:

Parliament to debate ban on manufacture and sale of ale

Fortunately, the latter is pure fiction, and ghastly fiction at that. The former has a kernel of truth.

The man who would be king spoke at the World Fisheries Congress in Scotland this week about the need to find more ways to discover and/or maintain sustainable fisheries globally.

The fish and chips comment was meant to hit home. “Fish and chips are a part of British culture, one of our iconic national dishes. … The simple fact is that fish and chip shops rely on there being plenty more fish in the sea, and that is only going to be the case if we take care of fish stocks now and plan for them to be there long into the future,” he said.

The Prince has taken a keen interest in sustainable fisheries, having launched the International Sustainability Unit (ISU) earlier this year. The unit’s primary charter is to use collective science-based research and global thinking to address environmental challenges around the world. One of the unit’s key goals is to find sustainable approaches to marine fisheries, so that stocks stay healthy, fishermen stay in business and the public can share in the resource.

Highlighting the critical importance of creating sustainable fisheries, the Prince echoed the World Bank’s belief that properly managed fisheries could generate $150 billion per year more than they currently do.

It is important for high-profile personalities to help raise the visibility of marine stewardship and the challenges we face globally. It’s equally important that these personalities back up what they say.

While the fish and chips remark might come off as a softball media pitch from someone occasionally labeled as “detached royalty,” he personalized it, talking about finding an escape as a student in Scotland in a nearby fish and chips shop. The ISU is a charity he launched as part of the Prince’s Charities, and he’s actively promoting the issue and raising money.

Someone with his visibility taking a stance on global sustainable fisheries is going to raise awareness. In turn, that will spark more financial and intellectual investment in finding solutions … regardless of whether we agree with his politics.

So far, he’s backing it up.

Let’s hope that he continues the dialogue, that people continue to respond, and … for the good of a nation … that fish and chips stays on the menu.

 

By Colles Stowell

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Protecting a priceless resource

Posted on May 4, 2012 by Colles Stowell

It would take a significant issue to get 40+ representatives from a diverse group of hunting and fishing associations across the country to fly to Washington D.C. to talk to a bunch of politicians and federal administrators.

Enter the Pebble Mine.

Photo by Barry and Cathy Beck

The Pebble Mine proposed for the Bristol Bay area of Alaska has become a lightning rod of contentious debate between those who see dollar signs from gold, copper and other precious metals and those who see a gem of nature in peril. The Pebble Limited Partnership is a consortium featuring London-based Anglo American and Canada-based Northern Dynasty.

Ever since the mine was proposed several years ago, it has become a symbol of paradoxes. For example, state officials largely support the project, which could potentially unearth $300 billion in precious metals according to Pebble Mine officials. But many area residents most closely affected by the mine, including native tribes who make their living off of fishing, oppose the mine because of the potential devastating impacts on the fish and their ecosystems. The Bristol Bay watershed is widely viewed as one of the world’s most valuable wild sockeye salmon fisheries supporting a commercial and sport fishery worth $500 million.

Photo by Ben Knight

The scale of the project is enormous. It would be one of the largest mining operations ever gouged in the earth, spreading over a 54-square-mile area located in the headwaters of the Kvichak and Nushagak Rivers, two of the eight major rivers that feed Bristol Bay.

Here’s the scary part. Because of the mind-boggling amount of waste such an operation would generate, the developers propose building the world’s largest earthen dam (700 feet high) at the head of a containment pond measuring up to 10 square miles. That pond would “hold” a nasty mix of toxic waste (projected between 2.5 and 10 billion tons over the life of the mine) including sulfides that would require treatment “in perpetuity.” How long will that promise hold?

Worse still, the mine operators discount any threat of a major earthquake or the impact on the integrity of the containment pond, despite serious questions from geologists and seismologists. Consider that in 1964, a massive 9.2 scale quake rocked Anchorage. Any kind of seepage of ore wastes could be devastating. Not to mention the tremendous impact on the ecosystem of drawing 35 billion gallons of water a year from the North and South Fork Koktuli for the mine’s operations.

The project is still in the planning stages and several lawsuits have already been filed and escalated. The next significant step is the anticipated federal Environmental Protection Agency watershed assessment draft study to be released some time in mid-May. The study will look at the Bristol Bay Watershed and the potential impacts such a wide-scale project could have on it.

If the assessment deems the project a threat to Bristol Bay, the EPA, with authority from the federal Clean Water Act, could move to preemptively deny the key permit Pebble Limited Partnership would need to begin operations. That step would likely end up in the U.S. Supreme Court.

Given what’s at stake, it’s no wonder that opposition to the project represents a wide range of geographically dispersed humanity, from native Alaskans, to sportsmen (520 diverse associations), to chefs and restaurateurs, to biologists, to some politicians and people who care about the environment.

That’s why a well-organized group of sportsmen descended on Washington April 16-18 and met with the White House, EPA executive administrators and key members of Congress to discuss several science- and economic-based concerns over the project.

That’s also why we as sportsmen and women need to educate ourselves about what’s at stake and speak out. The public comment period following the release of the draft watershed assessment will be a great opportunity to make your voice heard.

I may live in North Carolina, but I realize this is far more than a regional squabble. The ramifications, particularly if the mine goes live and the blasting starts, will send tremors globally.

Here are some resources for additional background, with a couple of links to make your thoughts known online.

Colles Stowell

GreenFish – By Anglers | For Fish

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Getting Real with Tuna TV

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Colles Stowell

Reality TV sucks.

Of course, this is just my personal opinion, and it wasn’t always that way. I admit to getting drawn into the Deadliest Catch when it first came out. I think this was largely because I had no idea what those guys do, and was fascinated by the risks they take and how much they love embracing that risk. By the time the second season came around, it felt like I was watching the same show with new twists woven in. I couldn’t get past the second show that season.

Different reality shows have varying degrees of over-dramatization: The Bachelor, Real World … what have you. I have a good friend who recently competed on Top Chef, and I watched every episode he was in. But the drama the producers needlessly infused in most every scene, especially pre-commercial break and judging, made me wince.

You can see the drama already mounting only a couple of shows into National Geographic’s Wicked Tuna. The producers did a good job creating a buzz about the show, in part, by highlighting the touchy subject of bluefin tuna fishing. The drama building among the different featured captains dropping f-bombs like they’re prepositions is to be expected. No doubt it’s a hard feast-or-famine life.

But the bigger drama seems to be swirling around the question of whether an organization like National Geographic should even be involved with a show about harvesting tuna at a time when global alarms are sounding about the health of the species. Watchdog groups and foreign governments have cited wanton overfishing using a variety of environmentally destructive gear. Some marine biologists are forecasting a cataclysmic collapse of the fishery.

National Geographic and the show’s producers are touting a message of conversation that hinges on the fact their subjects are fishing with rod and reel, not longlines or trawls. This means there is very little wasted bycatch of non-targeted species. They also claim that the U.S. is a global leader in effectively managing the fishery in U.S. waters and strictly regulating the fishing tackle used and the volume harvested. Some bloggers have supported this approach as well.

Naturally, there’s been no shortage of opposition to the show, with a plethora of blogs and petitions circulating the Internet.

Personally, I don’t have a problem with the show’s fundamental premise: a window on the rod-and-reel bluefin fishery with a message about conservation. The caveat is that I’d like to see the producers keep reinforcing why a focused, targeted species approach (using rod and reel) to fishing is sustainable, and to back that up with data the public can understand.

Otherwise, the show will slip into the formulaic trend of other reality shows: introduction, rehash of previous drama, setting the stage for new drama, tension between captains and captains and crew, quick action fighting a fish, and the finale to see who gets the big payday, and who gripes about their luck.

No thanks. Been there, seen that.

Colles Stowell

 

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Snakehead Bounty

Posted on April 12, 2012 by Colles Stowell

First there was the Loch Ness monster. Then Sasquatch.

Now, it’s the snakehead. It has acquired various colorful web names like Frankenfish or Fishzilla, but make no mistake, this is one nasty S.O.B.

Here’s why. It is an apex predator with razor-sharp teeth, can breathe air on land and survive for up to four days and has no natural predators. It can crawl/hop between freshwater bodies (pond to river, etc.) It eats rats as a delicacy.

Translation: this bad boy is like a Great White in fresh water. It swims, makes babies and eats every other fish in sight as well as the food every other fish eats. This is a real problem for the bass and other native fish species in the Potomac watershed, where the snakehead has been seen in eight neighboring states. Left unchecked, it could take over these ecosystems. Worse, it has been shown to tolerate high levels of salinity, meaning it is already in tidal areas in Virginia and D.C.

The snakehead is about 50 million years old and of course, is non-native to the U.S. It originated in Asia and Africa where it has been farmed as a food fish. But as with many invasive species, it is wreaking havoc in waters not meant for such a nasty bugger.

So for the second year in a row, the state of Maryland Department of Natural Resources has put a bounty on the snakehead. Catch and kill one, take its photo, and you could be eligible to win a $200 gift certificate to a local Bass Pro Shop and/or similar prizes.

Is that a big enough incentive? Not sure. Last year 69 fishermen eliminated 82 fish. But the genetic cards are stacked in the snakehead’s favor since a single female can produce up to 15,000 eggs and mate five times a year.

Perhaps it’s time to switch the focus a bit. Why not have big pro tourney with corporate sponsors like the bass pro circuit? Or you can get local chefs and the seafood industry involved.  I’ve never tried or even seen this fish available for sale/consumption, but apparently it’s a pretty clean and firm white fish that can be grilled or fried.

But before launching a menu item campaign, perhaps someone should come up with a better name. “Snakehead” sounds only slightly more appetizing than “chocolate covered dung beetles.”

Colles Stowell

GreenFish – By Anglers | For Fish

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Old School Fisheries Management

Posted on April 2, 2012 by Colles Stowell

Here’s a thought. How about managing fisheries the old way? I mean ancient, as in 700 years ago.

A recent study by scholars in Canada and the U.S. suggests that sustainable fisheries management was vital to pre-European invasion Hawaii. So much so because they had to rely exclusively on local resources, so they figured they needed to take care of them.

What a novel idea. And they did a hell of a lot better job than we’re doing now.

Researchers conducted comparative studies of fisheries in Hawaii and Florida dating back centuries to determine how the different cultures managed their reef fisheries. In Florida, several species were fished to near extinction because of cyclical ebb and flow of mismanaged ecosystems. 19th and 20th century targeting of green turtles, sawfish, conch and groupers have imperiled their populations.

By contrast, the Hawaii tribes established rigid fisheries management centered on community by-in and enforced strictly … via corporal punishment. Translation: everyone knew what they had to do to preserve the resource, they supported it, and if you screwed up, you paid dearly for it.

Some of the forward-thinking measures they espoused included closing certain areas of the reef to fishing for awhile to allow ecosystems to re-balance, restricting the use of certain gear and protecting certain species. Only the high priests and the chiefs could eat shark or sea turtles, for example. They even relied on aquaculture practices incorporating fishponds that preserved key nutrients while minimizing pollution of the reefs.

That’s a far cry from the antibiotic- and waste-laden practices that many operations use today. Moreover, the ancient Hawaiian tribes had better yields, harvesting more fish at rates that far exceed today’s established limits for reef fisheries. And they sustained that without killing everything in the ocean.

Perhaps we could learn something from a simpler time. If we depend on fishing resources like the ancient island tribes, then maybe we should manage them similarly.

Step #1 is to establish rules that ensure the longevity of the fishery, not just the revenue and food source of today.

Step #2 is to make sure these rules have support from the community at large. Social adoption and enforcement would mean more effective policing of and adherence to these rules.

We could probably get by without the corporal punishment, but we damn well better have some penalties with real teeth that make offenders think twice about breaking the rules and jeopardizing the balance. Right now, we don’t.

Here are two articles that shed light on the study:

RedOrbit

United Press International

 

By Colles Stowell

GreenFish – By Anglers | For Fish

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Safety First: Kayak style

Posted on March 28, 2012 by Colles Stowell

The first time I deftly paddled into a school of striped bass, the size of the fish actually intimidated me.  I was in a 10-foot Old Town Loon that was ideally suited for freshwater kayaking.

It was a gift, and I had mounted a rod holder in front of the cockpit for my fly rod. I was plying a bay close to the mouth of the Piscataqua River that separates Maine and New Hampshire. The bay completely empties out at low tide but floods over five to six feet or so, and at certain times of year, schools of large bass swim up on the flat searching for food.

These fish are usually very hull shy, skittish as hell and damn hard to hook unless they’re actively busting huge schools of bait. But a kayak makes a difference. During the maiden voyage shortly after dawn, I spotted the back and tail of a fish porpoising after some poor herring 20 feet from me. That striper was almost half as long as my kayak.

As much as I really, really wanted to hook one of those fish, I started thinking about the consequences. What if I hooked a 40+ inch fish while nestled into a 35-pound kayak with no rudder and no anchor? This bay sits astride a very busy shipping channel in a river with one of the strongest currents on the East Coast. The image of me water skiing behind some angry cow striper in front of a 900-foot cargo ship because I was too proud/cheap/stupid to let go of the fly rod played in my mind.

I kept casting anyway, perhaps mercifully to no avail. But later that day, I bought an anchor and revised my plan to fish closer to shore so that I could either bail out or beach the kayak and fight from shore.

Boating safety is important, of course. But safety in a kayak requires even more focus. They can be tippy (particularly when casting a fly into the wind). You are lower to the water, and depending on the length and configuration, you are more subject to outside forces such as wind, current and waves.

The most important step you can take, aside from knowing how to swim, is to wear a life jacket. The Coast Guard requires there be a personal floatation device (PFD) for everyone in a boat. In a kayak, you should wear it at all times.

We want to point this out in light of the tragedy that happened to a 37-year-old avid fisherman in Alabama who recently drowned after his kayak capsized. It is a terribly unfortunate incident underscored by the fact that the victim was not wearing a life vest.

Fishing from a kayak is a blast, particularly if you do go for a joyride from an outsized fish (in a reasonably safe area). But the difference between having a great time and a real bad day hinges on being prepared.

Here are a couple of good resources that provide helpful checklists on how to prepare for your kayak fishing adventure:

http://www.smart-start-kayaking.com/Kayaking-Safety.html

http://www.marinerkayaks.com/mkhtml/Kyksaftw.html

 

Be safe. Have fun. Tight lines!

By Colles Stowell

GreenFish | By Anglers for Fish

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Trash Fish: It’s What’s for Dinner

Posted on March 23, 2012 by Colles Stowell

Gar. Carp. Mullet. Lionfish. Mother-in-law. Sheepshead.

These are among the historical rogues gallery of trash fish. Many are either butt ugly (see Mother-in-law/cabezone), prehistoric (gar) or poisonous (lionfish).

They certainly don’t look very inviting.

But a funny thing is slowly, quietly taking place. People are paying to eat these fish, and others like them.

It’s another small step in the broader sustainable fisheries movement where “trash fish” discarded as bycatch pulled from a variety of commercial nets are becoming en vogue for celebrity chefs and home cooking gourmands. Otherwise dumped over the side dying or dead, these fish often end up on the grill or seared in butter and lime.

There are several benefits to this:

First off, making these fish commercially available eliminates waste of largely untapped fish stocks that can stand a bit of pressure. Second, allowing commercial fishermen to market these fish can take some of the heat off of more targeted species such as redfish, striped bass, grouper, etc. Third, it puts a bounty on some non-native invasive species that are out-competing local fish for food and habitat.

Watch this video of ballistic Asian carp by the thousands in the Illinois River on their way to the Great Lakes, or this video of lionfish, which have become a menace in the Atlantic. There’s no question these fish do more harm than good in their current numbers. Why not harvest some as part of population control?

Here is an article about a couple of chefs that have started a project to make Asian carp an easily accessible food source.

So check to see if any restaurants or seafood houses in your area offer any of these species. Ask some questions and maybe take a chance. You may find a new favorite.

And for those skeptics who persist at looking down upon “trash fish,” remember that the next time you order a $20 lobster off the menu. These bottom feeders were considered poor man’s food not too long ago.

For more info about sustainable seafood choices, check out the GreenFish Learn page.

 

By Colles Stowell, By Anglers | For Fish

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Life Lessons Learned

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Colles Stowell

I still remember some of the key moments in my early development as a fisherman. My dad was a patient teacher. Patience was hard to come by for a five-year-old feeling pretty green in the cramped head of a charter boat some 20 miles off the coast of Venice, La.

I was so wound up to catch a fish I didn’t sleep a wink the night before and I didn’t eat much for breakfast. The diesel fumes began to get to me not long after leaving port. My dad knocked on the door and said I had a fish on.

I bolted out of that bathroom like a tiger sprung from a cage … only to wipe out at my dad’s feet.

“Pull your pants up son.”

Details.

Once I got myself straightened out and strapped into the captain’s chair, the battle was on. My dad calmly encouraged me, letting me know when to reel and when to let the fish run, as he gently held pressure on the rod. Surely it was a whale. I kept questioning whether I would be able to land the fish, and he kept reassuring me I could get it in.

Fifteen minutes later, the captain snapped a photo of me dazed, exhausted and smiling as the mate swung an Amberjack that weighed four more pounds than me over the rail. Five seconds after that photo was taken, I threw up everywhere. But I couldn’t have been happier.

That was my first real fishing trip, and the enthusiasm has stayed with me for 40+ years. My dad helped feed my love of fishing by quietly guiding me along the way. Allowing me to make mistakes, and then showing me how to do something a little better.

Most every avid angler hopes a son or daughter will share the same enthusiasm, but of course, there is no guarantee. The best we can do is to introduce our children to the sport, be a gentle guide, let them experience the entire outdoors and let them see what it’s like to catch a fish. If they’re not hooked after that, perhaps it’s not for them at this time. Hopefully, just being in nature will be enough for them. They may even take to fishing later in life.

If you’re preparing to share the love of fishing with your children, we’ve provided some tips and ideas for making the experience rewarding for both you and your children on the GreenFish Learn page. Here, you’ll not only learn what tackle to use and how to choose a good spot, you’ll also find some helpful information about playing a fish properly, using conservation-inspired tackle, practicing catch and release, choosing sustainable seafood and being a good steward of the land and sea.

I was to learn many of these lessons from my father over time. Especially the one about taking a leak to make the fish bite.

By Colles Stowell

GreenFish – By Anglers | For Fish

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Conservation Measures Crank Up on East Coast

Posted on March 8, 2012 by Colles Stowell

Several states have recently taken up legislation aimed at curtailing gill nets and other commercial harvest methods to boost the health of critical fish populations. State capitols have seen pitched battles between recreational fishermen and commercial fishermen over how to manage aquatic resources.

While the wording of the legislation varies, the arguments on both sides are generally the same. Commercial fishermen claim any attempt to regulate the harvest will put them out of jobs and keep seafood from the public. Recreational fishermen have watched commercial harvests continue as local populations of sport fish like striped bass, redfish and speckled trout dwindle, along with the size and frequency of these fish. New figures show the significant economic impact recreational fishing has on a state’s economy for everything from licenses to gear, hotels, guides and restaurants. Recreational fishermen also claim the targeted fish represent a small portion of the total commercial haul in each state, and are available to consumers via aquaculture and other avenues.

Here is what’s currently on the front burner:

  • Massachusetts – The Legislature is entertaining four bills that essentially would make stripers gamefish in Massachusetts and ban commercial harvest of the fish. A sub-committee has to determine this month whether to recommend this legislation for further review, referral to another committee or recommendation for passage to the entire Legislature. Conservation group Stripers Forever sparked the movement, and has made a compelling video about the situation.
  • Maryland – The state is considering a bill promoted by the Maryland Saltwater Sportfishing Association to ban all gill nets for finfish. This would effectively stop net-based fishing for striped bass and other fish species. The bill arose after reports of an illegal catch of 12,000 pounds of striped bass last year in state waters.
  • North Carolina – A house bill backed by the Coastal Conservation Association of North Carolina to designate redfish, speckled trout and striped bass as gamefish is likely to head to the entire Legislature for a full review and vote in the next couple of months. Even if the bill doesn’t pass this year, other measures are taking shape to help preserve these fisheries, including a renewed effort to ban all gill nets.

Stripers have gamefish status in six states: Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and South Carolina. Redfish have gamefish status in South Carolina, Florida, Alabama, Louisiana and Texas. Speckled trout have gamefish status in South Carolina, Alabama and Texas.

Here’s hoping the momentum continues, and that states figure out how to conserve certain gamefish while still enabling commercial fishermen to earn a living with a sustainable harvest.

By Colles Stowell

GreenFish – By Anglers | For Fish

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Marshall Islands – Shark Finning Incident

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Colles Stowell

Once the sole provenance of Chinese aristocracy because it was hard to get and ridiculously expensive, shark fin soup is now a high-priced delicacy available in chic restaurants around the world.

Problem is, the practice involves slicing off the fins – including the tail – and then dumping the defenseless shark, often still alive, overboard. The shark sinks to the bottom and drowns or is eaten by other fish because it is unable to swim, and thus ventilate the gills to take in oxygen. The impact is significant, with some estimates ranging between 26 and 73 million sharks killed a year, mostly for their fins. Some conservationists fear the global demand for shark fin soup as a status symbol delicacy is pushing some populations toward perilous declines and possible extinction.

No matter how you look at it, the practice is gruesome, and a waste.

So it’s encouraging to see some local enforcement pay off. Marshall Islands officials recently seized a Japanese vessel’s haul of nearly 1,500 pounds of shark fins and 60,000 pounds of shark meat and fined the vessel $125,000. While it is a blip on the global picture, the seizure and fine are important for raising the visibility of the issue and serving notice that shark finning isn’t legal everywhere. This was the first fine of its kind in Marshall Islands waters.

In fact, local legislation and enforcement – along with education – are the most effective tools for slowing the practice and limiting the trade of shark fins. U.S.-registered vessels are currently banned from the practice by federal law, but foreign-registered vessels continue to ply U.S. waters for shark fins and sell them to restaurants in the U.S. and elsewhere. States such as Hawaii, California, Oregon and Washington have already passed legislation banning the sale, possession and distribution of shark fins.

Five other states, including Virginia, Maryland, Illinois, New York and New Jersey are considering similar legislation.

If the concept of shark finning gets under your skin, check to see if your state has any measure in the works for banning the practice. If not, perhaps it’s time to start pushing some buttons and contact your state representative or senator.

Follow this link for some more interesting reading about the practice and its impact: http://www.sharkwater.com/education.htm.

Colles Stowell
GreenFish – By Anglers | For Fish

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