Metrokin, J. (2022, July 4). How to Protect Bristol Bay’s Salmon for the Long Haul. The New York Times. Retrieved August 28, 2022, from https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/04/opinion/salmon-alaska-bristol-bay-pebble-mine.html?smid=url-share

Plans for a mine in Bristol Bay, Alaska, threaten the local salmon population by permanently disrupting roughly 100 miles of streams used by salmon during their spawning season. If made, the Pebble Mine would be one of the largest open pit mines, producing 10 billion tons of waste rock. The Environmental Protection Agency proposed in May 2022 to restrict the use of key watersheds as the disposal site for the mine. While a step in the right direction, legislation from Congress is needed to cut the plans. Doing so will conserve the 2.2 billion dollar salmon industry in Alaska.

This article shows the constant struggle between meeting the needs of our industrial society and restraining our exploitation of resources in the name of environmental conservation. I wholeheartedly agree with the opinion in the article that the E.P.A should continue its efforts to prevent the mine’s construction. Creating a few thousand mining jobs in lieu of maintaining a massive fishing industry and culture does not seem like a sound idea as already mentioned in the article. I wonder how any food supply issues would be mitigated if this project were to happen?

Rouquette, P. (2022, February 5). Floating carpet of dead fish highlights France’s ‘lax’ attitude to overfishing. France 24. Retrieved February 6, 2022, from https://www.france24.com/en/france/20220205-floating-carpet-of-dead-fish-highlights-france-s-lax-attitude-about-overfishing

On February 2, 2022 hundreds of thousands of fish were tossed back into the ocean by a French fishing ship. The ship claimed it was an accident but according to experts it was very clear that it was no accident. The ship dumped fish that it no longer viewed as profitable. It begs the question why were the fish caught in the first place if they were not viewed as profitable. Large ships fish with massive nets and even if a fish is caught with no value it still gets scooped up. This is why there needs to be laws to change the way fishing is done. 

Mandatory onboard cameras must become a law to stop the absolute waste that this French ship demonstrated. It is ridiculous that a ship has the power to waste hundreds of thousands of fish that could have been put to good use in feeding a world that needs it. The way fishing is done now allows for things like this to happen. When the nets are deployed there is no filter on what gets caught in it. Technology must be developed to stop this tragedy from occuring again. In addition to technology the laws must be harsher on acts such as these. The French government has done very little to punish the boat except denounce it’s doings.

Hughes, S. (2022, February 2). Brexit ‘fails to deliver Government promises on fishing industry,’ new study reveals. PHYS ORG. Retrieved February 6, 2022, from https://phys.org/news/2022-02-brexit-fishing-industry-reveals.html

Brexit’s effect on fisheries has had a disappointing effect on the fishermen and constituents of coastal communities. Brexit promised to protect more marine habitats and fisheries while giving fishermen a higher cut of their catch. Brexit’s proposals for example promised to protect Dogger Bank an area that has been overfished for centuries. But there have been few changes made to protect the Dogger Bank habitats. In addition to this, fishermen were promised minimized taxes on their catches due to England being out of the E.U. but these promises have not been kept.  

Brexit has lowered the safety of coastal ecosystems and it has not met the promises of increasing fishermen’s pay. The protections that Brexit has not issued to ecosystems that have been overfished for a long time has put many species and habitats at risk. The monetary gains from Brexit for fishermen has been virtually little to none. No longer in the E.U. trade takes longer to go through regulations. Other European countries no longer have the desire to buy English fish due to the high cost and time it takes to reach its destination.

Yeung, P. (2022, February 1). Illegal overfishing by Chinese trawlers leaves Sierra Leone locals ‘starving’. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/01/sierra-leone-families-starving-chinese-trawlers-industrial-overfishing-destroying-lives

The Sierra Leone fishing industry has taken a massive hit as China has invaded their waters. While Sierra Leone’s fishing industry is based on men in wooden boats with string nets China boasts superior boats and technology. Local fishermen follow legal regulations and report all catches. While on the other hand China’s massive refrigerated ships swoop in catching thousands of fish at once. Illegal fishing is costing Sierra Leone an estimated 50 million a year. Some illegal fishers have threatened and attacked native fishers when questioned on the legality of them being there. 

Natives of Sierra Leone are being forced to go on risky 3 day fishing excursions to earn barely enough to keep food on the table due to China invading their fishing territory. Sierra Leone only has more basic ways of fishing which China’s high tech boats can easily beat out for the catches. The families of Sierra Leone are starving and unemployed because of illegal overfishing. Suicide rate of fishermen in Sierra Leone has increased since resources started diminishing. People are committing suicide due to their being no food or jobs to support a family. Funding has run out on groups that regulated the ships within Sierra Leone waters. The lower hauls have led to many environmental problems and issues with Sierra Leonians being able to afford the cost of living. There is a tragedy of the commons on a global scale taking place here. The Chinese fishermen have no incentive to not take all the fish.

Márquez, M. C. (2022, January 23). The Importance Of Shark Fisheries In Western Ghana. Forbes. Retrieved February 6, 2022, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/melissacristinamarquez/2022/01/23/the-importance-of-shark-fisheries-in-western-ghana/?sh=7f976eb55319

The Shark populations in Africa are decreasing rapidly. A healthy shark population is necessary to the food supply and economy of many African Nations. 12.3 million people are involved in fisheries in some form. Up to 60% of animal protein in coastal African nations is from Sharks. The livelihood of these coastal villages and nations are under threat due dwindling shark populations. Climate change is distorting the ocean landscape changing where shark populations are located. The primary source of income for millions is in jeopardy.

The shark population in Africa has taken a step decline due to global warming altering ocean habitats. With millions of people involved in the fishing industry in Africa, many of whom have fishing as their main source of income, are all now working in uncertain times. The main fish they catch is sharks. It accounts for the majority of protein in many of their diets, and it also accounts for the majority of money in their wallets. Climate change is destroying Shark’s habitats forcing them to change their swimming patterns away from where the fishermen are used to. In addition to this sharks are also being overfished in other parts of the world. So the combination of climate change and unregulated illegal overfishing has led to a drop off in food and money for many coastal African communities. If no changes are made many Africans will struggle to generate food and income.

Yahoo. Retrieved February 6, 2022, from https://news.yahoo.com/south-america-squid-left-exposed-192852907.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAFscoZPAPlFjIekuFDJj9MQ7NF7Iy2mIcgeGc4V0D-e21NdoEjkbNErgvLfC6Mw7oXSXIvrn2rd6KOgb2foY2Rt1IJeJ-NHS2UfF6mOFWw6BLo8dyzjhd5hAbif0bW-nV65-fS_B_P9bKdcMz0T0vMmw_P8CrgqNFHQ5nxXNKq3c

Negotiators have failed in attempting to strike a deal to protect threatened squid stocks off the coast of South America. The South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organization, or SPRFMO had a meeting in which Ecuador proposed that there be an observer aboard all ships by 2028. The observer would regulate that the ships unload their catches only in ports instead of at sea to giant refrigerated vessels. None of the measures proposed were approved or agreed upon. Biologists warn that thousands of ecosystems will be destroyed if fishing is not regulated better. 

With the regulations failing to pass, a component of South America’s fishing industry is in danger along with the health of ocean ecosystems. Chinese vessels are being flagged at a high rate of going into South America waters and unloading onto refrigerated vessels that are being sent back to Asia. But, it is currently very hard to regulate them without an observer aboard. The proposal was to have observers by 2028 which is a very reasonable date. So, the fact that it was rejected does not bode well for South American ecosystems or local fishermen. The waters off South America are notorious for illegal fishing practices and the fact the proposal was denied only makes it seem there will be no end in sight. Native animal populations will continue to dwindle and people will lose jobs.  

Cdfw. “Recreational Ocean Salmon Fishery Season Curtailed on Much of the California Coast.” CDFW News, 14 June 2021, https://cdfgnews.wordpress.com/2021/03/11/recreational-ocean-salmon-fishery-season-curtailed-on-much-of-the-california-coast/.

Recreational ocean salmon fishery season has been curtailed and a large part of the California coast, ocean waters will open on April 3 from pigeon point to the US Mexico border, and fish must be at least 24 inches long the northernmost areas of the California coast will remain closed until further notice. These fission management strategies were put in place as a result of the California drought in 2021 salmon fishery representatives, and the Pacific fishery management council PFMC, decided to delay these dates due to poor stock forecasts. These final dates will be decided later in the season for other areas.

This article is fairly similar to the first article I researched, except it was last year and more focused on the ocean rather than coastal rivers, although the article is nearly outdated, it is important to compare last year‘s management to this year‘s management, as we can compare the different stock levels and different management practices. Additionally we can take into account the environmental effects that that year had on the management and the fish levels. 2021 and especially early 2021 was yelling somewhat little rain and very little rain storms. Therefore many species struggle to maintain population levels as coastal rivers struggle to maintain water flow. That is a likely result of these curtailed fishing seasons in 2021. Although we saw similar effects in 2022 and coastal rivers and the ocean, the dates were not pushed back as far and the areas restricted were much smaller and limited to certain rivers rather than nearly half of the California coast north of pigeon point. California is clearly doing the right thing when it comes to management in some of my articles and never seems like California is putting fishing before the health of fish species. Reading articles from the California Department of Fish and wildlife itself to articles that were posted on fishing logs information seems rather similar even fishermen seem to accept the health of their fish species.

“Innovative Management for Central Valley Native Fish.” California Trout, 13 Dec. 2021, https://caltrout.org/news/innovative-management-for-central-valley-native-fish

Innovative management for central valley native fish has been studied in late 2021 into 2022, only 5% of central valley for flood plains remain intact and three or four native chinook salmon runs are endangered or threatened. In the past starving salmon and smelt populations of today were thriving in the central valley where every part of the central valley was essentially a floodplain. The studies done this year we’re on chinook salmon that were placed in floodplains canals and rivers. After two weeks The floodplain salmon is twice the size or even three times the size as the canal and river salmon. Therefore it is clear that the flood plains are a much healthier environment than the canal or rivers. Therefore the habitat restoration and the Sacramento Valley is very necessary. Strategies include providing access to foraging and rearing habitat on the floodplains. And exporting the productivity to inundated floodplains on the dry side. projects such as the Nguri project are doing just that with success.

It is incredible that the entire central valley used to be a floodplain, and rather depressing that so much of it is lost 95% essentially. I wonder how efficient these strategies are in terms of saving water, and if it’s really worth it for the species to be saved, and it is not necessarily saving the species either but rather helping their species become more healthy and growing efficiently. I think there needs to be more done in order to study the floodplains and the possibility of this management for central valley fish. At the end of the day restoring habitats to the way they used to be, when the fish were thriving in the first place is one of the best strategies in my opinion, I think altering the habitats and trying to create new habitats is a dangerous game to play and therefore restoring floodplain saw they were 100 years ago is not a bad idea at all.

Commentary, Guest. “Kelp Is the Fastest Growing Aquaculture Sector in California.” CalMatters, 4 Feb. 2022, https://calmatters.org/commentary/reader-reactions/2022/02/kelp-is-the-fastest-growing-aquaculture-sector-in-california/.

Although not necessarily a fish species, kelp is a critical Californian fish ecosystem, and kelp forest can be found from as far south as the Mexican border and as far north as the Mexican border Oregon border, also being found on coastal islands like Catalina Island or the Channel Islands. The California coastal commission has approved for seven seaweed farms to be started as aqua culture grows as a farming possibility.  These leases of California waters are called “bottom leases “and they’re not giving out easily, there are 10 sites available that cover 16,000 acres of offshore Californian waters for aquaculture specifically.

Some believe aquaculture practices are detrimental to ocean ecosystems, it is in fact true that aquaculture and seaweed production could be driving forces in reversal of climate change or at least the stop of it. It is possible that we can create biofuel with seaweed, feed livestock with seaweed, and use it for other things that could be preventions of climate change. For example feeding seaweed to livestock reduces their carbon dioxide outputs significantly. And livestock carbon dioxide production is one of the greatest factors and greenhouse gasses in our atmosphere. Additionally it is already clear that these permits or bottom permits are not being given out easily, in fact the coastal act has prevented more than 10 from ever being given out since 1982. Now aquaculture is a “priority use, “and therefore it is clear that more permits will be given out. Try to tie this into the rest of my articles so far is interesting, as it deals with the ocean and not coastal rivers, however all the articles connect and that associations seem to be smart about handing out restrictions or prohibitions, and since earlier in the year when I read articles it seems that these associations are doing a much better job.

“Caltrout’s North Coast Projects Receive Funding Awards from CDFW.” California Trout, 19 Jan. 2022, https://caltrout.org/news/caltrout-north-coast-projects-receive-funding-awards-from-cdfw.

 On the northern coast of California, the nonprofit Cal trout has received nearly $1 million from the California Department of Fish and wildlife. This funding is for the research of different fish species including salmon and steelhead trout. This portion of the coast is less developed than any other part of California. Therefore they are strongholds when it comes to fish species that we are losing in central and southern California. Watershed health will be improved as a result of these studies being done by professors at UC Berkeley and other private scientific study companies. Multiple plans have already been put in place and rivers such as the eel River Hill river basin Cedar Creek and other creeks and rivers along the north coast some coastal some central.

It is nice to see the connection between this article and the article about the restrictions being placed for the same river such as the Eel river. These rivers are so crucial to the survival of California’s fish species, and placing restrictions on fishing when needed, and doing studies to further understand the species and how we can help them is crucial. Seeing both of these strategies work simultaneously is something we have never seen before, and it is important that they continue as we see more and more droughts, pollution and overfishing. Another connection between this article in the previous article is the CDFW California Department of Fish and wildlife, and both instances the CDFW is the reason for the protection happening, and it is nice to see that we have an association doing its job whether it’s emergency drought funds projects or prolonged fishing restrictions. Although there has been backlash from fishermen, and their industries, at the end of the day these things are being done for them because in the long term there won’t be any native fish left if we don’t make a change. It is also interesting to look at each individual plan or restoration progress report, the amount of funding needed is rather significant adding up to millions of dollars, however it seems their studies are worth it and their connections to tribal and nonprofit associations or rather interesting. It seems many of the restorations are either removal of dams or barriers or re-restoration or redirecting rivers and creeks.