Mihow

On Fishing and Greed

—

by

Mihow
in

This story depresses the hell out of me. This is the type of truth that keeps me up a night. Most of the time, people tend to ignore things like this since most threats are hundreds of years off, and will take place after this generation (and the next) is gone. But this collapse could take place soon. It could take place during our lifetime.

This reminds me of a verse from an oldie but a goodie.

Americans dont care too much for beauty
They’ll shit in a river, dump battery acid in a stream
They’ll watch dead rats wash up on the beach
And complain if they cant swim

It’s days like today where I wish (again) that I had a million readers because I’d love to have a discussion about ways to regulate this mess, ways to make a difference, ways to educate people. I’d love to spread the word as far as possible.

Comments

27 responses to “On Fishing and Greed”

  1. hthrs Avatar
    hthrs

    did you check out ‘the sun’ yet?
    sustainability, i think, is the theme.
    oh, i’ll just send you my copy.
    reminds me of ‘oryx and crake.’

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  2. mihow Avatar
    mihow

    I haven’t. I need to. I suck.

    You know, this news came on the same day I found out that we’re still sending our wild horses to Japan so they can use them for meat.

    And people wonder why I prefer animals to human beings. We’re a really ugly species, if you ask me.

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  3. Hemlock Avatar
    Hemlock

    Collapse of fish stocks. Global warming. Nuclear weapons. Oil depletion. Loss of air quality. Abuse of women. Abuse of children. Abuse, period.

    I am seriously sick of reading this bullshit. I’ve been turning off the news lately because I am SO SICK AND TIRED of reading about people dying due to war, ignorance, poverty, famine, lack of clean water… People don’t give a fuck and it really pisses me off. It’s to inconvenient to care and to try to do something.

    People, we’re seriously fucked if we don’t shape up. It’s that simple. It took how long for the world to evolve all the plants and animals we have here??? And we’re destroying it in a matter of a couple hundred years?

    I keep hearing people say that it needs to be a grassroots solution, but no one wants to lead the charge. Everyone is to apathetic to get involved.

    Mr. Smith in the Matrix was right… we ARE a virus.

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  4. mihow Avatar
    mihow

    Mr. Smith in the Matrix was right… we ARE a virus.

    Holy shit! My coworker JUST said that, at almost the exact same moment!

    You’re freaking me out, man.

    Here. Here, Hemlock.

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  5. Hemlock Avatar
    Hemlock

    Dude, I do what I can… ;)

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  6. mihow Avatar
    mihow

    My dad has had a boat since I was knee high to a grasshopper. (Actually, before that.) Either way. When I was a kid I remember catching some big ol’ flounder. We caught a plethora of fish back then. Now? No way. Now, even if they do catch one it’s too tiny to keep. Things have changed drastically. And we’re just one little boat on a sea full of fisherman. Very sad. Things have changed and they’ll continue to change until the commercial fishing boats stop being so f’in greedy and irresponsible. It’s all MONEY MONEY MONEY! No one cares about what they’re doing in order to get that money.

    Depressing.

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  7. raphaelle Avatar
    raphaelle

    Did you notice that PBS is doing a special on what happens to chimps after research? It will air on Sunday. Its about how humans use them to keep us healthy (vaccines/diseases/addictions)but then disgard them after the study. How unkind when they live to be as old as humans do.. not nice.

    A friend once said (I have adjusted the wording since the quote was a long time ago)- such is the way of our planet, we are here and destroy it and then the earth takes it out on us and gets rid of the virus only to allow for new life to begin. After all the flu has many different versions yet we have only one kind of vaccine/shot. Too bad we can’t give the planet a shot..

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  8. mihow Avatar
    mihow

    The planet is going to do just fine without us. Rest assured.

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  9. nico Avatar
    nico

    Seafood Wallet Card:

    Click to access seafood_wallet.pdf

    A list of sea creatures that are not overfished and ok to eat.

    A small measure, but still helpful.

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  10. mihow Avatar
    mihow

    Thanks, nico. Really. That’s what I’m looking for. I had no idea.

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  11. nico Avatar
    nico

    Feel free to gorge on sardines. yum!

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  12. mihow Avatar
    mihow

    For those who don’t like attachments/pdfs:

    ENJOY

    Anchovies
    Catfish (farmed)
    Crawfish
    Dungeness crab
    Halibut (Pacific)
    Mussels and Clams (farmed)
    Oysters (Pacific farmed)
    Sablefish (Alaska, British Columbia)
    Salmon (Wild Alaskan)
    Sardines
    Striped Bass (farmed)
    Tilapia (U.S. farmed)
    Tuna: Ahi, Yellowfin, Bigeye, Albacore

    BE CAREFUL

    Cod (Pacific)
    Lobster (American)
    Mahi-Mahi
    Oysters (wild-caught)
    Rainbow Trout (farmed)
    Scallops (bay and sea)
    Shrimp (U.S. farmed or trawl
    Squid (calamari)
    Swordfish (Atlantic)
    Tuna (canned)
    Tuna: Ahi, Yellowfin, Bigeye,
    (longline caught)

    AVOID

    Caviar (imported/wild-caught)
    Cod (Atlantic)
    Chilean Sea Bass (Toothfish)
    Flounder and Soles (Atlantic)
    Grouper
    Halibut (Atlantic)
    Monkfish
    Orange Roughy
    Red Snapper
    Salmon (farmed, including Atlantic)
    Sharks
    Shrimp (imported)
    Tuna: Bluefin

    (Thanks again, Nico.)

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  13. greg Avatar
    greg

    michele…..i couldn’t read your above article

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  14. jenblossom Avatar
    jenblossom

    This is a huge issue for me, one I actually wrote about back in March for a website I contribute to. I have focused a lot this year on eating more seafood as part of a healthier diet, but in doing so, I wanted to make very sure to avoid eating types of seafood which are high in toxins, as well as avoiding those which are overfished or farmed in environmentally destructive ways. I think sustainability and variety are key.

    One of my favorite resources is The Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch:
    http://www.mbayaq.org/cr/seafoodwatch.asp

    They also have printable pocket-sized guides which are broken down by region (and three guides available in Spanish).

    I really wish that people would be more mindful of what they are eating and the effects their food choices have on the world around them. Unfortunately, I don’t think most people want to know about the conditions (for both animals and workers) in factory farms and slaughterhouses, or about all of the crazy additives in their snack foods or baby formula, or about the fact that fish may disappear from the oceans in our lifetime.

    In our lifetime. It’s a horrible thing to say, and it makes me feel a little sick to do so.

    I don’t know what the solution is. I do feel confident that I am keeping myself informed on these issues, and making informed, ethical choices about where I shop and what I buy and eat. I know it’s a small, small thing, but I have to believe that my choices and the choices others like me are making have to count at least a little bit.

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  15. mihow Avatar
    mihow

    Greg, why?

    Jen, amen. Perhaps we need to start making our elected officials make promises? Vote certain people into office who will fight to make changes? I have no idea. We’re not doing so well right now, that’s all I do know.

    I know it sounds trite, but sometimes I really do wonder if I want to have a kid.

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  16. Hemlock Avatar
    Hemlock

    I don’t think it sounds trite… it is a serious decision to make, whether or not you want to bring a child into this world.

    My dad made that decision in the 70s. He never wanted kids because of the craziness of this world. For him it was the threat of warfare, etc… but I think it’s still completely relevant to think about bringing another being into this world. Something changed his mind…

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  17. greg Avatar
    greg

    i don’t know….now it seems to be working, i’m gonna read it after lunch

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  18. jenblossom Avatar
    jenblossom

    I think it will definitely help matters to have elected officials working to fix these types of problems, but I think before that can happen, people need to start caring more about what they are putting into their bodies and their childrens’ bodies than they do about what kind of car they drive.

    Also, it pisses me off that fruits and vegetables and fresh, unprocessed foods are more expensive and less accessible to lower income people. The grocery store in our neighborhood is, frankly, disgusting, and we don’t shop there if we can avoid it. But I am acutely aware that the majority of our neighbors don’t have that luxury.

    Gah. So many issues.

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  19. mihow Avatar
    mihow

    Jen, I know what you mean. A lower income family is going to use their food stamps to buy something that will feed their entire family. What do they buy? Not the veggies and the stuff from Whole Foods, they buy the stuff at the grocery on Graham Avenue. I stood behind a woman buying three things of some of the lowest grade chicken ever, some pork and beans, some cheese puffs (on special) some entemans (also on special) hot dogs, wonder buns, etc.

    I have no freaking clue how to change this. I have no idea and it’s so annoying. It gets me so annoyed when people say, “Well, why don’t they just buy healthier food!” It ain’t that easy. It just isn’t.

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  20. jenblossom Avatar
    jenblossom

    Yeah, it’s not that easy AT ALL.

    I think what Added Value (http://www.added-value.org/) is doing is awesome. I know I’ve read about other similar organizations in other parts of the country, and I think what they’re doing is a good start, but so much more needs to be done.

    I know that some vendors at the various Greenmarkets accept food stamps or EBT cards, but it would be great if they all did. More “independent” farmers’ markets in various neighborhoods would be good to see, too… there is one off of Graham and Broadway during the summer months that seems to do really well, and I read about, but haven’t yet visited, an organic farmers’ market a bit further into Bushwick which is apparently being well-received by neighbors.

    I have no clue how to go about it, but I would absolutely love to set up a community garden in one of the empty lots in our neighborhood. I started doing a little research earlier this year but didn’t have much luck… but I’m inspired to look into it again.

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  21. mihow Avatar
    mihow

    I’m behind you, Jen. Plus, soon I’ll have more free time. And I’m a designer who can make cool signage. ;]

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  22. Jonathan Avatar
    Jonathan

    “I stood behind a woman buying three things of some of the lowest grade chicken ever…

    …I have no freaking clue how to change this.”

    There was a really great PBS special about class issues in america. (i think it was on NOW )

    They couldn’t get people to eat healthier, better foods – even when the good stuff was offered at drastic discounts or even free. Lower class americans just gravitate towards the processed foods they think its ‘their food’ and other stuff is too fancy, they think of it as comfort food, and a ton of other reasons.

    You should look up to see when that special is on. Its great. They had a free food bank in Maine, and people were grabbing loaves of wonderbread but no one would touch any of the whole grain or artisan bread. When wonderbread ran out, everyone was all “theres no more bread!”, and wouldn’t consider the better options—which were FREE.

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  23. mihow Avatar
    mihow

    Well, if you eat it, it does become comfort food as your body starts to think that it needs it. (Blood sugar, the whole shebang).

    Well, then, don’t complain to me when you start losing limbs from diabetes, or, worse, die from it.

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  24. jenblossom Avatar
    jenblossom

    Michele, I’m gonna hold you to that. ;)

    Jonathan, thanks for the info on that PBS special – I’ll have to see if I can track that down.

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  25. greg Avatar
    greg

    we’re stuck between a rock and a hard place. on one hand we don’t want to tell developing countries what to do to feed their people, yet allowing them to develop unregulated is even worse for the eco-system(sea or land or air). this is where i think the UN should be focusing energy and spearheading a solution that takes care of international waters. this, to me, should be the purpose of an organization made up of individual countries(that and genocide)). unfortunately these days, however, the UN doesn’t seem to have many scruples and tends to fall towards corruption more than useful.

    as for the food people eat, good luck changing them and in their eyes, you have no right to try….all you can do is throw your hands up….

    i read an article in Science News a while back that defunct the common understanding that people who live near high power lines and radio towers are at greater risk to get cancer than those who don’t. instead of going about the study physiologically, they went about it economically and looked at the problem differently than most believers in “powerline-proximity=cancer.” what they found was people who could afford to live away from powerlines did and their eating habits were better than those who chose to live near powerlines because of economic constraints. the eating habbits of the power-dwellers with cases of cancer were consistantly higher than power dwellers who ate more conscienciously. those with better eating habbits have a lower statistical chance of cancer and hovered at the national cancer level….essencially calling into question the previous belief system.

    they say we are what we eat…..they also say we choose to be what we want to be … and free to be who we are.

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  26. Hemlock Avatar
    Hemlock

    I do a little social experiment every time I’m at the supermarket. I watch what people put on the conveyor belt behind and infront of me. I constantly amazed by the shit people buy. Multiple 2L bottles of pop, pizza pockets, frozen dinners, etc, etc, etc…

    Don’t want to toot my horn in any way, but I eat well. I choose to. I eat my fruits and veggies, a bit of meat, some beans and lentils, my dairy, etc, etc, etc. (yeah there is some fat and sugar in there… believe me… but overall I eat well). An average week has us paying $70 for groceries for the two of us. I’m not sure how that rates compared to others, but I think that’s pretty decent. We eat really well. That’s one choice we have made. We prepare all our meals at home, and really try to avoid the prefab/frozen “just microwave and enjoy” meals.

    I don’t necessarily agree that eating properly is expensive. Have you seen the price of processed foods? Give me a break… it’s a decision rather than an obligation. People can choose to eat well, they just don’t. Cooking your veg, or making a salad with all the fixins takes more time and thought than tossing something in the microwave.

    People don’t want to think, they just want to fill their stomachs.

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  27. tobyjoe Avatar
    tobyjoe

    pop? in georgia, we call it ‘coke’ – no matter what the brand.

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