I’m trying to be your eyes and ears about going green and sustainable practices. The Nature Conservancy has some rather simple ideas on building sustainable fisheries; simple ideas to complex problems always get my attention. Kate Frazer, senior writer for The Nature Conservancy, is getting the word out and I’m spreading her words. There is a video at this link that you should watch (top right). The video is excellent and talks about the fisheries in Maine.

We, as a nation, take so much for granted and that may originate from the vast natural resources that we were endowed with.

The reality is that we are depleting every single resource that has been a part of our culture for so many years. When you have everything you don’t think of ways to keep it around; you just expect it to continue.

People talk about organic and buying local and there is a reason for that. There is a cost to the environment; transportation of products means that we use other natural resources to bring the products to the market.

Kate points out that  “An average meal in the United States travels at least 1,500 miles before it reaches consumers, but when it comes to seafood in Port Clyde, Maine, the distance from ocean to plate is often just a few miles. Connections between coastal Mainers and the food they eat have always been easy to trace — long before eating locally became a hot idea.”

The hot idea is green and sustainable living. All good ideas originate from one thought; the thoughts of many create successful results!

Now here is a novel idea; why not subsidize fisherman to learn good sustainable practices?

The Nature Conservancy is “purchasing fishing permits and allowing fishermen to use those permits to develop more sustainable harvesting practices — like using more selective gear and avoiding sensitive habitats.”

“When I first started fishing, we’d go to the same places we go to now,” says fisherman Glen Libby, his breath disappearing into the fog as the first slivers of light appear on the Port Clyde waterfront. “An average steam might be an hour and a half out and you’d catch all the fish you’d need: 3,000 to 4,000 pounds.”
“But last spring, some of the guys had to steam 100 miles out and couldn’t even catch 1,000 pounds in 24 hours.”

Geoff Smith, The Nature Conservancy’s marine program director in Maine, says the situation in the gulf surfaced from a combination of factors:

He says that there was a lack of robust information about the gulf’s species and habitats. Fisheries regulations were allowing over fishing and discouraging good stewardship. The results ware depressed prices and that forced fishermen to catch more and more fish to make ends meet. The dominos start to fall; just look at the chart of the condition of the world’s fisheries above.

The new research sponsored by The Conservancy and with the help of The Island Institute and Penobscot East Resource Center will research ways to modify fishing gear to minimize the catch of juvenile fish and unintended species and reduce impacts on bottom habitats that provide shelter for young fish.

“This program will give these fishermen additional time on the water to develop more sustainable fishing methods,” Smith explains. “If the cost to underwrite these changes fell solely on fishermen, it’d drive them closer to bankruptcy. Instead, we believe conservation organizations should share some of the cost.”

But true sustainability also depends on what happens on shore when these fish are brought to market. That’s where consumers have an important role to play.

“Developing markets that allow fishermen to make ends meet catching fewer fish while depleted populations are recovering is an essential part of this plan,” says Smith. “We envision communities up and down the coast where fishermen can land their fish and get a premium for their catch because customers know it was caught locally and in a responsible way. Identifying more sustainable practices is the first step.”

A fantasy world?

The big question is whether the consumer will be willing to take those first steps and be a partner in the stewardship of our Oceans.

Good Cheer!