Vanishing Species: Saving the Fish, Sacrificing the Fisherman
- ISBN-10
- 1584653183
- ISBN-13
- 9781584653189
- Series
- Vanishing Species
- Category
- Technology & Engineering / Fisheries & Aquaculture
- Pages
- 270
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2003
- Publisher
- University Press of New England
- Author
- Susan R. Playfair
Description
Vanishing Species chronicles the fate of groundfishing in New England waters since the Sustainable Fisheries Act (SFA) was enacted in 1996, causing increasingly strict regulations to be placed on the harvesting of fourteen species of edible fish. The SFA mandates that within a ten-year period, the stocks of these fish were to be brought up to levels prescribed by the government. To achieve this goal, strict regulations were put in place to limit net size, how many fish were caught, and the number of days fishermen could spend at sea. The SFA and regulations like it govern how, when, and where fishermen may fish.
Since its inception, the SFA has been a fulcrum for escalating tensions between environmentalists, who argue that the mandates of the SFA are being ignored, and fishermen and their families, whose existence has come to depend on how government employees and a federal judge interpret the SFA. Although some scientists and environmentalists believe the fish stocks remain at levels too low to sustain further harvesting, many fishermen believe that the fish stocks are rising and that the government's means of measuring them is flawed. At the heart of the conflict is the survival of both the fish and the New England fishing communities.
Playfair's compelling narrative brings the reader face-to-face with all aspects of this controversy. She examines the day-to-day business of groundfishing prior to the enactment of regulations, as well as the much-debated issue of farming fish through aquaculture as an alternative to harvesting fish from the sea. She asks how fish stocks fell so low that they became endangered, and she questions whether the fishermen are really at fault or simply are scapegoats for a larger problem. Playfair takes the reader onboard boats with different types of fishing gear; on voyages with scientists and fishermen seeking an equitable way to allow New England fishermen to fish while maintaining the numbers of groundfish needed in order for the populations to spawn and grow; and into seafood restaurants where demand remains high and fresh fish are treated with the respect they deserve. If we lose the fisherman, Playfair reminds us, we lose our access to the fresh fish we now take for granted. The alternative may be a nomadic factory trawler--destructive to the environment, wasteful of the resource, and a sap to the soul of small coastal communities.
Based in large part on interviews with a wide range of people--fishermen and their families, restaurant managers, environmentalists, fisheries scientists, politicians, and government officials--Vanishing Species offers a series of unforgettable portraits of people who are involved in the struggle to find a way to support sustainable fishing and the communities that rely on it.
Get the book
Other editions
-
- 1993-06
- 120 pages
- Paperback
- Cedco Publishing Company
Similar books
-
Fishing Grounds: Defining A New Era For American Fisheries Management
By Economics, and the Environment, H. John Heinz III Center for ScienceWe need . . . quality people who have broad perspective . . . statesmanship ability. ... Several people suggest that industry groups, environmental organizations, scientists, and all other participants be held to standards of truth and ...
-
Aquaculture Development: Use of wild fish as feed in aquaculture. 5
"These technical guidelines on the use of wild fish as feed in aquaculture have been developed in support of Article 7 (responsible fisheries management) and Article 9 (aquaculture development) of...
-
2016世界渔业和 水产养殖状况: 为全面实现粮食和 营养安全做贡献
By Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations《2016年世界渔业和水产养殖状况》旨在面向决策者、管理人员、科研人员、利益相关方和 所有对渔业和水产养殖业感兴趣的人群等各类读者提供客观、可靠、最新的数据和信息。本书 一如既往着眼于全球，涵盖众多话题。本书利用有关渔业和水产养殖业的最新官方数据，就鱼类资源、产量、加工、利用、贸易和 消费 方面的相关趋势开展全球性分析，同时报告世界渔船现状，分析该行业人类活动的具体 构成。《负责任渔业行为守则》出台二十年后，随着“可持续发展目标”、《2030年可持续发展 议程》、《巴黎协定》、《小规模渔业准则》等最近相继得以通过，对治理和政策的关注与日俱 增。本书将涵盖与渔业和水产养殖业相关的最新进展，并特别介绍“公海/非国家司法管辖区计 划”、粮农组织的“蓝色增长倡议”以及打击非法、不报告、不管制捕捞方面的努力。本书还就内 陆渔业估值、减少兼捕和促进体面劳动等话题展开讨论。书中突出关注的其他话题包括：营养； 水生外来入侵 种；负责任内陆渔业；渔业和水产养殖业的抗灾能力；权属和使用权治理。
-
Systems Analysis and Simulation in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences
By William E. GrantProvides the philosophy and techniques for simulation and systems analysis of population models especially as applicable to problems in fisheries and wildlife. After introducing the basic concepts and development of...
-
Handbook on Small-scale Freshwater Fish Farming
By Food and Agriculture Organization of the United NationsBetween 1979 and 1990 five booklets in FAO's Better Farming Series dealt with freshwater fish farming in ponds, pens and cages. Written and illustrated by Tom Laughlin, with technical contributions...
-
Better Freshwater Fish Farming: The Pond
By Food and Agriculture Organization of the United NationsInitially published by arrangement with INADES, Institut africain pour le d�veloppement �conomique et social, Abidjan, C�te d'Ivoire, the Better Farming Series booklets are designed as handbooks for intermediate-level agricultural education...
-
Freshwater Fish Farming: How to Begin
By Food and Agriculture Organization of the United NationsInitially published by arrangement with INADES, Institut africain pour le developpement economique et social, Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, the Better Farming Series booklets are designed as handbooks for intermediate-level agricultural education...
-
Better Freshwater Fish-farming: Further Improvement
By Food and Agriculture Organization of the United NationsInitially published by arrangement with INADES, Institut africain pour le d�veloppement �conomique et social, Abidjan, C�te d'Ivoire, the Better Farming Series booklets are designed as handbooks for intermediate-level agricultural education...
-
Better Freshwater Fish Farming: Raising Fish in Pens and Cages
By Food and Agriculture Organization of the United NationsInitially published by arrangement with INADES, Institut africain pour le d�veloppement �conomique et social, Abidjan, C�te d'Ivoire, the Better Farming Series booklets are designed as handbooks for intermediate-level agricultural education...
-
Better Freshwater Fish Farming: The Fish
By Food and Agriculture Organization of the United NationsInitially published by arrangement with INADES, Institut africain pour le developpement economique et social, Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, the Better Farming Series booklets are designed as handbooks for intermediate-level agricultural education...