Congratulations NOAA

Congrats!!! NOAA discovered fisheries ecology. Here it comes (From NOAA's Fish News digest):

National – Trio of Factors Drive Marine Fisheries Production in Northern Hemisphere Ecosystems Comparisons of marine fisheries in thirteen northern hemisphere ecosystems reveal that a trio of factors— fishing, food web/predator-prey interactions, and environmental conditions—drive marine fisheries production. Better understanding of the relative influence of this triad of drivers on fish populations can make fishery management more effective, as well as improve overall understanding of how fisheries work within an ecosystem. Ten studies, published online July 12 in Marine Ecology Progress Series, identify trends and common patterns governing fisheries productivity in northern hemisphere temperate marine ecosystems. The studies resulted from two international workshops in 2010 and 2011 in Woods Hole, Mass. organized and hosted by NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center.
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WOW!!! Not just overfishing! Also environmental conditions (that involve not mentioned here pollution and habitat destruction). Predator-prey interactions... ho, ho! This would comprise also the all-protected marine mammals (each seal 4-6 kg of fish/day; each dolphin - 5-7 kg/day, killer wales... well, well...). Does it mean less fishermen flogging?    Anyway, BRAVO, CHEERS, MAZAL TOV, SALUTI to NOAA.

Overfishing? sometimes...

What I'm now focusing on is the effect of aquatic pollution and its separate components  on fish populations, as a factor in their impoverishment. See the case of the dredging in the port of Gladstone QSL, Australia, and the associated mortalities of marine life.

This is one of the subjects that are cautiously and circuitously avoided, if not totally ignored by management establishments and most NGOs;  why to annoy petro-chemical interests when they've got fishermen to bash…  Well, see who's financing them.   

EQUITABLE RIGHTS OR PRIVATIZATION?

Hi, here's an interesting piece of news:

…//…A United Nations-backed committee today endorsed a set of far-reaching global guidelines to help governments protect the rights of people, especially the poor, to own or access land, forests and fisheries.
“Giving poor and vulnerable people secure and equitable rights to access land and other natural resources is a key condition in the fight against hunger and poverty,” said the Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), José Graziano da Silva.  …etc……//…

In spite of some haziness (own or access), when it comes to marine fishing, I'm afraid that these news wouldn't go too well with selling and buying access and rights to fish in the sea and other forms of privatization of fishing grounds.

THE WONDERS OF TECHNOLOGY: Robot to monitor conditions, fish in gulf

http://www.benyami.org/

May 4, 2012 - The newest ocean research tool in NewEngland looks like a surfboard, but it acts like a surveillance drone. An oceangoing robot known as a Wave Glider was launched Thursday for a six- to eightweek test run through the Gulf of Maine. Unmanned and remotely operated, the 7-foot robot, which uses waves for propulsion, will collect data on ocean conditions and identify the locations of certain tagged fish. The demonstration project is coordinated by the US Integrated Ocean Observing System. Read the full story from the AP. So, now fisheries scientists won't have to go to sea at all...

You may also read it ar http://www.worldfishing.net/; go to Features --> Ben-Yami, and you'll find it. 

See a new book review at my website   www.benyami.org/FishingPeople.html
and select Fishing People folder, where you'll find the article

Fishermen's Wife Log - a Fishing Lore Saga

EGO

                                             EGO

  Everybody carries an ego. The ego is a balloon incorporated in

  one's character.

  The ego-balloon tends to be inflated. The hot air it is inflated

  with is lighter than air.  The owner of a big, inflated ego

  looks big and heavy, but in fact he's just a fat lightweight.

  Also the ego tends to lift its owner from the firm ground.

  Therefore, the owner of a big and inflated ego tends to lose

  contact with the ground and the reality.  The more one's ego

  gets inflated the weaker gets one's contact with reality.

  People with extremely inflated ego face several dangers:  they

  may float away if the wind gets too strong for them to hold

  ground; their ego may explode and they may find themselves

  without any ego at all; worse of all, somebody may puncture

  their ego just when they are taking off and they may crash on

  a hard, rocky reality letting out the hot air in a loud and smelly

  fart.