After visiting Newfoundland this past July, it made sense to wrap my head around this important part of the province's history. The one thing that sticks out to me is how close I came to seeing some of the bad policies in action, even though it is 10 years after the cod fishery was stopped. This is a picture of a shrimp boat, heading out of Twillingate Harbour. There are about half a dozen of these big boats working out of Twillingate. They are the mainstay of the harbour activity these days. Problem: The shrimp boats use huge, weighted "dragger" type nets that scrape along the bottom and scoop up everything off the ocean floor, because that is where the shrimp are feeding. It is this very same kind of big boat, government subsidized dragging that killed off the huge numbers of cod in the 80s. Because the gov't gave in to political pressure to help make it happen, all in the name of jobs for Newfoundlanders, the cod fishery was ruined. The draggers dig up the plant and animal detritus that is the basis of the food chain for cod and other species. Now, ironically, the same destructive, dragging method is being used to harvest shrimp, which is even more valuable than cod once were. Hello people? The cod used to eat the shrimp. Now that the cod are gone, you are taking all the shrimp! Will there ever be a chance for the species to renew itself?Alex Rose says the answer will take political will-power, and a renewal of Newfoundlanders' philosophy of the future: A ban on all habitat-destroying fishing methods, a possible middle term ban on all fishing, and then a move into a quota-based system. Newfoundlanders need to envision a future that is not built around taking and taking and taking. They need to diversify into methods of renewal and enterpreneurship in other sectors. Tourism is one example.
I am now more aware of the issues facing the global fishing business. There is more demand for fish than ever before, and more habitat destruction and deep ocean renegade fishing practices than ever before. National governments need to put fisheries on their agenda right up beside global warming.
Three stars out of five. (A bit too repetitive; confusing in places; rambling in others.)
