Plastic Fishing Nets Bought with US Aid Destroying Kenyan Ecosystem - Blue Living Ideas

Plastic Fishing Nets Bought with US Aid Destroying Kenyan Ecosystem

Posted on Apr 14, 2009 by Jennifer Lance.

Often well intentioned international aid has the opposite effect on impoverished nations that rely heavily on their ecosystems for survival.  Take for example poor fisherman in Diani Beach, Kenya who used USAID money to buy nylon fishing nets that are entangling marine life and damaging coral reefs off Africa’s most popular beach.  Fisherman are resistant to cutting the nets to save whales and turtles since they cannot afford to replace them, and nylon nets are difficult to repair.
[continue reading - Plastic Fishing Nets Bought with US Aid Destroying Kenyan Ecosystem]

Continue Reading

Humboldt Squid Population Exploding Due to Global Warming

Posted on Apr 03, 2009 by Jennifer Lance.

Most fish species in the Pacific Ocean are declining except for the Humboldt squid named after the Humboldt Current in South America. The Humboldt squid (Dosidicus gigas) is notoriously aggressive and can weigh as much as 100 pounds. Called the diablos rojos, or red devils, by Mexican fisherman, the Humboldt Squid can take off your finger with its beak.  Sometimes called jumbo squid, the Humboldt squid’s traditional range was from ranging from Tierra del Fuego to California. Recently, they’ve appeared as far north as Sitka, Alaska.  According to the Smithsonian, “Some oceanographers suggest that warming oceans are at fault, while others speculate that declining numbers of the squid’s predators due to overfishing may have allowed Humboldts to expand their range.”
[continue reading - Humboldt Squid Population Exploding Due to Global Warming]

Continue Reading

No Commercial Salmon Season in California for Second Year in a Row

Posted on Mar 23, 2009 by Jennifer Lance.

Earlier this month, the Pacific Fishery Management Council met and created three public review options for the West Coast 2009 salmon season. Unfortunately for commercial salmon fisherman in California, all three options include no season for the second year in a row.  California sport fisherman may be allowed to fish for 10 days in August and September under one option.  The verdict is not out on an Oregon commercial salmon season yet.  Options range from no season at all to allowing small catch quotas. 
[continue reading - No Commercial Salmon Season in California for Second Year in a Row]

Continue Reading