'Every nation on this planet must appreciate that the sea is not to be taken for granted'.

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The Future of Our Oceans James Skinner - Reporting from Spain ‘Don’t cry little fishy; don’t cry, don’t cry’, sang Spencer Tracy to young Freddy Bartholomew in the immortal movie ‘Captain’s Courageous’. How many of you just turned ninety can still remember the tear jerking scene at the very moment in which a humble man finally instils the basics of human decency into the soul of a small boy, transforming him forever? The story is about a young rich and spoiled brat (Bartholomew) that falls overboard from a luxurious ocean liner and is saved by a Portuguese fisherman (Tracy) off the coast of Newfoundland.

Trouville Fish Marketstall © Sam North Sept 2003

Spending the next few months on board a fishing schooner he learns about the rough life, the sea and the bond amongst those whose livelihood depend on it. The film also depicts the relationship between the men dedicated to harvesting the ocean’s fisheries and the living species themselves. Fishing in those days was not only rudimentary it was also environmentally friendly. The skipper used his nose to find the cod banks and once there, would cast off his crew in small rowing boats armed only with a line and a hook. One by one they would haul in their catch until the holds were full. On the way back to their base they would skillet and salt the fruits of the sea ready to be sold at market the moment they arrived. Those were the days when man still respected life below the waves!

Over the past hundred years, the world fishing industry has evolved incredibly, keeping in tune with the supply and demand of the variety of products that the oceans continue to deliver, seemingly ad infinitum. Fishing vessels and equipment have surpassed all barriers of technological advancements. They range from sophisticated trawlers using radar and satellite detection systems, to deep sea nets and refrigeration plants that allow them to prowl the seven seas for months on end returning to base with the lucrative booty ready for the hungry developed world supermarkets. Assisting these huge armies of seafood buccaneers is a plethora of backroom boy entrepreneurs. These consist of scientific research institutes constantly studying the world fishing grounds for new species and fishing methods, multinational corporations seeking and obtaining bilateral and other fishing agreements with emerging countries and powerful governments always ready to take their share of the catch. The seven seas have and continue to be, pardon the pun, everybody’s oyster!

There is a downside to this wonderful world of ‘wet’ food. Unlike world agriculture, that is clearly defined within national borders, the oceans, comprising three quarters of the earth’s surface are literally no-mans-land. Other than the agreed international 200 mile off shore boundary, up until a few decades ago any country could send its fishing fleet roaming around the world at random in search of whatever the sea could offer. This was done regardless of any environmental risks and disruption of the ecosystems beneath the waves. Many species of large fish feed on smaller ones, others off sea flora and plankton. Deplete one sector and you break the life cycle. Fortunately, parallel to the investigation and sophistication of fishing methods, other scientists were keeping a close watch on this ongoing deterioration. It was not long however, before international bickering began. Fish consuming and supplier nations started what is now known worldwide as 'the quota war'.
There is no need to point a finger at any particular country, as all those involved in this industry are responsible. It doesn’t matter whether we are talking about the North Atlantic or the Indian Ocean; lobster or haddock, fishing fleets continue to cast their trawls, nets or whatever despite the gradual drop in underwater habitat. (Sturgeon is being fished to extinction this very year according to a Guardian Newspaper Report Sept 30th '03.)

Fishing ministers meet periodically in a similar way to the members of the Security Council of the United Nations. They present statistics and percentages, thrash out agreements and return home only to find the national fishing industry of their respective countries give them a ‘two fingers’ salute. ‘Nobody is going to cut my fishing fleet without compensation’, said one European fleet owner. ‘The politicians can’t distinguish a mackerel from a hole in the ocean’, said another. On the other hand, fish are not the only victims in this war. Fishermen the world over, whose livelihood depends on their profession are at the mercy of all this wrangling. A quota cut means scrapping a number of ships and placing a few hundred families on the dole. The owner will have to wait another year before he replaces his Mercedes.

Regardless of the continuing present conflict, progress is being made.

The need for conservation of the ocean’s habitat is so great that one sector of the industry has began to do something about it. For some two decades, the Norwegians have been developing salmon farming with a certain degree of success. This has lead to many other countries moving in a similar direction. Shrimp and halibut are two examples of successful breeding in captivity although the quality is far from that of ocean fish.

At the World Fishing Exhibition held in Vigo in September, a series of scientist began to present their views on deep water farming, moving away from the traditional ‘swimming pool’ or pen method. This would allow certain species to spawn and grow within their own environment yet still held in captivity. The ultimate product so far is still relatively costly and a long way from satisfying the consumer market, yet it is a step in the right direction in order to safeguard against the threatening depletion of the supply of fish. It’s no different to wind energy. It is, again pardon the pun a spit in the ocean compared to the ‘catch of the day’, but it is the future of the industry.

So what does the overall panorama look like today and how can we sum up the situation regarding this incredibly complex industry? We have XXI century technology for finding, catching, gutting, freezing and packaging fish. We know the facts and figures of world stocks and are trying to control them. We continue to investigate new fishing grounds including those at deeper sea levels. We are moving steadily towards fish farming as the ultimate goal. We are creating more and more international and local companies dedicated to the buying and selling of fish. We have governments signing umpteen numbers of agreements on practically everything involving the sea. So what is missing?

There is a need for international legislation to control and police the oceans, no different to the ones that deal with such disparate issues as CO2 emissions and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Every nation on this planet must appreciate that the sea is not to be taken for granted and, similar to the rain forests are a contributing partner to the survival of mankind. This includes the survival of the life below the surface.

© James Skinner. Ocotber 1st 2003.
jamesskinner@cemiga.es

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