Posts: 1,273
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Joined: Oct 2007
The answer is simple and known. Habitat restoration and creation. Don't build a fish farm, build a reef, then fish the reef. I've done some of this on a small scale and you simply would not believe how fast the life moves in to a habitat that will support it. The most important issue is unpoisoned hard strata that corals and mollusks can hang on. There's a shortage of that in most places in the world as agricultural and developmental silting and runoff has more or less buried everything in anaerobic mud. Here in Hawaii, it just gets deep way too fast to have a very extensive reef system, but every little bit helps. Engineer a great surf break and ecosystem in the same project. Hows that for stimulating the economy!
Posts: 388
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 473
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Joined: Jan 2009
Fitz - agreed.
Carey I have captured your reading suggestions and I will get to them! May capture some of them as airplane reading for a few weeks from now.
-Blake
http://www.theboysgreatescape.blogspot.com/
Posts: 388
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Joined: Jan 2009
A moratorium on commercial fishing won't work because some $#&^*&$$'$ countries would sieze upon the opportunity to pick up the slack. We could then put a ban on imports but it still wouldn't stop the imports going elsewhere. Something radical would be to forbid commercial fishing within a vastly expanded area off our shores. Here in Hawaii, we could go to 200 miles and see what happens. Patrol via USN & USCG, with draconian measures for intruders (heavy fines, seize the boats and sink them for reefs etc. Rod & reel fishing only. That would help the sporting goods economy. Consumer fish available through fish farms only, but since hormones and antibiotics disgust me, it would be no fish for me. Do it for 5 years and see if there's any improvement. There's always tomorrow.
