Aventurine’s planetary boundary 2: Illegal, unregulated, and unreported overfishing (IUU)
What will happen to the oceans and all life on Earth as we strip-mine the sea for food?
Here’s some amazing news! The official theme for Earth Day 2024 is “Planet vs. Plastics.” We’re making progress, humanity. Finally, we’re owning up to the impact of plastics on our ecosystems. I expect more initiatives to be announced, aligned to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
We’re getting the message with plastics. Now it’s time for us to talk about IUU.
It’s hard to find evidence of the devastating impact of factory fishing fleets. Massive trawlers with nets that can capture a hundred tons of fish or more at a time, that devastate delicate ecosystems and indiscriminately capture any sea creature that is going about its business when the trawler sweeps by. Or mother ships that process the fish caught by smaller ships. Feeding people is one thing. These ships perpetrate mass murder without purpose on the bycatch. Our insatiable quest to feed humanity and generate profits from the sea threatens the future of entire species and ecosystems.
Once again, dear reader and fellow human, I will not horrify you with pictures. I wanted to. Perhaps It should not surprise me that such pictures are difficult to find, and permission to use them even harder to come by. If you want to see for yourself, I suggest searching on the web or YouTube. Useful search terms are “factory ship,” “IUU,” and “illegal fishing.”
I don’t understand the consciousness behind this activity. It feels the same to me as crimes of genocide against humans. A psychopathic disregard for life itself. A glorification of fast profit without accounting for the long-term consequences. Are we genetically encoded as an invasive species? Or are we, in fact, witnessing pure evil at work? I wonder.
Thank God there are brave humans in the mix, fighting the good fight, doing what they can to expose these practices and to confront these perpetrators in the act. There are many government agencies, NGOs, and non-profits that talk about why doing this is wrong. I want to spotlight the people who are taking bold action to stop it.
The Captain Paul Watson Foundation is at the top of the list. Captain Paul and his crews on the Neptune’s Pirates(R) are my heroes, and I support their work with my dollars. Their mission: “…to aggressively and non-violently intervene and stop illegal activities that exploit and destroy life at in the sea.” Paul Watson founded the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society in 1977, and for over fifty years, they patrolled the sea and intervened in hot zones of illegal fishing activity and ritualistic murder of sea creatures.
While Sea Shepherd USA is not the organization it once was with Captain Paul at the helm, Sea Shepherd Global partners with Neptune’s Pirates on key missions. Sea Shepherd continues to address the worldwide threats to the oceans and ocean life, deploying their fleet of seven ships to protect krill, porpoise, sea turtle, shark, and whale species. I’m particularly excited about Operation Antarctica Defense, a partnership with Sea Shepherd Global to challenge the Krill Fishing Fleet 2024.
Have you seen the documentary Seaspiracy by Ali Tabrizi? If not, take the time to watch it. It’s a controversial and polarizing film, but politics and corporate positioning aside, it contains undeniable imagery. You’ll see and feel what I’ve written about in the first two planetary boundary articles. Read the Facts page on the movie website to get a sense of the magnitude of what I’m writing about here.
There is so much more work to be done to address this planetary boundary. What can we do? Here are three ideas directly from this article. ChatGPT Plus can help you find others.
One, if the two organizations I portrayed speak to your soul like they do to mine, support them. They both offer volunteer and financial support opportunities.
Two, learn about the fine work of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). MSC seeks to end overfishing and establish global standards for sustainable fishing. Buying seafood with the MSC label represents a vote with your dollars to support responsible fisheries.
Three, stop buying krill oil products. Vote with your dollars. Are the dubious nutritional benefits worth the destruction of entire ecosystems?
Admittedly, I’m not ready to face the possibility that IUU reveals a dark force running humanity. I’ve met thousands of human beings from all walks of life. I could say a few were evil incarnate. But the rest? They’re just good people who want peace and have faith in each other and just want to take care of their families. For those who survive by fishing, IUU activities threaten their lives.
Let’s flip the script, humanity. How about we pull plastic out of the sea faster than seafood, stop IUU, start consuming sea products responsibly, and allow Mother Earth to repopulate the oceans?
Aventurine is a fictional character from a forthcoming novel series by Author Jeffrey Griffith.
