Sushi

Bluefin tuna is very popular with todays demand for sushi and sashimi. The Bluefin tuna is fished in the Mediterranean Sea at four times the sustainable rate. In the past decade over 69 ranches have opened in the Mediterranean. This image is one of those ranches where the tuna is being fattened. These ranches are demolishing Bluefin tuna stocks

Bycatches

In this image, guitar fish, rays and other bycatch are thrown overboard from a shrimp boat in the Gulf of California. There has been efforts to reduce bycatch. In some cases thr efforts are beginning to pay off. In some places they now use a better design of hooks and nets, the have pingers on the nets to repel marine mammals. They even have streamers on the back of the boat to scare away seabirds so that they do not get caught.

Trawling

In this image from National Geographic, it shows everything that was caught by trawling in Mexican waters. Out of everything in this image, the only thing to be used and sold will be the shrimp. Everything else will go to waste.

Watery Wasteland

http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0704/sights_n_sounds/index.html

This is a link from the National Geographic website. It has a series of very short slideshows of images with narration about the global fish crisis.

Squid to be Microwaved

In February fishers in the Antarctic caught a colossal squid weighing half of a ton. The squid was frozen to preserve it for studies, however now that they want to study it they are having difficulties figuring out a way to thaw it. If they just let the squid thaw out naturally it would take up to 4 days, and whithin this length of time some tissues would have decomposed while the center of the squid would still be frozen.

Museum scientists are leaning towards the idea of using an industrial microwave machine, like the ones used to dry timber. Some, however, believe that this is acrazy idea as it will ruin the specimen.
The final decision was to let the squid thaw naturally while circulating warm water around the harder mantle, and packing ice around the soft arms. the squid defrosted without and serious damage.

Global Warming PEI

On march 21 2007 Charlottetown Guardian had an article stating that global warming will have, and is having a major impact on P.E.I. Issues include, rising water level, storm surge, and subsidence of land. PEI's main assets are scenery, historic properties, and beaches, all of these are in danger. Areas which have already lost shoreline include Maritime Electric generating station, energy from waste plant, waste water treatment center and 335 heritage properties. P.E.I. National Park has already lost shoreline in the 2004 december storm because the shoreline was not protected by ice. Global warming is already presenting problemsand we must adapt quickly.

New Tax for the Environment

The Conservative government has made some environmental decisions in mondays budget. Gas guzzlers such as hummers and SUV's which are huge gas consumers, will now have a new tax of $4000 put on them. On the other hand, those who who chose to drive fuel efficient cars will recieve a rebate of $2000.