National Geographic

[cthulhu77]

If you haven't gotten the new issue, pick it up...but be prepared to be seriously depressed...

 

[reefer911]

why wat is it about

 

[Jean]

Hasn't reached lower NZ yet! Looking out for it tho'

j

 

[cthulhu77]

Oh, most of the issue is about global warming...say goodbye to your corals, your birds, your bears, and possibly yourselves...yikes.

 

[Steve O'Shea]

Went to a lecture last eve, Dr Daniel Pauly. All is not well on this tiny little planet .... check his name out on a web search; he's done a little more than 'a bit' on marine conservation/fisheries devastation.

I heard the world ends in 2012 anyway, according to some code in biblical text (comet strike) .... so no need to worry. Exhaust everything now, because there is no tomorrow, and no need to concern ourselves with the welfare of future generations .

In fact, in 2011 make sure you buy a palace, live beyond your means, and put far too much on your credit cards living up large (just don't come after me if the tales of doom and gloom don't come to fruition ... and you're forced to repay the debt).

 

[cthulhu77]

The stars must be coming to the right position...no more glaciers, no polar bears, starving people worldwide, uninhabitable regions....all within 30-50 years.
The photos of the north Pole were the creepiest.

 

[Architeuthoceras]

And mean sea level will rise 3 feet, wiping out alot of coastal habitat, but creating alot of future fossil beds

 

[Jean]

Went to a lecture last eve, Dr Daniel Pauly

I would love to go toone of his presentations butI don't think he's coming this far south can you give us a precis????? I've read soooooo many of his papers!


J

 

[Infusoria]

Went to a lecture last eve, Dr Daniel Pauly

I would love to go to one of his presentations butI don't think he's coming this far south can you give us a precis????? I've read soooooo many of his papers!


J

Precis: Google: Fishing down marine food webs.

Abstract: The mean trophic level of the species groups reported in Food and Agricultural Organization global fisheries statistics declined from 1950 to 1994. This reflects a gradual transition in landings from long-lived, high trophic level, piscivorous bottom fish toward short-lived, low trophic level invertebrates and planktivorous pelagic fish. This effect, also found to be occurring in inland fisheries, is most pronounced in the Northern hemisphere. Fishing down food webs (that is, at lower trophic levels) leads at first to increasing catches, then to a phase transition associated with stagnating or declining catches. These results indicate that present exploitation patterns are unsustainable.

So, to summarise, we'll be hunting plankton and jellyfish in 50 years, in the muddy depauperate mush that used to be the ocean. No fishing is sustainable on current evidence. Fisheries Management is damage control at best, government driven financial collusion at worst. It's not something that gives a warm fuzzy feeling regarding humankind.

Daniel Pauly, although not very interesting as an orator (He did say he was jetlagged), had a pretty grim message. Sadly though, the only hope he had for fisheries was the rising price of oil. Mostly a total downer, if only because my worst suspicions were realised.

not

 

[cthulhu77]

I was discussing this with some people yesterday, and one lady said "Well, what are they going to do to fix it?"....People just don't realize that the damage has already been done, and is not fixable...which makes it even sadder...
I would have liked my children and grandchildren to have seen the sea that Jaques dived in...

 

[Melissa]

I had a look at the National Geographic pictures and Greg did not warn you enough - the arctic pictures are worrisome.

I'm still trying to make sense of the pictures, and the news of
polar bear burglars together.

Melissa

 

[Jean]

Thanks Matt, I'd read Fishing Down the Food Web.... very depressing ...was just wondering about up dates to that in his talks

J