There is not an inexhaustible supply of fish in the sea

Yn Commeeys Celtiagh - Celtic League Mannin have consistently raised the issue of over fishing, dangers to marine mammals by current fishing practices and the enormous damage caused by the use of Super trawlers. In this latest article they point out that fish stocks in the sea are not inexhaustible. The time for international action on the issues raised is long past:

MANY TRACES SIMPLY SAY ‘FISHING’ THE FISHING MAFIA OF EUROPE ARE GETTING ‘CUTE’

The earlier item on fisheries in the South Atlantic reminds me to check out the seas to the West of Scotland and Ireland and sure enough there are a swathe of vessels ranging from medium sized trawlers of about 2000 tonnes up to Super trawlers of 7500 - 10000 tonnes. A broad area of sea from the North of Scotland to West Africa is under assault.

There's a wide variety of nationalities including, Dutch, Spanish, French, Russian, Icelandic, Norwegian and Faroese plus domestic vessels from Ireland and the UK. Chinese vessels further south are working the Atlantic grounds off West Africa and landing into fish processing plants in Mauritania for on shipment back to the Far East. Many of the AIS tracks simply say ‘Fishing’ with the identity of the vessel its size and nationality masked. The fishing mafia of Europe are getting more ‘cute’!

I ask myself are the fish stocks in the sea inexhaustible and what of the bycatch of marine mammals or rare species here is anyone watching, wondering concerned.

It seems the voracious appetite for fish will only be sated when these monsters of the deep have fished out all the stock.

Images; Two Russian trawlers of the larger catching capacity:

Bernard Moffatt
pp Celtic League

01/03/18