Torsten Brinch wrote in message . ..
On Fri, 16 May 2003 09:44:35 +0200, Thomas Palm
wrote:

Oz wrote:

Gordon Couger writes

Where are the greens and environmental groups when governments and
businesses are really raping the planet.

To be honest the problem has been well aired by marine scientists for
decades. I don't think eco-green groups consider it much of a
moneyspinner.

I don't know where you live, but here in Sweden it has been a big
issue for many years among our major environmental groups and there
has at least been some effect on what kind of fish people buy.

Similar thing here, all major environmental groups have been at it for
many years -- however with modes of industry fishing naturally being
in the focus here in Denmark. Opposed by huge economic interests,
victories have been small indeed.

On the consumer side e.g. environmental group NOAH has campaigned with
the grubbing of industry fish out of the North Sea, to make fish feed,
to be sailed to Asia, to feed tiger prawns, to be sailed back, to be
sold and put on the tables of the consumer.

I don't see the EU pressuring
anyone to cut their fishing fleets or doing any manful cuts in their own.

They have been trying for years, and introduced many cuts and
restrictions over the last decade or so. All bitterly fought by
fishermen who, with already marginal catches, are not well placed to
survive restrictions.

On the other hand EU also has been busy "buying" fishing rights outside
Africa to get new fish stocks to plunder when the local waters are
depleted.

There is much cheating, particularly by spanish trawlers.

By almost everyone, I'm afraid.

E.g. The Danish government spends nearly a quarter of a billion DKK
2002/2003 in a presumed effort to decrease fishing pressure taking a
6700 tonnage, or 188 fishing boats out of service, -- while
investments are made in new fishing boats, of a total 5500 tonnage, or
in new equipment, with the net effect that the turnover of the total
fishing fleet in order to stay economically viable needs to remain the
same or increase.

"The [Danish] Parliament bloody must hold the Minister [of Fisheries]
responsible. It is completely unacceptable that she lets herself be
ruled by the economic powers and interests lobbying in fishery and its
service industries."

[my translation, TB]
(8.May, Chairman of 'Levende Hav' (~Living Sea)
http://www.levendehav.dk/


As has been pointed out by a number of people, not limited to myself,
on this and other newsgroups, fisheries are simply the Tragedy of the
Commons writ large. Check out some of the other recent threads to see
the full arguments. But at root, that is the primary cause, not the
proximate, it is the economic structure of the industry that is at
fault. Until that is changed there will be no lasting solution.
I would also note that two countries have lasting solutions : Iceland
and Norway. And they´ve done it by making the fishermen own the fish
directly. Just as Hardin said in his original essay, one can have
either private or social solutions to the overuse of a Commons
resource. Yet at present, fisheries are still run as commons. Absurd.

Tim Worstall