1 Year Ago

Just about one year ago I wrote my first blog.


Hard to believe what can and cannot happen in a year. 


Last year at this time we had just begun to move dirt for the construction of our 1/4 scale production module here in Texas.


Now as I write this we have harvested and sold our first group (over 2600 hundred pounds) of very large, very tasty, shrimp and are in the process of preparing the module for stocking at commercial densities.


We are developing an investment proposal to try and secure funding to expand that production to an initial objective of slightly more than 2 million pounds annually.


You can check out our newly created web site at :
www.globalbluetechnologies.net


Lori's cancer got worse, We got her admitted into MD Anderson and her initial treatments seemed to have arrested the cancer growth for now. We continue to watch here closely and pray that she proves to be atypical and beat this very evil disease. For now she is doing remarkably well. 

My book "UNDERCOVER" is now available on Kindle and there is a newly edited paper copy available as well on Amazon.com

Lori's book "Half-Baked , The Confessions of a True Anti-Chef" is still doing well and should be available as an E-book in the very near future. 

So on a small microcosm for a few individuals a lot has transpired.

On the larger world stage and taking a macro look at the state of the planet's resources and environment every where I read things look more distressing. I provide just one small example from a plethora of articles and news stories all similar in reporting dire news about the oceans, the weather, loss of species, habitat destruction, pollution and disease. 

The world is preparing for RIO + 20 as governments and corporations continue to give "lip service" to the incredible need for cleaner energy, more sustainable production of food, greater protection of wild resources, and the implementation of social equity value that can begin to alleviate poverty which along with greed is the underlying catalyst for so much of the misuse of the world's resources. 

Read the following summary from a study that calls for cutting in half the world's catch of "Forage Fish for Crucial Prey Species". 

I sourced the summary of this very depressing article (below in italics) from the following link: 

http://www.seafoodsource.com/newsarticledetail.aspx?id=14935

Who was it that once said, "the more things change the more they stay the same". 

Thirty plus years ago when I first got professionally and personally involved in dealing with issues of environmental and animal abuse the "greenies" said they would expose the causes and make the world a better place" and the use groups corporations and governments alike said, " it is not all that bad but we will be more responsible and develop a greener and more compassionate way to do business".

They both lied.   

Expert Task Force Recommends Halving Global Fishing for Crucial Prey Species

Forage Fish Twice as Valuable in the Water as in the Net

WASHINGTON – Fishing for herring, anchovy, and other “forage fish” in general should be cut in half globally to account for their critical role as food for larger species, recommends an expert group of marine scientists in a report released today. The Lenfest Forage Fish Task Force conducted the most comprehensive worldwide analysis of the science and management of forage fish populations to date. Its report, “Little Fish, Big Impact: Managing a crucial link in ocean food webs,” concluded that in most ecosystems at least twice as many of these species should be left in the ocean as conventional practice.

           

A thriving marine ecosystem relies on plenty of forage fish. These small schooling fish are a crucial link in ocean food webs because they eat tiny plants and animals, called plankton, and are preyed upon by animals such as penguins, whales, seals, puffins, and dolphins. They are primary food sources for many commercially and recreationally valuable fish found around North America, such as salmon, tuna, striped bass, and cod. The task force estimated that, globally, forage fish are twice as valuable in the water as in a net—contributing US$11.3 billion by serving as food for other commercially important fish. This is more than double the US$5.6 billion they generate as direct catch.

These species play a growing role in the everyday lives of industrialized nations. Their demand in recent decades has greatly increased for use as fish meal and fish oil to feed farmed fish, pigs, and chickens that people consume on a regular basis. Fish oil is also used in nutritional supplements for humans. 

“Traditionally we have been managing fisheries for forage species in a manner that cannot sustain the food webs, or some of the industries, they support,” says Dr. Ellen K. Pikitch of the Institute for Ocean Conservation Science at Stony Brook University, who convened and led the Lenfest Forage Fish Task Force. “As three-fourths of marine ecosystems in our study have predators highly dependent on forage fish, it is economically and biologically imperative that we develop smarter management for these small but significant species.”

Small schooling fish are an important part of the ecosystem on both coasts of North America.  Many marketable species on the Pacific coast, such as salmon, lingcod, Pacific hake, Pacific halibut, and spiny dogfish, feed on them.  A large number of seabird species relies on them as well, and research shows that the breeding success of the federally endan­gered California least tern may depend on the availability of local anchovy populations. On the eastern seaboard, more menhaden are caught (by weight) than any other fish off the Atlantic coast. Taking out excessive amounts, however, means less food for tuna, bluefish, and striped bass ― as well as whales, dolphins, and seabirds – and affects fisheries and tourism industries from Maine to Florida.

“Around the globe, we’ve seen how removing too many forage fish can significantly affect predators and people who rely on that system’s resources for their livelihoods,” said Dr. Edward D. Houde, a professor at the University of Maryland’s Center for Environmental Science and task force member. “We need to be more precautionary in how we manage forage fish in ecosystems that we know very little about.”

Made up of 13 preeminent scientists with expertise in a wide range of disciplines, the Lenfest Forage Fish Task Force was established to generate specific and practical advice to support better management of forage fish around the world. This group of experts, with support from the Lenfest Ocean Program, synthesized scientific research and other information about these species and conducted original simulation modeling to reach their conclusions. 

“The Lenfest Forage Fish Task Force has provided guidance on how to prevent overfishing of these small prey species,” said Dr. P. Dee Boersma, professor and director of the Center for Penguins as Ocean Sentinels at the University of Washington and task force member. “Our hope is that fishery managers will put our recommendations into action to protect penguins, cod, whales, and a whole host of other creatures that need them to survive.”