The End of the Line

    pretty good documentary, watch it on netflix :toast:


    'The End of the Line'



    The End of the Line, the first major feature documentary film revealing the impact of overfishing on our oceans, had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in the World Cinema Documentary Competition. Sundance took place in Park City, Utah, January 15-25, 2009.


    In the film we see firsthand the effects of our global love affair with fish as food.


    It examines the imminent extinction of bluefin tuna, brought on by increasing western demand for sushi; the impact on marine life resulting in huge overpopulation of jellyfish; and the profound implications of a future world with no fish that would bring certain mass starvation.


    Filmed over two years, The End of the Line follows the investigative reporter Charles Clover as he confronts politicians and celebrity restaurateurs, who exhibit little regard for the damage they are doing to the oceans.


    One of his allies is the former tuna farmer turned whistleblower Roberto Mielgo – on the trail of those destroying the world's magnificent bluefin tuna population.


    Filmed across the world – from the Straits of Gibraltar to the coasts of Senegal and Alaska to the Tokyo fish market – featuring top scientists, indigenous fishermen and fisheries enforcement officials, The End of the Line is a wake-up call to the world.

    It really is a great film and if anyone is interested in supporting scientific data/papers I can provide them. Most estimates show that business as usual will result in a almost barren sea by 2050. We are at a critical cross roads where change can still be made and the oceans saved; but that tipping point is quickly approaching.


    :angry4:
    As spearos we can do our part by educating ourselves as to the ecology of the fish we hunt. For instance the hog fish doesn't reach full maturity until they are about 18" typically; so shooting a non male or fish just at the 12" mark removes a female that hasn't yet spawned and thus hasn't contributed to the populations. But hopefully this min. size will be moved to 18" soon.


    As a side note; recreational fisherman are the number one cause for the decline in hog fish and the main method of harvest is spearing.


    Aside from education we can also only shoot what we will eat in the immediate future (without having to freeze our catch) and not limiting out every time we enter the water. I know it's hard to turn away when there a fish a plenty; but really how often does that happen?
    Stepping off the soapbox now, lol :angry3:


    Good points.

    Quote from Dan

    Not good at all. The Hog fish population is healthy. An increase to a min size of 14" is reasonable just because anything less is unethical.


    Dan, I will try to find the reports but the HF population has been in decline for some time on this coast. It is healthier in the Gulf but here the populations are considered to be threatened. The IUCN has it under a classification of vulnerable. Populations in Florida have seen a decline of almost 60% in recent years starting in the mid 80s.


    I was under the same impression as you until I did an extensive report on the HF last year, saw the data, and spoke with the fisheries people here in S. FL. At times I think we as divers and hunters mistake anecdotal data for real data; I know I have been guilty myself of this. Even just a comparison to the Gulf by diving one can note the difference in size, fecundity, and overall population.


    An increase to 18", or even 14", would make a huge difference in the stocks here and benefit us all. But I think if the size was eased up to 18" we would see more in that range and above.


    A touchy issue I know.


    I'm on the same page as you on HF

    here is my position on this issue...


    the limit now is 5 fish per day at 12' to the fork.


    many people are idiots and dont know what "to the fork" means and take fish that are 12" total...this can be a hog as short as 9'


    manypeople who are idiots, also think that they are above the law and they shoot fish below the 12" mark, which they are already wrong about.



    I would like to see people not take any fish smaller than 14" I feel that ONE way to accomplish this would be to raise the size to 18". this would ensure that even the dumbest poaching-est Ahole has a 14" fish. I do not support this plan...I do not want to limit myself, an honest shooter wit ha good eye for fish size, just because of stupid people and poachers.


    we need better enforcement of the current regs and better education of the fishermen before we start increasing the sizes.


    DO NOT be too quick to give up your rights.....they will nto be given back




    I see the hogfish doing quite well off miami. I saw about 100 of them on a single dive in 50' off key biscayne a few weeks ago...they looked like little gorgonians growing out of the sand until they started swiming away.


    I have seen a lot less off the beachs of Ft lauderdale...I have seen a lot less fish in general off those beaches.


    i would fully support an increase to 14" because it would come with more flyers that show dumbasses how to measure to the fork.

    i like to spear fish

    it is a slippery slope when you start making all of these regulations. It is best to educate people on ethically taking fish and as far as consuming sushi.

    BOBBERRYFISHCARVINGS.COM

    Judah,
    I agree that increasing to 14" would be sufficient and that making that jump and seeing the results is a better move than going straight to 18"; especially considering it would take some time to start seeing shootable fish consistently at 18".


    People being idiots is certainly a major issue with this but more I feel that people are selfish and/or don't care/believe what the scientist say so they take what they want. But with the idiots thing I think a lot of that is a lack of education on the part of the scientist. Personally I think that one should have to take a short test on fish ID, measurement methods, and current laws to get their license.


    Unfortunately until the idiots and poachers are reigned in the laws are going to end up limiting those who are honest as the unethical hunters/fisherman are the ones causing a great deal of the problem.


    The size increase proposal has nothing to do with current regs or education; it is a matter of biology. At 12" it is a high likelihood that the HF has not spawned whereas at 14" that likelihood is much less and at 18" it is almost null. With such great fishing pressure on HF the increase is necessary regardless of how educated the hunters are.


    As far as "giving up your rights" I think that may be a bit of an overstatement. True, typically the size limits are not lowered again but it isn't really a right to shoot a fish at a certain size; or at all really. But historically once the limit is increased the average size increases as well.


    Miami does tend to have a stronger population of HF and it increases as you move south into the Keys. I postulate that this is because of a few reasons. One is that the shore diving isn't as easy there so the fish aren't as easily accessible as they are in here. Another is that just south of Miami is the upper keys reserve and I feel that Miami gets quite a bit of spillover effects from the reserve via larvae transmission on the currents. Spillover effects are actually a huge benefit of MPAs.


    Tuna,
    I agree people need to be better educated and that perhaps that falls on us as marine scientist but the material is out there to be read. The issue is that some people simply are greedy and take the grasshopper approach to what the earth"owes them" and sees taking of her gifts as a right rather than the privilege it is. Also there are people like me who study this but there seems to be a knee jerk reaction on the part of the hunters (which I am also) to distrust the science and regulations and take their own anecdotal data as real data. As with Lunker's example in Miami; a few spots in one city is a rather small sample size to determine stock health given how interconnected the stocks are up the coast.


    Sorry for the length but I have been reading on this a lot lately so it is on the forefront of my mind, lol


    But my end goal is to keep healthy stocks so I have plenty of fish to shoot! 8)

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member to leave a comment.

Register a new account
Sign in now