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Fishing Lessons: Artisanal Fisheries and the Future of Our Oceans
Fish bones in the caves of East Timor reveal that humans have systematically fished the seas for at least 42,000 years. But in recent centuries, our ancient, vital relationship with the oceans has changed faster than the tides. As boats and fishing technology have evolved, traditional fishermen have been challenged both at sea and in the marketplace by large-scale fishing companies whose lower overhead and greater efficiency guarantee lower prices. In Fishing Lessons , Kevin M. Bailey captains a voyage through the deep history and present course of this sea change—a change that has seen species depleted, ecosystems devastated, and artisanal fisheries transformed into a global industry afloat with hundreds of billions of dollars per year.
Bailey knows these waters, the artisanal fisheries, and their relationship with larger ocean ecology intimately. In a series of place-based portraits, he shares stories of decline and success as told by those at the ends of the long lines and hand lines, channeling us through the changing dynamics of small-scale fisheries and the sustainability issues they face—both fiscal and ecological. We encounter Paolo Vespoli and his tiny boat, the Giovanni Padre , in the Gulf of Naples; Wenche, a sea Sámi, one of the indigenous fisherwomen of Norway; and many more. From salmon to abalone, the Bay of Fundy to Monterey and the Amazon, Bailey’s catch is no fish tale. It is a global story, casting a net across waters as vast and distinct as Puget Sound and the Chilean coast. Sailing across the world, Bailey explores the fast-shifting current of how we gather food from the sea, what we gain and what we lose with these shifts, and potential solutions for the murky passage ahead.
Bailey knows these waters, the artisanal fisheries, and their relationship with larger ocean ecology intimately. In a series of place-based portraits, he shares stories of decline and success as told by those at the ends of the long lines and hand lines, channeling us through the changing dynamics of small-scale fisheries and the sustainability issues they face—both fiscal and ecological. We encounter Paolo Vespoli and his tiny boat, the Giovanni Padre , in the Gulf of Naples; Wenche, a sea Sámi, one of the indigenous fisherwomen of Norway; and many more. From salmon to abalone, the Bay of Fundy to Monterey and the Amazon, Bailey’s catch is no fish tale. It is a global story, casting a net across waters as vast and distinct as Puget Sound and the Chilean coast. Sailing across the world, Bailey explores the fast-shifting current of how we gather food from the sea, what we gain and what we lose with these shifts, and potential solutions for the murky passage ahead.
- GenresScience
224 pages, Hardcover
Published May 1, 2018
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July 18, 2021
This is a thoughtful book about the difference between making a living and making profit from the sea. Bailey is a marine fisheries biologist and ecologist who argues that we can learn from the history and methods of small-scale fisheries to ensure food security and protect ecosystems.
He defines artisanal as a “small-scale traditional fishery” with a concern for the ecosystem and “delivering a craft product to market.” Not all small-scale producers do this, he argues. There are interviews with fishers from Italy, Norway, Chile, indigenous fishers in the Pacific northwest, the Sami region of Norway, other areas of North America and farmers of various marine species.
Bailey explains how the World Bank drove capital consolidation in larger boats and fewer hands for “efficiency” and the disastrous effects of industrial fishing on communities and ecosystems. It often appears─and industrial fishers and some scientists argue─that small fishers are part of the overfishing problem because they may underreport their catch. The Mediterranean has around 35,000 fishing boats of which 30,000 are small-scale fishers but they are not the main driver of declining fish populations. As Bailey explains, the real causes are a combination of too many industrial boats taking too many fish in ecosystems under pressure from nitrates and phosphates washed off agricultural land, pollution, destruction of marine species’ habitats and warming water linked to climate change. That’s why the spawning biomass in the Med shrank by nearly 75% between 1990 and 2010. The small fishers' struggle to make a living from pathetically small catches is horrible to see.
Bailey writes about the long history of human fishing by women and men with bark canoes, fish traps and other technology and the different cultures who fished by diving. Some of these people were annihilated by european settlers to make space for a different mode of production, others survived and fought to regain control of ancient fishing grounds.
Bailey is also very clear about the problems of farming salmon, which could destroy the remaining wild salmon, but asks nevertheless whether, “aquaculture is a potential answer to human food demand if handled with care.” That handling with care is the challenge. Capital, whether farming, fishing, fossil fuel extraction, construction and so on doesn’t give a hoot for ecosystems or people. Only the amount of profit in relation to its investment matters. It would be great if some of the aquaculture examples Bailey mentions were to be socially and ecologically progressive, but those involving Amazon-owned Whole Foods, for instance will always prioritise profit. That’s why they cut medical benefits for some workers, pay poverty wages and are virulently anti-union.
This book shows that a future sustainable fishing will need to involve some very old methods and technology. But if we can reach a system of convivial, mutual relationship to the source of life, with more safety equipment and hands, fishing could return to being part of a managed environment for the benefit of all species.
He defines artisanal as a “small-scale traditional fishery” with a concern for the ecosystem and “delivering a craft product to market.” Not all small-scale producers do this, he argues. There are interviews with fishers from Italy, Norway, Chile, indigenous fishers in the Pacific northwest, the Sami region of Norway, other areas of North America and farmers of various marine species.
Bailey explains how the World Bank drove capital consolidation in larger boats and fewer hands for “efficiency” and the disastrous effects of industrial fishing on communities and ecosystems. It often appears─and industrial fishers and some scientists argue─that small fishers are part of the overfishing problem because they may underreport their catch. The Mediterranean has around 35,000 fishing boats of which 30,000 are small-scale fishers but they are not the main driver of declining fish populations. As Bailey explains, the real causes are a combination of too many industrial boats taking too many fish in ecosystems under pressure from nitrates and phosphates washed off agricultural land, pollution, destruction of marine species’ habitats and warming water linked to climate change. That’s why the spawning biomass in the Med shrank by nearly 75% between 1990 and 2010. The small fishers' struggle to make a living from pathetically small catches is horrible to see.
Bailey writes about the long history of human fishing by women and men with bark canoes, fish traps and other technology and the different cultures who fished by diving. Some of these people were annihilated by european settlers to make space for a different mode of production, others survived and fought to regain control of ancient fishing grounds.
Bailey is also very clear about the problems of farming salmon, which could destroy the remaining wild salmon, but asks nevertheless whether, “aquaculture is a potential answer to human food demand if handled with care.” That handling with care is the challenge. Capital, whether farming, fishing, fossil fuel extraction, construction and so on doesn’t give a hoot for ecosystems or people. Only the amount of profit in relation to its investment matters. It would be great if some of the aquaculture examples Bailey mentions were to be socially and ecologically progressive, but those involving Amazon-owned Whole Foods, for instance will always prioritise profit. That’s why they cut medical benefits for some workers, pay poverty wages and are virulently anti-union.
This book shows that a future sustainable fishing will need to involve some very old methods and technology. But if we can reach a system of convivial, mutual relationship to the source of life, with more safety equipment and hands, fishing could return to being part of a managed environment for the benefit of all species.
Displaying 1 of 1 review