Save time by listening to our audio articles as you multitaskEarlier this month Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch, a California programme which advises consumers and businesses on what marine life to eat, placed the Atlantic lobster on its “avoid” list. According to Seafood Watch, the lines used in lobster fishing can entangle the endangered North Atlantic right whale. Outraged Maine lobstermen say they have not had an entanglement with a right whale in nearly two decades.
Seafood Watch believes these measures “do not go far enough”. The right whale is in danger of extinction. Fewer than 350 North Atlantic right whales survive. According to one study, over 80% of them have been entangled in fishing gear at least once. They bear the scars. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , the federal agency which oversees the country’s fisheries, has long been working with Maine to support sustainable lobster fishing and protect endangered species. “We fully recognise that Maine lobstermen have done a ton over the years,” says Allison Ferreira ofset a goal of reducing risk to whales by 90%. Its plan for doing this includes ropeless traps, which could be costly.
Just for comparison, how many work in illegal heroin distribution? The number of people making a living at something does not determine the social worth of that industry, especially an industry that produces nothing but only pillages the natural commons.
Yup. Greed and ignorance has wrecked the environment. This will affect everyone, including lobster fisherman. Vote for Democrats and the system(s) have a small chance to rebound, vote for the GOP and you'll never know any progress, only further destruction and misery.
As long as people are going to accept the narrative that the environment is more important than any human activity, humans are going to suffer. We need to care as much as we can, but we are going too far nowadays.