Ocean Solitaire by Bill McKibben

Bill McKibben writes about the decreasing fish population on our oceans and the effect it has on the fishing industries. He also discusses why the kdecreasing fish population is taking place. These reasons include over-fishing, advanced technology, and lack of government intervention.

It has been my point of view that over-fishing has been taking place for quite awhile. We have heard different theories on the subject for the last ten years. Recently, a documentary was shown on T.V. about the reduction of lobster and crab, and the effects this was having on the United States. McKibben has also discusses the fish farms that are popping up throughout the world. It is my hope the world invests more money on fish farms that have developed to keep up with the demand for fish.

Red Lake Reservation knows first hand what happens to lakes if they are overfished. At this time there is no fishing on Red Lake becasue it has been overfished and there is not a substantial amount of walleye in the lake. The Red lake Reservation is doing all that it can so this lake can be again a prime provider of the walleye. Other reservations have fantastic stocking methods also. Leech Lake has it own fisheries and stocks lakes yearly with "fingerlings" (young walleye).

Another concern for our freshwater fish is the high mercury content. Many doctors and scientists have already stated that people should not consume more then one meal of fish a month. When I was pregnant my doctor advised me to stay away from all freshwater fish through the entire pregnancy. This can be quite frightful when fish is one of the staples for many families.

-- Anonymous, February 01, 1999

Answers

Hello Valerie: My name is John Hansen, I'm the new discussion facilitator and an instructor in the Communication Department at UMD. Your comments offer another perspective on this article. Because it appears that some of us want to consume more than we should we really create problems.What can we do to help our students to understand that we do not need to "have and consume" everything? Have you more thoughts? Thanks, John

-- Anonymous, March 03, 1999