EP 565 Commercial Fishing Arrives in the 21st Century

 

Remember Steinbeck’s “The Old Man and the Sea”?  It is a striking image of a curmudgeonly type of grisled character trolling the waters aimlessly.  As it relates to modern day commercial fishing in America, particularly New England, nothing could be further from the truth.  New 21st century approaches to fishing are addressing the negative perceptions ascribed to both wild fishing and fish farming that date back decades.  Practices like wild catch, stricter catch quotas, protections against accidental ‘by catch’ and restrictions on the ‘days at sea’ have all improved the status of the fishing profession and the US stocks of fish.  Today, roughly 84 percent of all 400-plus stocks managed by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration are neither over fished nor subject to over fishing.  Those who fish commercially, which one could argue  represents America’s first industry, have entered a postindustrial age, using high tech tools to better do their job and protect the environment.  If you, like a growing number of people, like great fish I think you’ll be amazed and heartened at the story Nicholas Sullivan tells in his new book, “The Blue Revolution” and shares with us on this podcast.

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