Our Ocean: Fish and Fishing

by Bethany McFarland AOR
age 14

All around Midgard the governments spend lots of money on war and exploring space, sending satellites into space, which is great for technology, but space is very quickly becoming a rubbish dump.

Not much is known about our oceans. There are so many wonderful species of animals, mammals and plant life, new species being discovered all the time. We also have endangered species.

People don’t fish like our folk from the past did, where they only took what was needed and used every part of the animal or mammal, or waited until a storm washed a Whale or Shark up and thanked the Gods for it.
Now they use trawlers with huge fishing nets, taking more fish than they need. Whilst doing this they are destroying the bottom of the sea beds and stripping everything bare. The stocks of our fish are disappearing and are not having enough time to replenish.

Not only do we eat fish, but it also provides food for other sea creatures and also birds that live around our coasts that also in decline.

Most of the fish that is caught by this method of fishing is not needed because they are the wrong type of fish or too small, they are then thrown dead back into the sea, or worse, the trawler men catch too much for their quota and then have to throw them back into the sea, these fish are always dead and its such a waste. I’m not saying that we should stop eating fish altogether, as fish can be very good for our diet.

Please just stop and think what we are eating, how its been fished? The best thing is to eat sustainable fish. These are caught by the old fashioned way, just like our ancestors did. Even though some of them are not our own folk it gives the local people jobs, and yes it might cost a little more to buy fish caught this way, but at least you know its “friendly fish” you are eating. Try to eat fish that is in season, ask your local fish monger for details or find the blue tick on the packet or tin, this is the sign of sustainable fish.