================ Some of it is stupid; the[freshwater] bluegil population faces overpopulation challenges. And has for many years.Bass/catfish like to eat them , so there is hope forthe bluegill overpopulation challenge.LOL Interestin fact on wild catfish, they are like a bottom feeding ,non kosher hog, & show up as a fish in some areas /rivers, not recommended to eat. Salmon & tuna probably need all the help they can get; that's one reason i buy wild caught[not tame] salmon.Tuna & salmon prices have gone up 20-30 % past year,[US dollar price] but so had pineapples; no way pineapple population is threatned , not yet anyway.LOL
Heres the problem with fish futures... fish and shell fish are essentially an end product... catch, gut, eat. Liquid commodity markets generally have multiple end users. That is they are used as inputs for other finished goods. different fish species are generally substitutes also. If they are out of Mahi.. then I take the snapper. The problem would be the whole world had a diet like the Japanese... I would be interested statistical analysis of fish prices.. price elasticity of different species
There are a good number of speculative avenues in fisheries and fortunes have been made already. ITQ's (Individual Tradable Quotas) have been bought and leased to catchers for some time now and there has been some options trading in sea frozen product. Dragons Teeth former fisherman and fish buyer/seller.
Many cultures and religions teach abstinence from unclean animals/carrion eaters/bottom feeders/cloven-hoof(not cud chewing), for a variety of reasons that translate to health and hygiene practices. Bottom feeders (not exclusively) retain toxins and heavy metals that are stored in body tissues and internal organs. Transference to host through consumption.
Some of these changes are naturally occurring and cyclic. For example the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico and various other coastal regions globally. Agriculture methods and rainfall exacerbate and skew the dimensions and duration of these zones and upset the ecological balance, which creates a domino effect of imbalances. The good news is nature always seeks a balance- the bad news is sometimes nature wipes the slate and starts over. At the risk of ridicule, I see the polar regions warming but elsewhere cooling. Sunspot coincidences...perhaps. In a historical context, the earth has been relatively quiet over the past century.
==================== And i dont really think negatively about a catfish, or vulture or earthworm. Toxins are stored in fat also. Bottom feeders/carrion eaters/clean up crew performs a needed function in the wildlife kingdom. I will aim @ doing my part by not eating vultures...... My banker Dad liked wild TN river carfish, but ''hated farm raised catfish''LOL Maybe i shouldnt have put earthworms in that class,even though they eat dirt, most any freshwater ''clean '' fish would eat earthworms if they could.
We're having the best Cod (non commercial) season in many years here in LI, NY. The regulations and restrictions on Cod definitely are helping rebuild stocks. Two years ago I saw numbers of juveniles - they are now in the 8-12 lb range. Back in the 80's the Striped Bass was believed to be on the verge of extinction. I rememeber my friend catching ONE off the beach the whole season and it was a huge deal to us. People used to catch and keep 100's a day. Now restrictions are in place - and I rarely fish for them because its almost too easy to catch one. Acres and acres of fish in the fall. Regulation works - fish stocks can bounce back given a chance.
Fellow LI`er here. East end. Agree 100% with everything you said. During the fall season stripers are practically walking on the beach in hamptons bays.
This thread is making me hungry. Blue point oysters, razor clams, beer battered-deep fried cod *with a pint of Bass or Anchor Steam* mmmmm