What Part Of "Protected" In "Marine Protected Area" Don't You Get?

Marine protected areas (MPAs) work as a conservation tool. No take MPAs have demonstrated their success in allowing previously over-fished species of fish to recover. The consensus of coral reef scientists who gathered in Florida last month for the 11th International Coral Reef Symposium was that MPAs are still our best defense against global coral threats. But we need more of them, and those already in existence need strengthening.

But tell that to decision makers on Guam.

Bill 327, introduced by Sens. Judith Guthertz and Rory Respicio on July 2, seeks to grant Chamorros (indigenous residents of Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana islands) "special rights to off-shore fishing and harvesting of resources in order to redress historical discriminatory policies," according to the proposed legislation. But a pesky little problem has arisen surrounding this bill. Who is Chamorro and how, precisely, does one decide what indigenous means?

As Dave Davis of the Marianas Variety writes,

Most of those who claim Chamorro ethnicity would probably have a tough time proving it through bloodline tracings. After truly indigenous Chamorros were virtually exterminated by the Spaniards in the 1600s, vestiges of original bloodlines were diluted by intermarriage and other less formal domestic relationships with Spaniards; Filipinos; Mexicans (many of whom were ethnic Native Americans); Chinese; Japanese; several varieties of European Caucasian (British, Portuguese, Italian, Scottish, etc.); and who-knows - what else over the ensuing four hundred years, and it continues today. Modern Chamorros can likely trace bloodlines only part way back through that maze, so it's probably not the most reliable proof of origin. Even local law acknowledges that uncertainty by alluding to bloodline qualification "to the remotest degree," but makes no attempt to address any bloodline criteria prior to 1898. That's pretty thin.

If Bill 327 is passed it will open open Guam's MPAs for fishing, claiming that such conservation areas are causing the loss of tradition and culture. So once again, arguments for tradition apparently trump sound resource management. But why do I get the feeling that tradition has very little to do with Bill 327? Color me skeptical, but this smacks more of profit and greed as motivators. And it has all the markings of a certain fisheries lobbying group written all over it.

SalmonAid 2008

No, it's not a new protein drink. SalmonAid is a Pacific coast effort to find solutions and support for a fishing industry that's been decimated by poor choices and lack of action. And it's in my backyard for the next two days.

Unless your head's been buried in the sand over the past few months, you already know that salmon season was cancelled this year from California to the Pacific Northwest. Close to 1,000 commercial fishermen have been impacted by the closure and everyone is looking for answers. SalmonAid was formulated in an effort to get groups that formerly lobbed a lot of blame at each other to gather around a cause:

By uniting commercial, tribal, and sportfishing interests with conservation organizations, chefs and restaurant owners, and the American consumer to celebrate and restore our wild salmon and healthy, free-flowing rivers, SalmonAid will inform the public about the historic, cultural, economic, dietary, and environmental benefits of healthy wild salmon populations and the threats to their continued existence.

Typical foggy and chilly Bay Area weather didn't discourage attendees. Manuel and I joined a sizable crowd to visit information booths, talk to fishers and fish conservationists, pose with a giant inflatable salmon, and quaff Sierra Nevada beer. Sounds like a perfect Saturday to me!

Enjoy some pics from our adventures today (my fave is the image of a woman chatting-up a salmon). If you're in the Bay Area this weekend, head to Jack London Square in Oakland and help support an important cause that doesn't just benefit fish, but fishers too.

Two Scoops Of Sardines... Hold The Sprinkles

You've tried fish sticks, fish cakes, fish balls, fried fish, baked fish, grilled fish, and fish roe. Now get ready to add fish ice cream to the menu. News from India's Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT) indicates a newly developed technology that can prepare nutrition enriched ice cream and noodles using seafood.

Called Maricream (I know, terrible name), the ingredient list reads like a traditional ice cream recipe: water, sugar, butter, egg whites, flavoring substances, stabilizers and emulsifiers. Except the primary ingredient in the prototype product is cuttlefish. Okay, so it's mollusk ice cream. The mixture is whipped and pasteurized to form a rigid foamy substance and is finally frozen at -20 degree Celsius. The ice cream carries no fishy smell. According to CIFT, the resultant product is delicious and protein-packed. The fish noodles are also odor-free yet pack an increased nutritional value.

Regular readers of the blog Shifting Baselines will recall Jennifer Jacquet's recent call to eat like a pig. Her rationale: Stop depleting our oceans of tasty sardines, anchovies, and herring all to produce fishmeal to fatten pigs on factory farms and start filling our own bellies with this often under-appreciated seafood. Being low on the ocean food chain, sardines, anchovies, and herring are more plentiful and don't come with the risks of mercury and other bioaccumulating toxins found in tuna, swordfish, or other big-bodied marine species.

No hard sell for me. I happen to love sardines--my favorite brand being Matiz Gallego Portuguese sardines in olive oil at $2.99 a can. I'm also a big fan of anchovies on pizza, focaccia, in Pasta Puttanesca, or just straight out of the can. And as a good East Coast boy who hasn't met a Jewish deli I don't like, I love a good pickled herring. But I know I'm somewhat of an outlier. As Jennifer has documented, these species are too often unfairly perceived as trash fish here in the States.

Which brings me back to fish ice cream and noodles. While I'm not a fan of a lot of processing when it comes to my food, maybe fish ice cream or fish noodles produced from sardines or herring can help serve as training wheels for fussy American palates and begin a process of weaning consumers from higher ocean trophic levels. It's a big maybe. But if we're going to have any success at salvaging ocean fisheries, it will require some risk taking on kooky ideas. Anyone for a herring hot-fudge sundae?