Four Fish by Paul Greenberg

Résumé du document

The author begins by telling us his personal story: where he comes from, his social origins and his family members. In this passage, we learn how Greenberg came to discover fishing and why it became the passion of his life. As he shows us how he gradually went further in his discovery of the sea, we understand that he actually draws a parallel with the way he studied fish: far beyond home, all across the oceans and rivers, from the wild salmon runs in Alaska to the Long Island Sound and the fjords of Norway. The researcher is particularly interested in four species of fish that most commonly end up in our plates: salmon, bass, cod and tuna. We quickly understand in this introduction that the stake is to make this multi-billion fishing industry move toward sustainability. In this perspective Greenberg wants us to study and choose the right levers to manage both wild and cultivated fish industries.

The first observation of Greenberg is very simple. Fishermen catch too many fish and this is the reason why species have declined. In the passage, Greenberg focuses mainly on salmon whose consumption has drastically increased over the last decades. He raises several issues. The first is lobbying that prevents the emergence of a strong sustainable certification. The second is environmental. Human footprint has kept on increasing with the increasing consumption. As a result, pollution of rivers and seas has removed many species and climate changes changed the rules of the natural selection.

Extraits

[...] To conclude on this topic, he says: “selection pressure should be put on farms rather than on artificial salmon”. Finally, if we want to reintroduce fish in rivers and seas from which they have been banned, we learn that it is not only about genetics but also about preparing juveniles for reintroduction and timing the stocking of rivers, by providing tanks with currents and predators that they will have to tackle in their future natural environment. So finally, for Greenberg, genetics could be a support for nature. [...]

[...] Ethical issue: water pollution and the fish, case of BP rig in the golf of Mexico When Greenberg mentions Alaska and its fish reserve, it reminded me the Exxon Valdez oil slick. What about the last disaster that happened this summer in the golf of Mexico? The BP oil spill is the largest accidental release of oil into marine waters, according to some experts. It caused a lot of concerns about its short-term and long-term water pollution effects. Various approaches were undertaken to plug the leak and reduce the impact of the oil on the sea surface and the coasts. [...]

[...] They are also very beautiful when they can be seen shining when they jump out of the water. We can imagine how the author was shocked when he learned about the largest oil spill in the history. Recommendations If we assume that the state is responsible for the public field, even if it is not considered to have the whole charge of this domain anymore, then the US government's role should be to take care of its territorial waters and regulate, control and check what is done by all the companies within its territory, especially for such activities that are extremely dangerous for the environment and so for the fish and that can impact a whole multi-billion industry. [...]

[...] As a result, the whole fishing industry of the golf is affected, and it will not change overnight. Some say the dispersants are not necessarily toxic to consumers and even oil itself, but this is actually the combination of the two that is very armful. As an illustration, if we take a glass of water: oil alone floats at the surface whereas if we add dispersants, the result is a cloudy mess. Moreover chemicals can get into the gills of fish. So we can be particularly concerned about their future and the one of the consumers. [...]

[...] The researcher is particularly interested in four species of fish that most commonly end up in our plates: salmon, bass, cod and tuna. We quickly understand in this introduction that the stake is to make this multi-billion fishing industry move toward sustainable. In this perspective Greenberg want us to study and choose the right levers to manage both wild and cultivated fish industries. The first observation of Greenberg is very simple. Fishermen catch too many fish and this is the reason why species have declined. In the passage, Greenberg focuses mainly on salmon whose consumption has drastically increased over the last decades. [...]