Of shrimps - economics and ecology

Here's an interesting article for you, tallying answers to the question - why shrimp consumption has been on the increase. The blog author wanted to some degree test the theory that answers would vary depending on whether the respondent is an economist, or not, and thus focus refer to changes in "supply", or "demand" respectively. Given the responses, the hypothesis faired only so-so, and part of the answer probably is attributable to the decreasing price of shrimp.

Now I say this is all fine and dandy from an economics point of view -- but, and this is where those who know me will start laughing as they've heard this probably far too many times (!), no shrimp story is complete without telling you that eating farmed or non-trap caught shrimp is bad bad bad bad bad bad news!!!!!! ... and should you *ever* sit at a dinner table with me eating those, I will give you a very hard time!...so much so that you'll probably feel guilty next time you eat them, and wind up enver eating them again!

SO why is eating shrimp such a bad idea - I'll try to keep it simple:

1. Most shrimp tend to be caught using trawling gear - this not only destroys the seafloor (the refuge place of many a fish, think cutting down trees in a forest) but also leads to all sorts of other non-targeted species being caught in the nets. Shrimp trawling is renowned for having the highest incident of bycatch (those species you weren't trying to catch). The usual statistic is that for every pound of shrimp you catch, you'll end up with 4 pounds of 'unwanted' juvenile fish and other marine life in your hands... and ocne the shrimp have been sorted out that bycatch usually just gets chucked over board.
   
2. OK OK - so you turn to me and say but I only eat farmed shrimp, so I am all good.... well think again:
   
1. A lot of imported shrimp come from farms that were set up in mangrove habitats. This means, more often than not the mangrove trees themselves had to be cut down to make space for the farm to be established - now mangroves are very important and productive systems. Why so? Here are but a few of the services they render: they protect coastlines from erosion (even potentially protecting communities from dangers such as the impact of tsunamis), they provide important nursery habitats for juvenile fish, and they harbour a lot of species that local communities depend on for self sustenance;
2. and.... shrimp that grow in farms need to be fed... and they get fed fish meal and fish oil... and those fishes that were ground up to feed the shrimp to then feed you, would have otherwise probably ended up on someone else's plate in Thailand for example.
3. lastly, sadly, many shrimp farms are usually renowned for their rather miserable working conditions
   

Now it's relatively easy for me to say all this and abstain from shrimp - 1) because I believe firmly in what I do (being a marine ecologist and therefore by extension respecting mother nature as much as I can) but 2) also because I am allergic to these beasts! Thus, if you really have an incredibly soft spot for shrimp and can't possibly imagine your life without ever eating shrimp again, I have the answer for you!
Eat shrimp that were trap caught - such as British Columbia trap caught spot prawns.
Eating sustainable seafood is possible; depending on where you live here area couple of websites that you'll find helpful and useful

• Blue Ocean Institute
• Seachoice
• if you're in the UK check out the Marine Conservation Society's web page, they've got a slew of information re: when to buy which fish etc... for just an overview download their good fish guide

- print out their little wallet size card and keep it handy :o)

So now you have no excuse; and by eating responsibly not only will you be looking after our oceans, but you'll also be making sure you'll be eating fish (and/or shrimp) for years to come!

Now go out there and convert at least one of your friends ;o)

Nelson Mandela

Every morning before I get started with work I've taken to reading the BBC World News - it's usually relatively succinct and covers it all. One story that touched me today is the unveiling of Nelson Mandela's statue in London opposite the Houses of Parliament. The mayor of London present at the events said something that stuck with me - "Long after we are forgotten, you will be remembered for having taught the word one amasing truth; that you can achieve justice without vengeance."

In stark contrast to World News how about this bit of video!! no comment ;o)

The weather is gorgeous today - blue, blue skies, 29 degrees and radiant sun. I must admit today I am struggling to stay focused on drawing up species list of all the creepy crawlies that occur at that park I mentioned yesterday, KAHO, in Hawai'i. Some classical music and a cup of Earl Grey should help though :o)

...and well in the end I gave in ;o) ... and am feeling all the better for it; hehehe! Savas, his friend Cristiane and I ended up going kayaking to the arboretum from lake Union... and what a paddling trip it was! Although the cut between Lake Union and Union Bay is fraught with crazy sailors, yachts and other boats that have you confronting some serious chop, the arboretum waters themselves are comparable to a glassy mirror. It's truly beautiful: water lilies everywhere, herons striking a pose as you turn into smaller tributaries, ducks flashing their bums plucking at the more than abundant seaweeds (I actually think there are a few too many nutrients in that water!)... and the peacefulness of it all... yet we're merely meters away from the crazy 520 interstate - the bridge under which you've actually got to paddle it you want to enter the arboretum waters...

Et pour finir la soirée en beauté as we'd say in French Savas and I had dinner at this newly established fabulous restaurant in Queen Anne - according to me it boasts some of the best pizza ever... though that may be because i am serioulsy pizza deprived in Vancouver! ;o)

Right - off to bed it is - as tomorrow has got to be another incredibly productive day before I head home to Vancouver

Lunar eclipse

Not sure if any of you got up to see the lunar eclipse - but it was well worth it! A big bright orange pie in the sky - sort of eerie yet fascinating.... and I must say that my friend Savas boasts the best balcony from which to view such celestial magic. Only downside --the incredible light pollution surrounding the residential areas around here.
Since getting here I've managed to be rather productive, which was the whole idea after all - be productive, and improve my running performance more than ever before! The last two days we've gone for a run 'round Green Lake park - a beautiful place to go, and where most of the folks, judging by their bodies (and yes they 8do* like to show them off!), jogging around the body of water must be some accomplished runners. Not sure if it makes you go faster or not though ;o)
I've spent all of today working on getting a handle of what the ecosystem of The National Historic Park of Kanoko Holokohau is like, what the main threats to its balance are as well as finding out where I am most likely to find all the information I will need to develop an ecosystem model of it (using the software Ecopath with Ecosim, aka EwE- yes I do like the fact that it sounds like ewwww!). Of course I am of the conviction that taking a trip there would help me tremendously ;o)
However until then it's back to the books ... and Green Lake Park to give the midn some fresh air and a touch of sunshine.

Seattle

SO I've 'escaped' to Seattle for a few days to visit my friend Savas and also to get my head stuck into the books and make some significant progress before term starts and with it my TA duties and the maelstrom of other stuff ... eeek start of term it conjures images of packed buses, a full campus, mayhem everywhere ... ahhh the quiet days of summer will be over!
I got here on the weekend - just so I could relax some before going full throttle into work mode -- Saturday night we went to a lovely Mexican restaurant before going salsa dancing at Century ballroom. Some pretty incredible dancers, but also a lot of showing off!!!! Kinda fun to watch though!
Then yesterday we went for nice walks - my injured toe prevented us from going on a hike on Mount Rainier :o and hung out with one of Savas' friends who is in town for a couple of days from San Francisco.

I like Seattle - it feels somewhat more industrialised than Vancouver - but also somehow more cosmopolitan. It definitely has an 'American city' feel to it that I don't miss in Vancouver - but it has sort of the same dynamism & the same easy access to outdoors feel.

Reading up on work emails this morning I had this bit of news that merits being cited again:
According to "Aquaculture and Fisheries: A Global Strategic Business Report" published by Global Industry Analysts Inc., about one billion human beings worldwide depend on fish as their primary means of animal protein, particularly in coastal areas where reliance on fish is normally higher. [the crazy thing is actually going to that company's website and attempting to download the report you're told it will cost you $3950!!!! that cannot possibly be the case - that would be absolutely ludicrous! ]

The other bit of ocean news I've wanted to post here for a while but always seem to forget is the following sad report:
Large-scale analysis of the world's largest reef system indicates that coral destruction is faster and more widespread than researchers previously thought. Over the past 2 decades, coral has disappeared at five times the rate of Earth's rain forests.
If you follow the link you can actually read the whole article online, as it was published in PLoS ONE a new generation of open access publications.

Random thoughts

Today feels like it's been a long day - and yet when I look at the list of accomplished things, I've not done all that much :o| ... but I also can't say I wasn't productive ;o) ... yes one of those!
All sorts of thoughts have been pushing and shoving around in swirls in my head. I've been thinking about my family lots -- as my brother just headed out to Geneva to be briefed on his new mission in Sri Lanka. He should land into Colombo some time this weekend -- and then head out to Ampara on the East coast sometime next week. Of course I am anxious -- but I must admit that after Afghanistan and the Sudan and having spent a little time in Sri Lanka, this feels much more 'normal' - whatever that may mean in the context of humanitarian aid! I miss him heaps -- it's been over a year now since I last saw him; feels like much longer given how communication whilst he was in the Sudan was rather difficult at best. And although I am glad he got to spend about two months in Europe and thus enjoy 'home' with mom and dad in Montpellier and quality times with the lil sista, I can't feel but a pinch in the heart that I wasn't so lucky. Will just have to make sure I suppose that I absolutely capitalise and maximise on my own sisterly quality time next time I see him ;o)

The sun was out today though -- making sure sad thoughts didn't prevail ... even making me smile :o) beams feeling nice on my skin when I strolled to the bus stop on my way downtown to treat myself (finally!!) to the Monet to Dali exhibit
Neil and I have wanted to go see it for a while -- yet something always came up. It was nice to go in the afternoon too as, though it was crowded, it wasn't crazily packed - which would have made reading of any of the sign postings next to the paintings impossible to read whilst squished between 5-6 people all the while trying to not obscure other people's view of the paintings themselves! Why is it that they make those signs so RIDICULOUSLY MALL????? Ever heard of BIG FONTS?! ;o)

I am constantly on the lookout for good books - right now I am reading this crazy novel (Paddle to the Amazon by Sarkell and Wilkins) about a dad and his two sons (later one of them quit) who decided to canoe all the way from Winnipeg all the way to Belem via the Rio Negro!!! I kid you not!
However, on the more intellectual shall we say side of things, dad has just sent me a review that inspired me to get the following book - Bottom billion: Why the poorest countries are failing and what can be done about it by Paul Collier. If you want a review of the NYT article - go to page 7
This paragraph was the reason why I want to go out and get it - "The Bottom Billion" stands on a foundation of painstaking quantitative research, and it is admirably succinct and pithily written. If Sachs seems too saintly and Easterly too cynical, then Collier is the authentic old Africa hand: he knows the terrain and has a keen ear. If you've ever found yourself on one side or the other of the arguments about causes and remedies for development problems then you simply must read this book.

Right - I better go make dinner, stop trying to find reasons not to devote my life to Ecopath and get some work done ;o)
Oh but before I go check this out - Vancouver, has for the 5th time in a row been voted the most livable city to live in worldwide by the Economist magazine. This was kindly forwarded by my friend Ahmed who's sillily decided to move out to St John -- bahh we'll find ways to lure him back ;o)

Mount Strachan

I've not been very good at keeping up with my blog -- but today, walking to the bus stop under the drizzle I decided that I was very much wanting to use this site as a bit of a diary of sorts. I do enjoy reading back over things - see how impressions right then and there compare to memories ... particularly since reading, or starting to read rather "Stumbling on Happiness" by Daniel Gilbert - it's an awsome awsome book. There are many statistics in there that will startle you, and many facts that are quite mind boggling. The part on memory when comparing what we recall to what we actually experienced goes something like this - apparently magicians as well as scientists have demonstrated that memories, especially memories of experience are notoriously unreliable. The scientific study asked a group of people to pick a colour swatch. Some of the volunteers were then asked to describe it for ~ 30 seconds whilst the others did nothing. All volunteers were then asked to pick, from 6 choices of swatches, the one they originally chose. So now get this - only 73% of the non describers actually got the colour right; and an astonishing 33 percent!!!! out of the describing group accurately identified their original chosen colour! Crazy eh?! Therefore "our remembrance of things past is imperfect, thus comparing our new happiness with our memory of our old happiness is a risky way to determine whether two subjective experiences are really different."

This weekend I was meant to go climbing - or at least attempt climbing as I've never been before. I've really wanted to go for a while now, but have always been too chicken to do it - partly because I am so terrified of heights - but then I see climbing as a good way to overcome it! Unfortunately the weather wasn't quite up for it - and so a little group of us, Neil, Cindy and Matt ended up going hiking instead... and so up mount Strachan we went. The trail description in my little hike guidebook got us throughly confused (and entertained!) - but we did manage to find the south summit ... and enjoy some tasty goods, tea and stunning views when the fog would decided to clear. It was kind of neat actually to ascend through the fog, the sun filtering through every now and again -- and finding yourself in front of a wall of white-fluffiness that would all of a sudden literally evaporate and as though a curtain had been opened, let your eyes glide over a stunning view of Vancouver's surrounding areas.
Through the alpin-ey meadows the path took us - through many pretty flowers and bright green leafy things, pink and white mountain heather, partridge foot (i think) and along mossy rocks.

Up the hills and down the gullies it went -- and on the final descent we even encountered snow!!!
Some of the more adventurous threw rocks onto some of the snow arches to find out if they would resist some impressive stunts ;o) ... but we eventually decided that it was probably safer to just sit underneath the arch and grin broadly into the camera ;o)

The only thing that you needed to do on this hike was continuously move - or you'd end up surrounded by a massive cloud of nauseums, or in layman's terms heaps and heaps of small black flying insects that preferably settled up your nostrils, tickled your ears or settled for the corner of your eyes!!! Whenever a slight breeze would pick up though they'd disappear and all in all they weren't all that bad.

We even got the sun to peak through the clouds and warm our faces and bodies lying on the stone when we made it to the top -- *l*o*v*e*l*y and a sort of treat for getting ourselves out into the outdoors.
I've come to realise that the start to my weeks are so much more productive when I get to get out on the weekend -- and it feels as though my soul is given a bit of time to expand and stretch its wings before being confined to a body sitting for the greater part of most days!

Right - I wanted to finish off bits of work before going to bed tonight so I'll sign off :o)

Back in YVR

Hmmm... it's been a while since I've posted anything ... and I am going to try and promise that I'll make sure to update everyone SOOON about the remainder legs of my trip to the South Pacific - namely Wallis!
In one word though -- it was absolutely *i*n*c*r*e*d*i*b*l*y* amasing and beautiful and I learned a ton! Seriously though, I've never in my life come across a place that is more picturesque than this one! The pictures sort of speak for themselves don't they ;o)

Since being back life's been pretty hectic and crazy ... getting back into the PhD mode has been somewhat slow... yet productive, which is good!
Got my first chapter accepted for publication, which is way exciting!!! .. and now trodding along with the rest of things.

Work has however been interrupted by some very excitedly fun activities, amongst others a weekend to Mayne Island with some friends of Neil's. It was without a doubt one of the best weekends ever - so so much fun! I'll post some pictures soon!
...and since the long weekend is coming up - hoping the weather clears again - a group of us is scheduled to go hiking on sunday. I can't wait -- the outdoors, yeahhhh!!!! I can hear my bum screaming yeahhhh too -- it's been adverse to sitting in a chair for too many hours a day and in a lot of pain! ...and no it's not an excuse to procrastinate!

Keep beaming**