Tag: sustainable fishing

How Do Fishing and Hydropower Impact Our Marine Environment?

by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Change Leadership, climate action, climate leadership, Global Climate Change

Global Climate Change (96).jpg

“Marine Stewardship Council. Sustainable fishing. Fishing has an impact on our marine environment. The impacts of fishing are complex, hard to measure and vary from one fishery to the next.”

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You do not have to be a genius to understand that all human activity on this planet, including fishing, has an impact on our environment. Over-fishing, pollution, and warming of water sources have, in fact, led to the collapse of many marine ecosystems.

In Finland for example, where we have lots of dams and hydroelectric power (which generated 23,6 % of total electricity in Finland in 2016: Sähköntuotanto energialähteittäin 2016 (Electricity production per energy source in 2016), hydroelectric power is referred to being a renewable energy source, although it is a known fact how much dams and hydropower damage our rivers and lakes, e.g. influencing the natural habitat of flora and fauna. We have currently 423 classified dams in Finland (Patojen vahingonvaara/Accidental risks of dams) , and the consumption of hydroelectric power has drastically decreased in the past decades, from even up to 90% of total electricity generation still in the 1960´s to the approximately 20% today (Ympäristövaikutuksia on, mutta ei ilmstopäästöjä/Effects on the environment, but no greenhouse gases). Finnish Energy admits on its homepage that dams have an ecological influence, and e.g. prevent fishes from wandering freely in their natural environment.

How can something that affects ecology and harms fish be called a renewable energy source? This year in Tampere, for example, signal crayfish population has almost completely disappeared, according a local news source, Tamperelainen. Apparently, the situation has been bad for years already, but this year the situation has been especially alarming.

Finland is often said to be one of the leading countries worldwide what comes to ecology, preservation of our environment, and clean technology. In reality, we have many alarming environmental problems in this country as well. If the situation is alarming in Finland, just think about and learn about all the environmental problems around the world.

Learn more about Climate change vulnerability of global hydropower generation by watching American Geophysical Union´s video:

 

Connect with me on Twitter @annemariayritys. For climate/environment-related posts only @GCCThinkActTank. Subscribe to Leading With Passion to receive my latest posts.

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What Is Sustainable Seafood?

by Anne-Maria Yritys, posted in Change Leadership, climate action, climate leadership, Global Climate Change

Global Climate Change (95)

“Marine Stewardship Council. Certified sustainable seafood. There are more than 20.000 MSC labelled, certified sustainable seafood products on sale around the world.”

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For all of us who love fish and seafood, it is sad news to hear and read about the state of certain fish and seafood around the world. Not only do we have reckless fishers and consumers who do not care about the marine environment, often due to lack of awareness and/or knowledge, but also suffering of marine species due to over-fishing and/or poor fishing practices. As a novice fisher, I am basically not to teach anyone sustainable fishing practices, but I would urge all consumers and fishers to learn more about our marine environments, including rivers, lakes, seas and oceans, and how vulnerable these are to a number of human activities.

Be a responsible consumer, and a responsible fisher. Use common sense, obey laws, and contribute to healthy water sources, i.e. marine environments. Much of the pollution, including millions of tons of plastic waste, that us human beings cause, end up in our lakes, rivers, seas and oceans, harming everything that lives underwater. Being a responsible consumer also signifies that you do not eat species that are especially vulnerable, or under threat, including shark, and whale meat. If you consume fish and seafood, make sure to check that the product has been caught with sustainable fishing practices, ensuring that it has not harmed other marine creatures, such as dolphins.

Learn more about sustainable fishing practices here (Marine Stewardship Council: Our fisheries, our future. Sustainable fishing in the developing world):

 

Connect with me on Twitter @annemariayritys. For climate/environment-related posts only @GCCThinkActTank. Subscribe to Leading With Passion to receive my latest posts.

Take a step further to create YOUR online business. Learn more about the many benefits of how to create a beautiful website with WordPress.com and how to monetize your blog/website:

WordPress.com – Create A Beautiful Website

Jetpack – The ideal way to experience WordPress – Code-free Customization

WooCommerce – The most customizable eCommerce platform for building your online business