World Without Fish

Throughout this chapter, Kurlansky explores the longtime misconception of nature’s bounty—or, in other words, the myth that nature is so powerful and indestructible that it cannot be affected by human activity. He argues that the idea stems from scientists and religious thinkers in the 1800s: Scientists believed nature was such a complex force that humans couldn’t interfere, and religious thinkers argued that human beings do not have the power to alter God’s creation. Fish were considered one of the strongest examples supporting this erroneous framework since they produce such massive quantities of eggs (an average-sized cod, for example, can lay as many as three million eggs); however, scientists now know that, like mammals, fish typically have only one to six surviving offspring, and they lay so many eggs because most are eaten or destroyed by the harsh conditions of the sea.

These ideas came to a head in the 19th century when steam-powered fishing boats began affecting fish populations. Concerned about the impact of the new technology, the British government began to investigate. Thomas Huxley, a strong supporter of Darwin and his theories, was appointed to many of these investigations, became extremely influential, and was frequently cited by governments determining fishing policy. He was one of the main proponents of nature’s bounty and believed that fish would keep their own populations in check long before human beings could alter them. If populations began to decline, he argued that fishermen would catch fewer fish, and in time, the populations would rebound.

The problem with Huxley’s ideas was threefold. First, he demonstrates the antagonism between scientists and fishermen due to their vastly different experiences and education. To him, fishermen were unscientific and knew nothing about fish beyond what was required to catch them, so he ignored their insights. Second, he believed that advancements in technology were pushing society into the future and that resisting them was interfering with progress. Lastly, and most importantly, he was wrong. He greatly misunderstood a key idea of Darwin’s findings: namely, that in the struggle for survival, species depend on maintaining a large population. He also overlooked the fact that fishing technology was changing so fast that the data and results he observed would soon be obsolete. Huxley eventually reversed his opinion after investigating engine-driven net draggers and warned that overfishing was not only possible but happening; however, by this point, governments had set their policies, and nobody was paying attention anymore.

In “The Story of Kram and Ailat: Part 5,” three years after their last visit, Kram and Ailat go on another fishing trip with Serafino and his sons. Serafino has a new boat and is now catching fish near the surface because the bottom fish are gone. Kram notes that there are no birds either. Back on land, Ailat looks for crabs but can’t find any, and the local restaurant no longer serves halibut.

In the second half of the 20th century, fishermen noticed that they had to travel larger distances to catch the same number of fish and that the fish were smaller. However, while fishermen again expressed concern about overfishing, they frequently blamed fishermen from other countries.

This xenophobia led to a pattern of governments attempting to protect their waters from foreign fishing boats and peaked in Iceland. Iceland—newly independent and looking to protect their biggest commercial commodity—asked foreign fishing boats to leave their waters. Ownership of the sea hasn’t been determined, and the British—who had been fishing Icelandic waters with their engine-powered boats since the 1890s—saw Iceland’s move as an act of war. It led to three battles between 1958 and 1975, where the British Royal Navy attacked the Icelandic Coast Guard. While very few shots were fired, the conflict was dangerous and violent, with ships rammed and nets cut. The conflict ended with Iceland establishing a 200-mile zone around Icelandic territories that was for their ships only. However, once they had their 200-mile limit, other countries followed suit, and now nearly all of the best fishing grounds on the planet are controlled by a nation or group of nations.

With control over their fishing grounds established and the threat of foreign fishing removed, fishermen and governments both reasoned that with the source of overfishing removed, they could now catch more fish themselves. This resulted in many governments investing heavily in fishing, and initially, they caught more fish and made more money.

The Canadian government proved that this strategy was disastrous. They invested in building a fishing fleet of their own, and at first, it worked out well. However, one group of traditional skiff fishermen in Newfoundland and Labrador saw their catches growing smaller and smaller. They went to scientists with their concerns and found many who agreed with them. However, the Canadian government was making too much money and had its own scientists who argued the northern stock of fish from the Grand Banks was not in danger. By 1992, the Canadian fishing minister announced that the northern stock was almost completely gone and banned fishing in the Grand Banks until it was replenished. Approximately 30,000 fishermen instantly lost their jobs. By 2011, the cod population still had not recovered, and the fishermen had no means of regaining their livelihood. Kurlansky closes the chapter by suggesting that the only positive aspect of this disaster was that it ended debates about the threat of overfishing.

In “The Story of Kram and Ailat: Part 6,” Kram takes Ailat back to the Caribbean to snorkel for her 14th birthday. The water has become green and slimy, the coral reef has mostly died off, and the colorful fish are gone. Kram explains that while catching the parrot fish is part of the problem, the construction of the hotel is the biggest problem, blocking the sun and causing mud slides.