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[banx]

Well, after dropping my two cents in the "get your facts straight" thread I ended up actually having to get my facts straight..... I read that damn cohen report. took forever.  The problem I had with the whole report was that it was trying to target fish farms as the culprit. The criminal.

It's not, it's only an accomplice. 

They should be on land. and hopefully will be in the next few decades.

However, in that time we are going to be faced with some very serious issues that are going to have enormous impacts both financially and environmentally.

When I read the cohen report it just talked about the conditions of the straight of georgia. and these 'conditions' got me reading more.... and I started reading up on ocean acidification.....

it was dismal, then coincidentally while the wife is on night shift I turn on HBO and start watching this movie called Revolution (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxcophNGLdg)

having watched salmon confidential with a cringe I took this movie in stride.  But having checked up on the so called 'experts' they were apparently telling the truth...... and it was far scarier than anything miss morton could drum up about the farms.

30 years no reefs..... all the lovely organisms that use calcium and carbonate to grow their shells won't be able to...... the large percentage of sea life that live around corals is disproportionate to the actual size of the ocean..... it looks bleek.

the great barrier reef (35%) is showing vast areas of 'dead zones' as well as the reef off belize (20%) 

I have the movie PVR'd at home and will get the quote from this german UN scientist, but he said the tipping point for the planet is canadas development and expansion of the oil sands.  the boreal forests that are destroyed and the incredible amount of wasted water used to get the oil... as well as emissions of course.

being from kitimat I have seen a change in the last 5 years up there. 5 years ago, no support for the pipeline. now the town is behind it minus a few fishermen and the natives.

I'm hoping some of you intelligent folk can chime in and say the sky isn't falling.

I didn't come across any websites debunking this.... which was alarming, because theres at least one pro fish farm site for every anti one.

I'm not sure if the political will is there to stop what were doing. It would require such dramatic lifestyle changes that it feels like nothing will actually happen..... kind of like some of cohens recommendations   

so what are your thoughts?

[aquapaloosa]

Would love to hear what you have to say now that you have read the cohen report.  Maybe you could do a post on get your fact straight about this.

[banx]

I still have a very negative outlook on open pen farms. even after reading the report.

They should be on land. considering what were beginning to understand regarding the oceans it just seems like a good insurance policy taking them out.

the only semi-legitimate excuse for having them in the ocean is because its cheap to not have to clean up your own crap.  I think the focus should be on actual marketing. people will willingly buy land based salmon.

Go to any pretentious restaurant downtown and you will hear people rave about the sablefish....... cause they don't know its just cod. 

[Fisherbob]

You may find this documentry link interesting if you have the time Banx. They talk about the demise of salmon runs as early as the 1400's in Europe.
http://youtu.be/brSPQ7sUE84

[VAGAbond]

We don't have much coral herabouts but the colder northern seas will dissolve more CO2 and be the most acid.  I don't know if anybody has a good estimate of what that will do to the life in the northern oceans but look at Georgia Strait.   A few years ago the dominant species of little critters the fish feed on changed and the coho abandoned the Strait to the detriment of much of our fishing.   I have asked biologists and read what came my way and nobody really knows why.   That is the kind of mysterious change you can expect from increased acidification.

The response to CO2 in the atmosphere runs in several threads:

The ostrich approach:  Its a big big world out there with volcanoes and huge forces that little humans can't possibly impact so it is not our fault.

Frantic teckky approach:
-capture the CO2 and pump it into the ground and hope it doesn't pop up through a fissure on the other side of the hill
-sprinkle the oceans with iron filings to create an algae bloom to entrain the CO2 in parts that sink to the bottom and stay there
-etc.

Urban greenie:   Recycle their dog food cans and latte cups and save the world.

Dreamy environmentalist: Everybody should park their vehicle and live quietly on a little plot of land with their vegetables, a few chickens and a goat.

All of those approaches taken together might be enough.  We can only hope.

So yes the sky is falling but it is coming down slowly.  If enough people like you do their reading we might collectively achieve something.

[aquapaloosa]

I like your post vaga.

I also feel an element of the issue is overpopulation.  While everybody hacks on china for them being them ya have to give them credit for taking steps to limit their population.  Many cultures and religions advocate breading a part of the human experience but psssst....its a problem.  Don't forget that most economies are modelled on growth which has an urgent hunger for a growing population of consumers.  This is not helping matters.