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Fish Issues
Aired May 14, 2003 - 14:12 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: If you like to eat fish, this story should hook you. The journal "Nature" reports many popular food fish may be in danger of disappearing after years of overharvesting.
Our Maria Hinojosa is in Massachusetts, in a very special place, where big fish are big business.
Hi, Maria.
MARIA HINOJOSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.
Well, I can tell you that this report, which is being released today by the journal "Nature," a very scientific report that's based on about 47 years of comprehensive studies in just 10 years that they've really focused on this. And it's saying that the fish population of large fish like shark, tuna, swordfish, may be down 90 percent.
Now, that's what they're saying in this journal. But I can tell you that here on the ground in Gloucester, which is the fishing town that most people remember from that movie "The Big Storm" -- "The Perfect Storm," of course, which I just forgot for a second there. Here it's creating quite a bit of controversy. We've gone on the air twice with this, and already we've local fishermen saying, you can't be talking about this, this isn't possible.
The report is saying, though, that because of large commercial fisheries that go out with these large boats doing a lot of dredging, long lines with helicopters following these boats, that they have in fact depleted much of the large fishes around the world, worldwide.
Now, locally here, though, this man with the Northeast Seafood Coalition -- and you're a local fisherman. You're very upset about this. You're upset because you think this report being released may in fact have an effect on your livelihood here on the ground.
VITO GIACOLONE, GLOUCESTER FISHERMAN'S ASSOC.: Actually, I'm more upset at the timing. It seems like there are a lot of press releases and attention brought to reports that haven't had a chance to be absorbed or rebutted in any way by anyone. You know, so that's the -- I'm more upset with the process in that these reports are anticipated, no one's seen them. It's been embargoed until an hour ago, and now we're trying to REACT TO something we haven't seen.
HINOJOSA: Now here in Gloucester, you actually have, since 1995, seen a lot of restrictions placed on you because of the smaller fish -- the codfish, the flounder -- have been pretty much depleted. You have, in fact just told me that you've told me that you've seen an increase of these populations. So putting restrictions on fishing seems to work, right?
GIACOLONE: Absolutely. Putting restrictions, logical and sensible restrictions, on fishing is something that absolutely has to happen and has happened. But now it's gotten to the point where it's gone way too far. And, you know, we have to make a policy decision now -- are we going to eliminate the fishery completely in attempting to get to levels no one has ever seen?
HINOJOSA: But you don't want to see these big fish disappear. I mean, if this journal, a highly scientific journal, is saying that these populations are severely endangered now, what do you want to see, then?
GIACOLONE: Well, that would be assuming that I would believe that the report is accurate in saying that. I mean, all science is assumptions. If you talk to tuna fishermen, which I'm not, or a swordfishermen, the United States Swordfishery was eliminated based on bad information. And only five years later, the swordfish resource is 100 percent rebuilt if you talk to people, but we've eliminated in the meantime the long line fishery, completely, and now we have a 100 percent rebuilt swordfishery that is going to be imported from other countries, so.
HINOJOSA: Well, thanks very much for speaking with us. That's Vito Giacolone.
Again, Kyra, a tremendous amount of discussion already on the ground here in Gloucester, Massachusetts. A lot of these fishermen, again, they feel that this is going to have a direct impact on their lives, so there will be a lot of conversations. And as I said, we just went on the air -- we had a lot of -- well, at least one fisherman coming up to us saying, you got to go and check this, we don't accept this. So very, very controversial, a lot of hard feelings going on here, at least today in Gloucester, Massachusetts -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: We'll stay on top of it. We'll follow the story and the developments. Maria Hinojosa, thank you so much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired May 14, 2003 - 14:12 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: If you like to eat fish, this story should hook you. The journal "Nature" reports many popular food fish may be in danger of disappearing after years of overharvesting.
Our Maria Hinojosa is in Massachusetts, in a very special place, where big fish are big business.
Hi, Maria.
MARIA HINOJOSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.
Well, I can tell you that this report, which is being released today by the journal "Nature," a very scientific report that's based on about 47 years of comprehensive studies in just 10 years that they've really focused on this. And it's saying that the fish population of large fish like shark, tuna, swordfish, may be down 90 percent.
Now, that's what they're saying in this journal. But I can tell you that here on the ground in Gloucester, which is the fishing town that most people remember from that movie "The Big Storm" -- "The Perfect Storm," of course, which I just forgot for a second there. Here it's creating quite a bit of controversy. We've gone on the air twice with this, and already we've local fishermen saying, you can't be talking about this, this isn't possible.
The report is saying, though, that because of large commercial fisheries that go out with these large boats doing a lot of dredging, long lines with helicopters following these boats, that they have in fact depleted much of the large fishes around the world, worldwide.
Now, locally here, though, this man with the Northeast Seafood Coalition -- and you're a local fisherman. You're very upset about this. You're upset because you think this report being released may in fact have an effect on your livelihood here on the ground.
VITO GIACOLONE, GLOUCESTER FISHERMAN'S ASSOC.: Actually, I'm more upset at the timing. It seems like there are a lot of press releases and attention brought to reports that haven't had a chance to be absorbed or rebutted in any way by anyone. You know, so that's the -- I'm more upset with the process in that these reports are anticipated, no one's seen them. It's been embargoed until an hour ago, and now we're trying to REACT TO something we haven't seen.
HINOJOSA: Now here in Gloucester, you actually have, since 1995, seen a lot of restrictions placed on you because of the smaller fish -- the codfish, the flounder -- have been pretty much depleted. You have, in fact just told me that you've told me that you've seen an increase of these populations. So putting restrictions on fishing seems to work, right?
GIACOLONE: Absolutely. Putting restrictions, logical and sensible restrictions, on fishing is something that absolutely has to happen and has happened. But now it's gotten to the point where it's gone way too far. And, you know, we have to make a policy decision now -- are we going to eliminate the fishery completely in attempting to get to levels no one has ever seen?
HINOJOSA: But you don't want to see these big fish disappear. I mean, if this journal, a highly scientific journal, is saying that these populations are severely endangered now, what do you want to see, then?
GIACOLONE: Well, that would be assuming that I would believe that the report is accurate in saying that. I mean, all science is assumptions. If you talk to tuna fishermen, which I'm not, or a swordfishermen, the United States Swordfishery was eliminated based on bad information. And only five years later, the swordfish resource is 100 percent rebuilt if you talk to people, but we've eliminated in the meantime the long line fishery, completely, and now we have a 100 percent rebuilt swordfishery that is going to be imported from other countries, so.
HINOJOSA: Well, thanks very much for speaking with us. That's Vito Giacolone.
Again, Kyra, a tremendous amount of discussion already on the ground here in Gloucester, Massachusetts. A lot of these fishermen, again, they feel that this is going to have a direct impact on their lives, so there will be a lot of conversations. And as I said, we just went on the air -- we had a lot of -- well, at least one fisherman coming up to us saying, you got to go and check this, we don't accept this. So very, very controversial, a lot of hard feelings going on here, at least today in Gloucester, Massachusetts -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: We'll stay on top of it. We'll follow the story and the developments. Maria Hinojosa, thank you so much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
