Tag Archives: fishing

Powerful Image Captures the Hidden Struggles of Southeast Asia’s Fishing Industry

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Fishermen unload their catch in the Philippines

Nicole Tung

These striking images capture the efforts of photographer Nicole Tung, who dedicated nine months to documenting the human and environmental toll of overfishing in Southeast Asia. Since the 1950s, fishing has rapidly evolved from a traditional craft into a global industry, primarily in developed nations. The rise in overfishing and illegal catch practices is alarming, driven by the increasing demand from a growing population.

Tung emphasizes the significance of the region as a vital part of the global fisheries market. Her project received funding from the €50,000 Kaminyak Photojournalism Award for fieldwork, which shifted her perspective on seafood consumption. Rather than suggesting complete abstention, she advocates for greater awareness and informed choices from consumers.

She expressed her distress over harrowing accounts from Indonesian fishermen, who detailed the violence and dreadful conditions they encounter at sea.

The image above illustrates a fisherman delivering a catch of tuna at General Santos fishport in the Philippines after a month at sea, including Bigger Tuna and Blue Marlin.

Thai dock worker

Nicole Tung

In other scenes, dock workers from Myanmar sort fish species being offloaded in Ranong, Thailand. Below, the indigenous Ulak Roy people and Thai villagers from Koh Lipe gather wood from nearby islands during a festival celebrating the end of the fishing and tourism season. They utilize the materials to construct ceremonial boats as offerings to their ancestors.

Indigenous Urak Lawoi people and Thai villagers sail their boats in Thailand

Nicole Tung

In this concluding image, a family of Filipino fishermen prepares bait for their fishing line in Quezon, Palawan, Philippines.

Family preparing to fish in the Philippines

Nicole Tung

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Source: www.newscientist.com

New Insights into Paleolithic Fishing Techniques Revealed by Ancient Carved Shield from 15,800 Years Ago

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Scientists from the Leibniz Center for Archaeology and Durham University conducted a study on a collection of 406 carved schist tablets discovered at the Magdalenian site in Gennersdorf, Germany. These ancient carvings depict fishing techniques and tools used by Paleolithic people, showcasing nets with interlaced diamond and square mesh. This provides valuable insight into the transformation of their culture.

Placket 341 from the Magdalenian ruins of Gennersdorf, Germany. Image credit: Robitaille others., doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0311302.

“Prehistoric fisheries introduced a variety of techniques and strategies for capturing fish. It can be summarized as active fishing, which requires active fishing, passive fishing with trapping methods, or a combination of both,” said Dr. Jérôme Robitaille of the Leibniz Center for Archaeology and colleagues.

“Some methods have been developed for individual fishing, such as fishing, while others have been improved to maximize yields using collective nets and traps.”

“The choice of a particular method was influenced not only by the fish species targeted, but also by the distinct habitats and topography in which particular aquatic resources thrive.”

“Evidence for fishing in the Upper Paleolithic (20,000 to 14,500 years ago) is not abundant, but there is direct and indirect evidence of several fishing methods, including barbed tips and harpoons, bows and arrows, traps, and fishing nets. exists sporadically.”

In their study, the authors analyzed carvings carved into 406 schist plaquettes from the Magdalena site in Gennersdorf, on the north bank of the Rhine River in central-western Germany.

These plaquettes feature a unique artistic style and iconographic theme depicting both terrestrial and aquatic animals and humans.

The new imaging technique allowed researchers to see intricate carvings on the fish, with grid patterns interpreted as depictions of fishing nets or traps.

This discovery suggests that fishing may have had symbolic meaning in the Upper Paleolithic.

These expand the known repertoire of Ice Age art and provide surprising insights into the symbolic and social practices of early hunter-gatherer societies.

“A comparative analysis including other sites from the same period, such as Altamira and Lascaux, highlights Gennersdorf’s contribution to the understanding of Paleolithic art and survival strategies,” the scientists concluded.

“Unlike famous locations known for their vivid depictions of fish, Gennersdorf’s abstract, minimalist style offers a fresh perspective on the sociocultural dynamics of the Magdalene community.”

“Net fishing, which originates from a wide range of economies, reveals the diversity, adaptability, and creativity of prehistoric communities, and their proficiency in utilizing a variety of fishing methods to sustainably exploit aquatic resources.”

“This research not only increases our understanding of the diverse survival strategies of Paleolithic societies, but also contributes to a broader discussion about the complexity and richness of their cultural practices.”

“By highlighting often overlooked aspects of fishing practices and the representation of those practices in art, our research adds to a more comprehensive and dynamic picture of Upper Paleolithic subsistence and contributes to the field. opens new avenues for future research in the field. “

“Clearly fishing plays a more important role in shaping social and cultural practices than hitherto recognized, as evidenced by population patterns around rich fishing grounds, and is therefore a subject worthy of further investigation.” It is.”

of study Published in an online journal PLoS ONE.

J. Robitaille others. 2024. Upper Paleolithic fishing techniques: Insights from carved plates from the Magdalenian site of Gennersdorf, Germany. PLoS ONE 19 (11): e0311302;doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0311302

Source: www.sci.news

Archaeologists unearth ancient fishing hook in Indonesia

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Many individuals engage in fishing for both sustenance and recreation in modern times. Ever pondered about the origins of fishing? While fishing has been a part of human history for centuries, the limited discovery of ancient fishing hooks poses a challenge in uncovering the details of past fishing practices.

Although fishhooks dating back over 20,000 years have been unearthed, those found on coastlines or excavation sites older than approximately 12,000 years are scarce. However, recent discoveries by researchers from Australia and Indonesia have shed light on this subject.

In Makupang Cave on Indonesia’s Alor Island, a significant collection of 239 fishing artifacts estimated to be up to 15,000 years old was uncovered. Most of these artifacts date back to a period between 11,000 and 13,000 years ago, including 218 fishing hooks and fragments. Makpan, located on the southwest coast of Alor, was identified as a convenient storage spot for ancient fishing equipment due to its proximity to the sea, even during periods of lower sea levels, such as the last ice age approximately 25,000 years ago.

During excavations at Makupang, the research team carefully removed accumulated layers of soil and dust to uncover the ancient fishing hooks. The sediment from the cave entrance was meticulously examined through a 1.5-millimeter mesh sieve. Other fishing remnants, including hooks and fragments, were recovered and analyzed under a powerful microscope to determine the ancient techniques used in their production.

The researchers identified various types of hooks, including jab hooks, rotating hooks, and sinkers, as well as possible fishing lures. These hooks, ranging from 9 to 50 millimeters in size, were predominantly crafted from shellfish such as limpets, Rokia, and turbo. By studying the tool collection, researchers could discern the process of hook-making, which indicated multiple craftsmen involved in the production.

The discovery in Makupang Cave is considered remarkable due to the abundance of fishing artifacts found, surpassing previous finds from the same period by more than five times. Ongoing research at the site is anticipated to offer further insights into ancient fishing practices.

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Source: sciworthy.com

Majority of large fishing vessels are not identified as ‘black vessels’ through tracking

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The vast majority of the world's industrial fishing vessels are not publicly tracked. Three-quarters of the world's large fishing vessels and one-quarter of transport and energy vessels are “dark vessels” that do not share their location publicly. The discovery comes from analyzing satellite imagery using artificial intelligence, an approach that could help better track human activities that impact the ocean.

“We had this idea that we were missing a large part of the activity that was happening in the ocean, but we didn't know how much we were missing,” he says. Fernando Paolo At Global Fishing Watch, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, DC. “And it turned out to be so much more than we had imagined.”

Paolo et al. used satellite images taken between 2017 and 2021 covering coastal areas where large-scale fishing and other industrial activities occur most often, revealing objects regardless of clouds or darkness. (including radar images that can be used). The researchers trained several AIs to detect and classify boats and marine structures in this dataset.

Researchers compared the ship's global map with a database of ships that publicly broadcast their locations and found that the vast majority did not have automatic identification systems turned on. Such identification is not always required, but if it is not used, it may indicate illegal fishing or other activity.

An AI learned to distinguish fishing boats from other types of boats based on their movement patterns and location. It found that 42 to 49 percent of approximately 63,000 ships fell into this category.

Other AI has identified 28,000 offshore structures related to wind power and oil production, with rapidly growing swarms of offshore wind turbines outnumbering oil infrastructure such as oil rigs. Although such activities other than offshore development and fishing boats are expanding, fishing activity is almost “at its limit,” he said. david kurzma At Global Fishing Watch.

“We have to plan for all non-fishing activities because we are encroaching on fishing grounds,” Krusma said. “The ocean is becoming increasingly crowded, so we need to consider how everything fits together.”

Publicly available satellite images do not have the resolution to detect small fishing boats less than 20 meters in length. Konstantin Kremer with microsoft Esther Rolfe at Harvard University Nature Articles commenting on research. But they said such efforts could improve monitoring of human activity near protected areas and unregulated parts of the ocean.

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Source: www.newscientist.com