Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Fishing gear accounts for an alarming amount of plastic in oceans (2021)

nature.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

41–50 of 328 posts

Re: Fishing gear accounts for an alarming amount of plastic in oceans (2021)

#41

Post by epistasis »

notch656a wrote: post #28
epistasis wrote: post #24

To place this in context, it's 50,000 tons/year of fishing waste, versus 200,000 tons/year of microplastics from car tires: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/14/car-tyre... Further, microplastics enter the ecosystem far easier than the bulky big plastic from fishing gear, so the tire microplastics should be far more concerning to people. It's really weird how cars get a pass for so much. Try to live a…

Do you need recommendations on places in the US you can work in tech without a car and still enjoy the community? Because I can speak from many years of experience, it's not a difficult life to setup for yourself.

Please! Yes, I do need those recommendations.

Re: Fishing gear accounts for an alarming amount of plastic in oceans (2021)

#42

Post by josho »

kohanz wrote: post #27
epistasis wrote: post #24

To place this in context, it's 50,000 tons/year of fishing waste, versus 200,000 tons/year of microplastics from car tires: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/14/car-tyre... Further, microplastics enter the ecosystem far easier than the bulky big plastic from fishing gear, so the tire microplastics should be far more concerning to people. It's really weird how cars get a pass for so much. Try to live a…

I'm not sure if it was your intent, but that comparison makes the fishing output seem even more outsized to me, given the size of the auto industry.

From a damage perspective the two couldn't be more different as well. Lost fishing gear is large bulky items that trap & kill sealife, damage habitat, etc. Whereas we aren't entirely sure what downsides micro-plastics have, I'm sure over time we'll discover issues. But, where we stand today we know that we have a clear and present danger from the fishing gear.

Re: Fishing gear accounts for an alarming amount of plastic in oceans (2021)

#44

Post by colechristensen »

mattlondon wrote: post #43

> More than 100 million pounds of plastic from industrial fishing gear pollute the oceans each year—threatening marine life ... does the actual fishing itself not ultimately also threaten said marine life?

Fishing can be done sustainably, and is in some fisheries.

Re: Fishing gear accounts for an alarming amount of plastic in oceans (2021)

#45

Post by dakr »

dmurray wrote: post #19
dakr wrote: post #10

Not to minimize the impact to ocean life and the environment, but lost fishing gear costs money. The upside of which is that there is direct financial incentive to recover lost gear. I know nothing about this space, but a former coworker started a company about ten years ago in part to allow fishers to track and recover their gear: https://www.blueoceangear.com/

I would say the bigger incentive is not to lose the gear in the first place, but even that doesn't seem to be enough.

In some kinds of fishing, it seems they deploy nets and then collect them later, so this would help them not lose it in the first place. Also, location information is always good to have and is useful for more than just finding lost stuff.

Re: Fishing gear accounts for an alarming amount of plastic in oceans (2021)

#46

Post by pcj-github »

100 million pounds of lost gear by the fishing industry is such a ridiculous underestimate that, judging by some of the comments here, make people believe this number to be somehow OK. The fishing industry has been dodging responsibility for ocean pollution and habitat destruction for forever, good to see more research that people can use to put pressure on them to actually give a s** and change their ways.

Re: Fishing gear accounts for an alarming amount of plastic in oceans (2021)

#47

Post by dark-star »

chefandy wrote: post #16
dark-star wrote: post #6

It is so obvious, and has been known for years, yet the EU banned plastic straws because of the waste in the oceans, so now every drink tastes like a schoolbook. Well done EU...

If only there was a way to convey liquids from handheld containers to your mouth without using a little tube!

like... using a BIG tube?

Re: Fishing gear accounts for an alarming amount of plastic in oceans (2021)

#48

Post by kevinventullo »

zonotope wrote: post #40
notch656a wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you need recommendations on places in the US you can work in tech without a car and still enjoy the community? Because I can speak from many years of experience, it's not a difficult life to setup for yourself.

I'd love to hear these recommendations. I know you thrive without a car in New York and Boston, but I would love to hear about other places like that in the US.

Chicago is doable though the winters are brutal.

Re: Fishing gear accounts for an alarming amount of plastic in oceans (2021)

#49

Post by arebop »

zonotope wrote: post #40
notch656a wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you need recommendations on places in the US you can work in tech without a car and still enjoy the community? Because I can speak from many years of experience, it's not a difficult life to setup for yourself.

I'd love to hear these recommendations. I know you thrive without a car in New York and Boston, but I would love to hear about other places like that in the US.

San Francisco
Post reply on HN