Fish Update Briefing, Friday, April 13

DEAD WHALE LADEN WITH PLASTIC WASTE
A DEAD sperm whale that washed up on the south east coast of Spain a few weeks ago was found to have 29 kilos of plastic and related oil based products in its stomach, a post mortem has revealed. The discovery is being used to highlight the growing plastic pollution crisis facing the world’s oceans. Environmentalists say it was not a large whale either, weighing just six tonnes and only ten metres long.
GIANT SQUID PROVIDES SEAFOOD FEAST
VILLAGERS in the remote island region of of Tawi-tawi in the Philippines were shocked to see a giant squid hauled ashore by a fisherman. It was one of the biggest the area had ever seen. As the residents crowded around, a tape measure was brought out and it measured over eight feet long and 18 inches wide. After admiring the creature, the villagers later cooked it and treated themselves to a seafood feast.
NEW ZEALAND ACTS TO SAVE LOBSTER STOCKS
AN attempt is being made to rebuild the rock lobster stocks in a large area of New Zealand, between Auckland and East Cape. Stocks have become seriously depleted, and fisheries minister Stuart Nash said decisive action was needed if they were to return to the levels of a few years ago. The current allowable catch of 416.5 tonnes is being reduced to 173 tonnes and the move will affect both commercial and recreational fishermen. Catches for other species, such as blue whiting and sea cucumbers, in some areas are being increased, however.
STONE AGE MAN PREFERRED FISH
IT seems that Nordic Stone Age man’s macho image has taken a bit of a knock in that he preferred fish to full blooded red meat. A team from Lund University in Sweden, after examining skeletal remains, have found that instead of hunting herbivores, such as red deer stags and moose, with spears, they preferred to go fishing and dined out on carp and perch if they lived inland and feasted on cod and herring if they were near the sea. Signs of large scale fish consumption were found at several Scandinavia sites. Herring was also an important source of protein for those living on Sweden’s west coast.