Queen of Peace
My trip to New Bedford, MA the other day to visit a client was my first time in this charming little fishing village, which, 150 years ago, was the whaling capital of the U.S.
I got up early and walked around, taking pictures wherever I went. I thought readers might enjoy this one that I used for one of our 2GreenEnergy Instagram posts.
The East coast has the oldest Colonial history of the US. I have had a chance to explore some of it. There plenty of things and events here to give anyone with just a little sensitivity a warm and fuzzy feeling.
Perhaps it is also true that familiarity can breed contempt. Or maybe it is just that the study of history can eventually bring us to a wider appreciation. We can celebrate most of human history as a kind of conquest over natural forces. From the perspective of our personal and social development this is a good thing. But that very conquest of nature also contains an element of disregard, lack of listening to and an exploitation of nature.
A fishing boat is part of an industry that has depleted ocean stocks of its wildlife and traps and kills unwanted animals in its nets. A whaling town was part of an industry that has similarly reduced the numbers of whales in our oceans to just 1% of their former numbers.
Between the poles of using nature and respecting nature we discover our personal relationship to the environment.
I hear you. There is no doubt that the whaling industry, like the slaughter of the American Bison at approximately the same point in our history, was a brutal travesty.
I spoke with a number of fishermen as I was wandering around that pier, and I was surprised and delighted to see that they generally had a great deal of sensitivity for the issue of over-fishing. Of course, a great deal more needs to be done, but the most disgusting aspects of fishing, at least on the part of the developed world, are over.
The whaling industry was largely killed by the discovery of petroleum which eliminated the demand for whale oil for lighting since kerosene cost a fraction as much. Whale oil was also used in automatic transmission fluid until the early 1970s at which time it was banned.
The killing of bison was even worse. Bison were shot just for sport and the carcasses were left to rot. Also, bison leather was used to make belts for machinery. Before electricity became available, the line shaft system of conveying power to many machines from one steam engine required a lot of leather for belts.
I guess technology has both plusses and minuses.
That’s very interesting. Thanks.
We most certainly have a long way to go before we’ve achieved sustainable fishing. FWIW, I downloaded the “Seafood Watch” app onto my phone, and I use it when I go shopping. It’s incredibly comprehensive.