Lost at Sea

We've had a fun week here at Wild Roots. The fellow who brought us our firewood for this winter also works as a lobster fisherman in season. He offered to take us out to show us how they do it. So we joined him for an early morning lobstering adventure. It was nice to be out on the water in the early morning light. There was no rain and no waves. I'm not normally seasick but I think that being hammered by waves might be a bit much. It was a nice treat for our wwoofer Yuka, who in typical Japanese fashion took lots of pictures. Happily she provided me with some to share here.


So what did I learn? I learned yet again how fucked up the global economy is. Sorry, I mean the death economy, we've really got to tell it like it is. There were so many traps everywhere along the shore, marked by hundreds of little coloured buoys. Dan and I both remarked on it. Way too many. And the lobster fishermen are getting even less for their catch this year.


Basically the lobster fisherman (didn't see a woman but you never know) are catching lobsters to send to the United States and other countries. Those countries don't want to pay a fair price, so lobster fishermen have to sell it for nothing for the privilege of feeding some bastard who works in an office and produces nothing and gets paid more than them.

I'd like to submit that lobster fishermen instead tell all those shitheads in their offices to fuck off if they don't want to pay a fair price and just focus on selling their catch locally. Why ship them around the world anyway? Oh yeah, because those other countries have already destroyed their fisheries and they want the same for us. Thanks for sharing. But seriously, if 90+% of the catch was saved for Cape Breton the fishery might last for a long time, maybe even forever (as much as humans are aware of forever). Because Cape Bretoners who live here wouldn't want to lose a valuable source of food. Why would you throw that away? For money? You must be insane?

I still haven't eaten lobster. I'm sure it's nice. I did eat some donair beef that was offered me on an organic farm we worked at last week. It was nice, flavoured with some spices. I didn't have any tummy upsets. And I had a sausage of a bun today at lunch from the same organic farmers who come to the Mabou Farmers' Market. Again no ill effects.

But don't worry, oh faithful vegetarian reader, I'm not going totally carnivourous. If I did I would be living on the street anyway. Have you noticed just how much food prices are going up? We're fucked. And I'll only eat happy animals or the happiest animals, wild animals. I'm game to try deer or moose in the fall. Dan's going to try for a moose but it's a lottery to get your tag.

And I read a review for a book that I'm not going to read unless the library gets it or someone brings it by that might be some food for thought about the diet issues raised above. It's called The Vegetarian Myth by Lierre Keith. It sounds like a heavy read for a vegetarian but it might be really important for you to read it. Check it out.

The thing that made me think in reading a review the other day was that vegetarians assume that our choice to not eat meat causes less violence or environmental destruction when in fact it just shifts the violence and desolation. Instead of slaughtering thousands of factory farmed chickens we are encouraging the dead economy to mow down forests to plant grains and beans destroying countless beings. So really if food is already about violence then you might as well take on that violence yourself and be accountable for it.

And it again makes me think about population. C'mon swine flu! Just a few billion to go. You can do it! We really need your help as we aren't about to take action on our own.