As reported by the BBC, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has partnered with some fishing boats to test new technologies that reduce the amount of bycatch, making fishing cheaper and greener.
Bycatch is the term for creatures that are caught that aren’t of the targeted species. These fish and other sea creatures, such as dolphins, are usually disentangled from the nets and thrown back into the ocean dead or dying. This is unspeakably cruel, damaging to the ocean’s ecosystem, and time consuming for fishing boat crew.
By placing LED lights on the fishing nets, boats in the trial find that they’re driving away unwanted species and attracting the fish they aim to catch. It appears that different species are attracted or repulsed by different lights.
Likewise, attaching cameras to the net has allowed some in the trial to operate their nets more efficiently. A fishing boat operator told the BBC that it used to take 3 to 4 days to measure how efficiently a net was operating, but now it only takes one day.
The effect of all this is that boats in the trial spend significantly less time dealing with bycatch, and less time and fuel in the water. This is translating into a more profitable operation for the fishing boat.
Unfortunately, it’s only the first movers in an industry who gain any advantage from new technology under capitalism. While these early adopters are able to outcompete their competitors to begin with, eventually the whole industry will have to catch up with the level of technological development in order to compete. At that point, the fishing boats will all force each other’s profits down through competition, but will now have larger equipment costs.
Under socialism, we could choose to use some of the improved efficiency to give the fishing boat crew shorter hours or better working conditions. Unfortunately, operating under capitalism means that those working in the fishing industry will continue to face the same grueling and precarious conditions in the long run.
Demand socialism for a better future.
