Fishing and The Fuel Crisis
When we think of the fuel crisis most of us think of our own commute to work or to the grocery store or to pick up the kids from school. We might think of some of the trucks that we see on the highways, or, when we see the prices rising at the market we remember that the trucks that are transporting our milk, bread, meat and vegetables – and everything in between – are paying a heavy price to stay in business, in fact, in the first quarter of 2008 alone, over 1,000 trucking companies went out of business.
One of the areas we don’t seem to think of much is that of fishing. If you have noticed that the price of fish at your local market has gone up considerably, it is because of the same fuel crisis that the truckers, their families and our families are experiencing.
Fishing boats use diesel fuel, which used to be the least expensive of the major fuels, but now is one of the most expensive. The fishing boats that had to pull in 50 fish to break even, now have to pull in 70 or 75, making it much more expensive for them to do their work. Fish that cost $2 or $3 per pound a year or two ago cost twice that now.
Some fishing crews in other countries have reported using smaller boats, often without using motors, in an effort to save money because there is little or no fuel involved. Fishing crews are doing all they can to try to survive – making a profit is not even a possibility in many cases. In fact, some smaller fishing businesses are reportedly only able to afford to catch enough to sell a very minimal amount of fish locally and save the rest to feed their families.
When dealing with the fuel crisis in our own businesses and families, it is important to note that none of us except perhaps the super-rich is immune to the far-reaching effects. Only time will tell how this crisis will be harnessed and if we will move beyond it into a better economy.