Sunday, January 13th, 2007: Terrascope Room

See attached notes on:
1. Minutes of the meeting
2. Topics we're putting on Website
3. Topics for PDF (and basically RESEARCH topics)

Todd's Notes

Discussion of management

• Could be expanded
• More EBFM, problem focus
• Effect of fishing on fish population—other than making fish population smaller

Aquaculture

• Genetics—not enough evidence, must get better research
• Sources must be improved
• Establish how proposal could work in the United States
• More thorough discussion of problems
• Compare aquaculture with other food sources

Climate Change

• Need more focus on how it impacts rest of plan
• Need more focus on fish
• Do our own projections?

Avoid producing non-new recommendations
Read Pew Oceans Commission report

• U.S. laws are also good—Magnuson-Stevens, environmental laws

Environment

• Expand into deep ocean
• Industrial pollution
• More case studies
• Oil drilling effects? Governance?
• Oil spills?
• Cruise ship pollution?
• Split up section

Disproportionate attention issue—look more into technology/economics to counterbalance environment

Economics

• Can be quantified
• Tax ideas?
• People interested in label concept
  • UROP idea
  • Talk to grocery stores/restaurants
• Effects of regulation on fishing industry

Content of Documents to be Produced

• Introduction/Summary Section
  • Website—link all aspects of problem together
• MPAs
  • Website—Types of MPA-reserve vs. protected area, U.S. reserves, benefits of MPA, arguments against them, interview fishermen, show nonregulated areas and how they could be improved with regulations, protected areas vs. reserves advantages and disadvantages, ecotourism
  • PDF—Research more on 10% plan, pick number or choose criteria, or select specific areas
• International
  • Website—discuss what's out there, discuss Law of the Sea, Straddling fish stocks agreement, etc., review international nature of fishing industry, discuss flag hopping, Japanese whaling issue
  • PDF—endorse signing Law of Sea
• Social Issues
  • Website—social implications of fishing, overfishing, stopping fishing, fishing culture/cultural importance of fish, fishing history, interviews with fishermen, put in some numbers to provide quantitative legitimacy, sports fishing, tourism, case studies on Japan/China
  • PDF—Address the impact on the fishing industry, options for displaced fishermen, cultural considerations for U.S. fishing communities
• U.S. Policy
  • Website—summarize U.S. fishing policy—laws, regulations, etc.
• Education
  • Website—resources for teachers?
• Technology
  • Website—current technology/how we know where the fish are
    • Boat tracking will go in IUU
  • PDF—more work needed
• Management
  • Website—EBFM needs more work (why single stock is inadequate, fishing down the food chain), GPS deemphasize (look at other options), problems with IUU fishing, time and area closures, explanation of stock assessments—use examples, put quotas in this section—discuss subsidies in economics
  • PDF—ITQs, other quotas, etc., NOT taxes, subsidies (need more information)
• IUU Fishing (pending more research)
  • Website—how much (if any) in U.S. is IUU, U.S. consumption of IUU fish caught elsewhere, GPS tracking
• Aquaculture
  • Website—genetics, problems, viable sources of food other than aquaculture, situation in China, discuss hatcheries, engineered fish
  • PDF—decide if we endorse it
• Climate
  • Website—more about fish, more specifics, ocean acidification, influx of fresh water, implications for aquaculture etc.
  • PDF—Please, solve global warming!
• Environment
  • Website--Research specific issues more—get more on freshwater & deep seas, effects of oil drilling/spills, cruise ships
  • PDF—(must first go through all current environmental legislation) Make specific recommendations
• Economics
  • PDF—costs of plans, justification
• What You Can Do
  • Website--Recycle, energy efficiency, etc.

Wednesday, January 9, 2007: Terrascope Room

Todd's Notes

Meeting Opens

What should we do?

• Decide what to do over IAP
• Let's define long and short-term goals for the group
• What's the end product?
• Have something presentable---schools, companies, other organizations
• IAP goals vs. overall goals
• 2-6 p.m. meetings on Sundays
• Bring food to Wednesday meetings?---will continue to meet in Terrascope room
  Goals
• Proposal from Alex: Create a user-friendly Website aimed at educating people about the problem--not super technical. Make a pdf file with technical solution for distribution to policy makers--like a book. Also come up with presentation for schools, focused on problem. Possibly children's book/video documentary?

What should we do during IAP?

• David: Break up proposal into solutions/background
• Alex: Sort through information---fact check, decide what else we need
• Amanda and Anna: Must continue research
• Alex: Goal should be develop problem a lot more
• Todd: Let's get more quantitative
• Jack: How do fish fit into global food supply? Issues with urging people to switch off fish.

Compiling information: Probably what we need to do, but how can we really make a difference?

• David: Terrascope has a lot more political contacts than "The end of the line"
• Hillary Clinton?
• Eva: This is a high risk investment?
• David: what happened to sportsfishing? Appeal to them as allies?
• Alex: People who are going to talk to politicians, journalists, etc., must be prepared out of their minds
  Jack: Responsible investing?

Need for public involvement/education

• David: Talk to lobbyists?
• Review sections---sort, fact check, fill holes
• Issue of ad hoc features, how solution should be discussed
• Eva: Existing sections don't differentiate between problem and solution, really

Should our solution/ Website be focused on U.S. or entire world?

• Maybe should look at China, Japan information

Discussion of content

• MPAs---should we do a cost benefit analysis?
• How should we analyze? Timescale for 10% plan?
• Let's get quantitative.
• How defensible is 10%? How good is the research?
• Use a risk analysis instead of a cost benefit analysis?
• Alex J: We want MPAs in the solution, but we need more information---some relevant parameter must be found
• Alex V: Present range of scenarios
• Should the focus be on science or policy?
• Treaty
  • Alex V: Less defensible than some of the other international stuff
  • Should still have material on international issues--need for more action--not an actual solution
• Should we get into state policy?
• Social issues: Discuss social implications of overfishing/reduction in fishing. Fisherman culture?
  • Go back to Gloucester? Work with them?
• Education: Not relevant--we're doing it--on the website could have tab w/ info for teachers, advertisement for presentation, etc.
• (Fishing) Technology: Must separate fish/environment tracking technology, fish catching technology Needs more work on it--improve technology analysis-say why various alternatives are better-separate section on tracking technology--dump two-step plan?
• Fish tracking technology: Improve analysis-Also discuss organization of science--international cooperations
• Money (for our operations): Apparently we can get it from MIT

NOTES

Monday, December 10, 2007: Terrascope Room

Today we basically went through each section, summarizing points and discussing future needs.

Problem statement: In general we felt the statement was OK, we just need a better explanation of said statement.

MPAs: we should work on

• gradations of protection and coordination with geography, technology, fishing practices, etc.

• concentric rings of protection levels?

• how to make them more appealing to fishermen

• effect on the fishing industry (aka will it collapse)

ALSO: we need to create steps/priorities within our plan (decide internally)

• international cooperation is idealistic; we should also figure out which plans can work solely locally

INTERNATIONAL:

• eco-labels: cost issues, company cooperation; lack of support/recognition of marine stewardship council

• treaty is mostly guidelines; specific rules with regards to 10% plan and flag hopping

• issues with realism of inducting RBAs; failures of RBAs; some RBAs are species specific..... ours is geographically based

• regional fleets: costs? previous uses?

• implementation of global tax scheme: international waters, collection, etc.

• incentives to join: political, past initiatives

• random stuff: whaling, other large marine species

• marine science council--> under RBAs

FISHING TECHNOLOGY:

• short and long term: need to be better defined and organized

• cost benefit analysis and talk to actual fishermen who are designing their own technologies

• Implementation: subsidies; ITQ bonuses; larger subsidies for small fisherman; tax breaks to big companies; net drag speech and net mesh size regulations; ban trawling in deep water and eventually phase it out

• goal: digital imaging on nets

EDUCATION:

• decrease demand

• look up best way to educate public

We voted and decided that education will now focus on telling us HOW we will say whatever we decide to say, and will not be explicitly included within a website, etc.

MANAGEMENT:

• input or output controls

• ecosystem based management: more thorough and complex

• quotas --> use ITQs --> issues with selling them or with allocation in general

• we need a major discussion on taxes and quotas ***BIG******

We also realized it is important to foster contacts soon, so while it is critical to get our information and website up and better, it is also critical to talk to people.....

~Emily (scribe for the day)

Friday, December 7th, Terrascope room:

• Monday and Wednesday: review the problem, the solution, and the website content
• People will summarize current content and present to the group
• Create a contact list

Resources:

• IAP class? talk to Sam soon!
• Funding for trips/outreach etc.
• Documentary maker
• UROPs
• Librarians and Dan
• John Kerry
• Mass Congressmen
• Hilary Clinton (alex)
• Ari
  • education background
  • video/radio equipment
• Contact list

... will finish updating tonight!

Wednesday, December 5th: Bexley Basement

Two outreach programs--new audiences warrant new solutions/presentations:

1. Education
2. Political action

What do we want to do?

• Documentary
• Powerpoint expressing the Problem
  • Local schools (elementary, middle, high school, colleges)
  • CPW
  • MIT classes
• Talk to Sloan group
  • how much will our plan cost?
• IDEAS Competition
• MIT $100k competition
  • consulting business?
• Contact magazines
  • Elle
  • National Geographic
  • Popular Science
  • Vanity Fair
  • Scientific American
  • Seventeen
• Become a MIT student group?

We need to work on...

• Fish tracking
• GPS (cost)
• Add broadcast to Mission website
• Fix works cited
• Site search function
• Expand the problem section
• Aquaculture ?
• NEW WEBSITE
• Can the fishing industry survive these changes?
• Invasives
• Engineering ecosystems