The Tragedy of the Commodity: Oceans, Fisheries, and Aquaculture (Nature, Society, and Culture)

by adminEcology

The Tragedy of the Commodity: Oceans, Fisheries, and Aquaculture (Nature, Society, and Culture)

Stefano B. Longo, Rebecca Clausen, Brett Clark

Language: English

Pages: 274

ISBN: 0813565774

Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub


Although humans have long depended on oceans and aquatic ecosystems for sustenance and trade, only recently has human influence on these resources dramatically increased, transforming and undermining oceanic environments throughout the world. Marine ecosystems are in a crisis that is global in scope, rapid in pace, and colossal in scale. In The Tragedy of the Commodity, sociologists Stefano B. Longo, Rebecca Clausen, and Brett Clark explore the role human influence plays in this crisis, highlighting the social and economic forces that are at the heart of this looming ecological problem.
 
In a critique of the classic theory “the tragedy of the commons” by ecologist Garrett Hardin, the authors move beyond simplistic explanations—such as unrestrained self-interest or population growth—to argue that it is the commodification of aquatic resources that leads to the depletion of fisheries and the development of environmentally suspect means of aquaculture. To illustrate this argument, the book features two fascinating case studies—the thousand-year history of the bluefin tuna fishery in the Mediterranean and the massive Pacific salmon fishery. Longo, Clausen, and Clark describe how new fishing technologies, transformations in ships and storage capacities, and the expansion of seafood markets combined to alter radically and permanently these crucial ecosystems. In doing so, the authors underscore how the particular organization of social production contributes to ecological degradation and an increase in the pressures placed upon the ocean. The authors highlight the historical, political, economic, and cultural forces that shape how we interact with the larger biophysical world.
 
A path-breaking analysis of overfishing, The Tragedy of the Commodity yields insight into issues such as deforestation, biodiversity loss, pollution, and climate change.
 

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Natural systems (ecosystems) interact with and shape each other. We argue that a synthesis of human ecology and social metabolism approaches allows us to generate a firmer analytical grasp of coupled human and natural systems, as well as the sociohistorical conditions that structure life. As part of this project, and as a counter to the Social Theory and Ecological Tragedy • 31 tragedy of the commons, we propose the tragedy of the commodity as an analytical framework to historically assess.

Present in it, which can be realized by sale.”79 Under this logic, money dominates the organization of social and natural relationships. Marx argued: “Money is the universal self-­established value of all things. It has therefore robbed the whole world—­both the world of men and nature—­of its specific value. Money is the estranged essence of man’s work and man’s existence, and this alien essence dominates him.”80 Addressing the pervasiveness of this logic, Polanyi explained, “All transactions.

There are significant concerns regarding its viability and rationality. Further, the organization of the socio-­ecological relations undermines qualitative relationships with ocean ecosystems, and species like the bluefin tuna are commodified and produced primarily for exchange on the global market. Its value as a life-­sustaining resource, or as a cultural symbol, is replaced with a quantitative measure or market price, which becomes a central organizing element for production. The continued.

Of the fish bone record from the Pacific Coast shows consistent human reliance on salmon for approximately 7,500 years, even throughout major changes in the ecological and social systems during this time period. In addition to the evidence from human and animal remains, the artwork of Pacific Coast cultures reflects the importance of salmon through depictions of the fish in art, such as woodcarvings (see figure 5.1). Archaeologists Sarah Campbell and Virginia Butler analyzed records from research.

Capture massive amounts of small fish to feed bluefin tuna on these ranches. Much of the nutrients and energy contained in the food is used by bluefin tuna for basic physiological life processes while they are held in ocean pens. Energy and nutrition are basically squandered. If the primary goal is to produce food for human populations in an ecologically efficient manner, holding bluefin tuna in pens and feeding them so that they might gain relatively small amounts of weight, and in particular.

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