Lodamun

[imperialpearl]

Be it the negligence of overfishing, a history of a successive failures to manage the nation’s oceanic resources or a plain lack of interest among congressional representatives as to the state of national fisheries, the once proud Lodamese fisheries industry, which like many others have, stood alongside some of this nation’s most proud industries including shipbuilding and manufacturing, is all but lost. Whereas previously there had been an abundance of diverse ocean/marine wildlife, from various species of fish, whales and other subnatic fauna, much of this “abundance” has been replaced by a gripping scarcity which threatens to send numerous species into a permanent extinction. Off the coast of Barrington, where Lodamese cod-fishing had once made an impressionable mark on what it meant to be Lodamese, these activities have all but ceased as increasingly saline waters coupled with rising oceanic temperatures in the area have driven cod to other territories. The state’s heavy dependence on desalinated water, an inescapable consequence of the state’s chronic water woes, has been identified by numerous environmental impact assessments as being the root cause of this migration. “Things like the Common snook, Common bream don’t seem so common anymore. They’ve all migrated south to places like Baltusia and Southern Kalistan, we’ve heard,” Sam Tillman, a 4th generation fisherman. Families like Mr. Tillman’s have been extremely dependent on fishing for both their livelihoods and cultural identity. Although much of the traditions of old have been lost to time, many traditional fishing communities, particularly those in Berkwaki, Newchester, St. Christopher and Barrington, have held onto their fishing traditions as they believe it is “essential to being Lodamese”. “Fish and pelt were the first major commodities for trade in Lodamun when the natives began trading with merchants from Kalistan. To be a Lodamese man meant knowing how to fish, knowing the tides. Fishing was a rite of passage and our way of life. I have watched the decay of our fishing culture and have since rejected the idea that our national image be replaced by that of manufacturers,” Tillman lamented.

The revitalisation of the Lodamese fishing industry has been a backburner issue for centuries as it has taken the backseat to issues related to manufacturing, innovation and shipbuilding. Yet despite this, there remain numerous advocates for the sector, who continue to make their grievances against negligence of the federal government known. The Lodamese Cod-Fisher’s Association has long called for the creation of an independent agency under the Department of the Interior to oversee the management of the nation’s fisheries and to provide sound policy advice to legislators alongside implementing strategic plans which may help in revitalising the sector. Here, the LCFA argued that the sector can no longer be expected to “sort its issues out”, but instead the federal government must intervene to correct decades, if not centuries, of mismanagement. “Whereas we had some hope under the last administration that our centuries-long grievances might be heard by the Secretary of the Interior, we were denied such an opportunity. We maintain that fishing in Lodamun, which has been the victim of plunder by overfishing and another factor, cannot simply correct centuries of mismanagement on its own,” a statement from the association read. Recently confirmed Secretary of the Interior John Riley, a Newchester native, noted that he was aware of the LCFA’s commentary and had been working with members of Congress to craft new legislation to manage Lodamun’s marine resources prior to his cabinet appointment. He noted that the proposed Hensley Act would, among other things, cause the creation of the Lodamese Fisheries Board. The bill had been authored by Senator Alfred Hensley of Barrington, who argued that the federal government must intervene to rescue and revive Lodamese fisheries as a matter of “national pride”. The LFB will be the federal agency, under the Department of the Interior, wholly responsible for the management of the nation’s fisheries. It will be responsible for crafting policy, providing recommendations and regulating the fisheries industry, including imposing sanctions, declaring fishing seasons, among other, more important powers.

The bill provides for the LFB to be granted an extraordinary power: the ability to declare certain areas of the Lodamese economic exclusion zone a protected zone. Numerous scientific studies have pointed to the use of protected areas/zones as an extremely effective means of allowing for the marine population to rebuild naturally without assistance from aquaculture. The bill sets out to establish three initial protected zones within Lodamun; one in Barrington, one in western St. Christopher and another in Berkwaki. As per the act, commercial activities within these areas will likely be banned, with trawlers, container ships, and even military vessels being barred from entering the area. It noted that such areas will become hotspots wherein endangered species can “rebuild/recoup their numbers”. It also provides for the LFB to bar vessels exceeding a certain tonnage from venturing into these zones, alongside imposing significant sanctions/fines on the individuals and companies who seek to breach such orders. (talk about the species of fish in the three zones, cod in one zone and two others in the other two zones respectively).