The Monomaster - is a great idea, keeps nature clean.

Salmon don't do drugs - only if they live in a fish farm.

I loved this picture, one of my friends send it to me and of course I can't agree more - wild salmon don't do drugs, it's only the ones we humans produce which are full of "chemical shit".

So when ever you buy salmon in your local supermarket, then makes sure it a wild one, otherwise you are supporting these doped out salmon from "the fish farm madness".

PS. I which I knew where I could buy that sticker for my car -  if anybody out there knows where I can get one, pls. let me know!!

CHOKING PICTURES - from underneath the Norwegian fish farms.

I can't understand why this is allowed. Every politician is totally "CO2 hyped" which is fine, but this goes on every second all over the world where these "fish factories" are present, and nobody seems to do anything about it - Why?? - it is big business of course!!!.
It's is a political scandal and a sin to neglect the environmental problems associated with these fish farms, but as in so many other situations - money rules - as usually.
Only thing to do is to stop buying these salmon, they are "puffed and stuffed" with chemicals  anyway, and not suitable for human food.

This video is in Norwegian, but have a look at the pictures from the sea bead 300 meter underneath one of these "fish factories" - it's totally dead!!!


NORWEGIAN HORRORS - Fish farms destroying our fjords from Norges Miljøvernforbund on Vimeo.

And here is a video a very interesting video fro Canada - so sad - where is the politicians?


Norwegian fish farming in Canada. from Norges Miljøvernforbund on Vimeo.

How to restore a spawning section in a small stream

We all know that conservation project is very important to keep the fish population healthy. Here is a video where a bunch of danish guy's does a fantastic job of restoring a little stream in Denmark. The result shown in the end of this video is perfect, and if I could I would give them all a huge hug - and tell them that they are doing a really great job.

This kind of messages really makes it worth all the effort

One of my fiends send this message to me the other day, and boy it made my day :O)

This kind of messages really makes it worth all the effort, all the struggle and all the late hours, trying to make it all fit together and look OK.

Thank you all for the fantastic support you have given Pool 32 Mag, it has truly been an unbelievable journey so far, and I will do my very best to improve Pool 32 Mag in the future.

M & V means Environment & Watercare in danish

"M & V" is a sovereign publication from DSF (Danish Sport Fishing association) which gives a the reader a unique view of the situation in the danish waters and rivers. Some of the contents are written by scientists from DTU Aqua (Denmark's Technical University).

In one of the latest editions (Nr. 33)  (PS. they are always written in Danish) you will find a detailed story about the huge salmon success from Skjern river and some of the other rivers in the same region, very interesting reading indeed, but the best part of it all: it's free and can be downloaded from the DSF website (Danish Sport fishing Association) - use this link HERE to read the latest edition of M &V (nr. 35 )

Christmas is getting closer, here is a place with some gift ideas!!

You can buy these shirts HERE 

The Krill is gone cartoon

The fact that the amount of Krill in our oceans is decreasing is very serious, which this little cartoon from Vimeo shows. A serious matter made easy to relate to, even for kids.


“The Krill is Gone” Trailer from Bent Image Lab on Vimeo.

The great salmon migration

The Greatest Migration from Epicocity Project on Vimeo.

Rise - Fly Fishing Film Festival 2010

Yesterday "The Rise Film Festival" were in Malmo/Sweden, and since they have built a bridge and a tunnel connection from Copenhagen /Denmark to Malmo, it's only a 50 km. drive each way. But who cares when an epic event like this is "close" to your home, you just have to go. So I planned everything - except one little detail: the weather - which of course were terrible for such a drive. We had a snow storm moving in from the north, so it was a battle against mother nature just to get over there. But who cares - I were going to se some of the most epic fly fishing films ever made, and maybe have a chat with one of the guys behind Gin Clear Media. Every thing turned out perfect and I had a really nice experience all together.

So here is a little video from the "Pool 32 Road trip to Sweden".

RISE - Fly Fishing Film Festival by Pool 32 from Mark Wengler on Vimeo.

Underwater fly fishing for Tarpon - that a new one!!

Feel like trying something new, fell like a new fly fishing challenge -  well then have a look at this!!!
If a 50 -60 pound tarpon had taken his fly!! -  then it probably would have pulled him around like a tiny  "strike indicator"!!!

Alaska’s Choice - Salmon or Gold??

In the latest edition of the very informative and free Sportsman's Alliance newsletter from Alaska, they have brought focus on the Bristol Bay cause, and this time this serious matter is supported by National Geographic.

In the December (paper) edition of National Geographic, which hits newsstands dec. 1 st. you will find a huge exposure of the controversy proposal to establish one of the largest mines ever build, right in the middle of some of the most fragile environmental surrounding on this planet. But for you who can't wait for the paper edition, the online edition of this article is now available - look further down, and you will find a bit of this very exciting article written by Edwin Dobb.

Also make sure to have a look the fantastic slide show from the brilliant photographer Michael Melford HERE - Pool 32 only show a few of them, but they are absolutely stunning, nothing less.

Here is a little taste of these breathtaking images from photographer Michael Melford

From National Geographic by Edwin Dobb

All that the American West once was, Alaska still is. Abounding with natural marvels and largely untouched by human ambition, it strikes the newcomer as a land of endless prospect, an impression vividly reinforced from the passenger seat of a low-flying Cessna 180. Rick Halford, a bush pilot and former Republican state legislator, is showing me a piece of Alaska tucked between national parks and other protected lands about 250 miles southwest of Anchorage: the heart of the Bristol Bay watershed. Never was the term more meaningful. In every direction the dominant feature of the landscape, the element that binds everything together, is water. Within this 40,000-square-mile area are nine major rivers fed by dozens of tributaries that sometimes resemble stiff tree branches, sometimes sinuous arteries. Here are ponds so great in number and whimsical of shape they call to mind a crowded Joan Miró canvas stretching to the horizon. In more places than not, the water table lies near the surface, producing seeps and springs, continually recharging the spongelike tundra. This is a wet place indeed.

Read the rest HERE

Also check the KTUU Television from Anchorage, they have made a series about the subject HERE 

Fish'n and Frezze - by Fly Focus

Fly Focus said it very nicely Fish'n Freeze!!!

Winter has arrived (at least in Denmark!! - it's minus 5-7 degrees outside right now) and patience is the keyword the next couple of months - but there is always someone who can't wait. The guy's from Fly Focus made a splendid photo essay called "Fish'n Frezze" with a bunch of nice pictures.

Here is just a couple of these "cold pic's" - see the rest HERE 

Support Tout Unlimited - give a gift

Thanksgiving is 

... a time to reflect on the things we hold dear!!

Use this link to support Trout Unlimited and their fantastic work

FlyFishingPoint - has a fantastic photo gallery.

Have a look at the FlyFishingPoints Gallery HERE 

You will find some really great shoots from many exciting destinations.

Here is a few photos by Stanislas Freyheit

Have a look at the rest of his images here "From France & around the world" 

(PS. click op pic's for a larger view)

... and also here in his Picasa album 

Midfjardara - the one place I'll never forget.

I consider myself very privileged - I've fished it, and it simply offers some the most extreme fly fishing on this planet. Give your self a nice christmas gift - go there next year and have  a blast.


Fly Fishing Iceland's Midfjardará River - Fly Nation TV Preview from Nick Pujic on Vimeo.

Rise - Fly Fishing Film Festival 2010

The film festival will present the best adventure fly fishing films of 2010 in a big screen extravaganza. The mission of the festival is to inspire audiences with epic adventures, strong stories and big fish in pristine environments.

By tickets HERE

The 2011 International Fly Fishing Film Festival ( IF4 ) Commercial from Nick Pujic on Vimeo.

Rise - watch the great trailer here.

RISE. The second full-length movie project from Confluence Films, RISE is a 70-minute feature that spotlights a line-up of interesting characters, captivating locales, and a series of stories that provide a fantastic look at the industry, the sport and the places fishing can take us.



You can buy the film at FlyFishingPoints shop HERE along with a whole bunch of other exciting DVD's, so don't hesitate, spoil yourself with a little "pre-christmas present".

A new type of GM produced salmon may become human food.

A new type of salmon may become the first genetically modified animals which will be allowed to sell as human food. 

Here is two fish of the same age. one is GM - guess which one!!!

Several researchers are strongly critical of the way the U.S. authorities have handled this situation.The company Aqua Bounty Technologies has applied for a permission to sell GM salmon in the U.S.

The U.S. Food Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is in the final application face right now.

But according to a group of scientists, the FDA's decision is based on too thin a foundation. In an article in the Science journal, they have made their own evaluation of the effects from the GM salmon.

"The procedure to determine whether salmon can be approved is the same as used when drugs should be approved, "said Frank Asch, a professor of economics at the University of Stavanger.

"The FDA based the decision on whether the product provides direct side effects, and the salmon is measurably different than other salmon," he says.

They have to take the effects int account.

Frank Asch and other researchers point to several conditions that the FDA should consider when deciding whether the genetically modified salmon must be legal.

Researchers stresses that the FDA must consider what the effects can bring by approving the GM salmon. They point to the possible beneficial effects such as better public health but also the possible negative effects such as additional environmental impact on wild salmon and the environment in general. 

The purpose of modifying the salmon is to make them grow faster. This will enable lower production costs, so they can produce more salmon for less money.

"History shows that lower prices lead to more eating salmon. And it is documented that eating salmon have a positive health effect, "notes Frank Asch.

Environmental gains

If multiple people, for example switches beef out with salmon it may also provide an environmental benefit.

"If people switch from red meat to salmon, most will say it is a positive environmental development. For example, beef creates a large carbon footprint because it requires more energy to produce, than salmon. If genetically modified salmon will outperform the appropriate products, it could provide a positive environmental impact, "says professor of economics and fisheries Atle G. Guttormsen.

GM food can lead to increased food production, because production costs is reduced. That way GM food will help fight hunger in the Third World, said the scientists.

Environmental challenges increases 

On the other hand, the FDA does not account for the increased salmon production could lead to much greater environmental impact than today, the scientists underlines.

Today's farmed salmon contribute to significant environmental problems through leakage, spreading of parasites and sea lice. But the risk of spreading a fast growing and extremely aggressive eating new type of salmon, could create massive problems for wild salmon.

"The challenges associated with farmed salmon will increase. Other concerns are the unknown health effects of consuming GM food. GM animals are also more risky than that GM plants because they spread much faster, "says Ascher.

Breaking down the barriers  

If the salmon is approved in the U.S., it can have consequences for foodproduction in countries like Norway and Denmark.

"An approval of the GM salmon would mean that a barrier has disappeared and that over the next few years it will become legal to produce other genetically modified animal species, including mammals," notes Frank Asch.

If the production of GM food increases, it will provide a higher proportion of such products in the Danish and Norwegian import, he said.

In 2009, 77 percent of the world's soya production were GM. Soya is used for many purposes such as cooking oil, milk, flour and meat replacement.

According to the Norwegian biotechnology boards, two-thirds of all Norwegian pre-cooked food, contain a soy-based ingredient.

"There is currently nothing to suggest that it will be legal to sell genetically modified animals in Norway. Nevertheless, if the production of GM animals increases in other countries, it will mean a higher content of GM ingredients in the products we import, "said Frank Asch.

This guy needs therapy - "The Angry fisherman's boat landing".

April Vokey hooks a nice steelhead at Dean river.

John West adds - delightful craziness

There is a lot of ways to promote your products, one of them is humor. John West have made it their trademark using humor in their adds, and most of us remember their brand very well, even though most of probably never tasted any of their stuff!!! - Lately John West are building on the reputation of top canned fish brand with the “Perfectly Cut”, a print advertising campaign photographed by Andreas Smetana. Salmon slices in the river and lake, and Tuna Slices out at sea, are given sex appeal by oiled and well built male models in yellow overalls.

Here's a little "something" for the female eye!! 

...and a little fun one as well...

... and of course some of their "delicious crazy" videos!!!

Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Will Be Gone By 2012

Photo by José Antonio Gil Martinez via Flickr

Mediterranean (Atlantic) bluefin tuna is collapsing as we speak and yet the fishery will kick off again tomorrow for business as usual

At current rates of catch, driving up by increasing demand from Japan for use in sushi, Atlantic bluefin tuna stocks will be gone within 3 years. That's the word from WWF

It is absurd and inexcusable to open a fishing season when stocks of the target species are collapsing.

Countries involved in the Mediterranean bluefin tuna trade have voted to maintain catches nearly 50% above what scientists say are "safe" levels.

Environment groups labelled the move, by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (Iccat), as a "mockery of science".

They put most blame on the EU which, they said, used trade issues to bully smaller nations into giving support.

Earlier this year Spain and Japan had called for a suspension of the fishery.

Iccat's scientists had said next year's total allowable catch (Tac) should not exceed 15,000 tons, but on the final day of its annual meeting, Iccat members set a figure of 22,000 tons.

They also rejected the scientists' call for a closure of the fishery in the spawning months of May and June. Which is absolutely pure madness!!

The scientists had warned the commission that "a collapse in the near future is a possibility" given the high number of boats engaged in the lucrative trade.

No mandate

"The spawning closure was probably more important than the Tac issue because actually the Tac was never respected," said Sergi Tudela, head of the fisheries program at the environment group WWF.

"It was the one thing that might have stopped overfishing", he told BBC News from the Iccat meeting.

"The decision is a mockery of science and a mockery of the world; Iccat has shown that it doesn't deserve the mandate to manage this iconic fishery."

Earlier this year, an independent expert report branded Iccat's management of the tuna fishery a "disgrace", and put the blame on the shoulders of major fishing nations which, it said, routinely flouted the rules.

In 2006, Iccat scientists estimated that illegal fishing in the Mediterranean added about 30% onto the official catch figures.

The bargaining position adopted by the European Commission - which represents all EU members on Iccat - came as something of a surprise.

At the World Conservation Congress in October, Spain - the biggest tuna-fishing country - backed a suspension of the fishery, and Italy was reported to have gone further and called for a moratorium.

The EU's opening statement at Iccat acknowledged that "the situation of the bluefin tuna is critical", and that "urgent action is needed to ensure the sustainability of this emblematic stock".

The reasons why the European Commission decided, against this backdrop, to argue for catches considerably above the scientific advice are not yet clear.

Some conservationists at the meeting said the EU had threatened developing nations with trade penalties on goods such as bananas unless they backed the European position.

Conservation groups which have long lobbied Iccat members to adopt scientists' advice are now likely to take their fight to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites).

Numbers of the East Atlantic stock of bluefin have fallen so fast that listing it as a threatened species is a possibility. The southern bluefin is already categorized as Critically Endangered.

"The game is over - Iccat has missed its last chance to save the bluefin tuna from stock collapse," said Sebastian Losada, oceans campaigner for Greenpeace in Spain.

"It's time to take the fishery out of their hands and look to conventions like Cites to impose trade restrictions on the species."

Mail to autor of this great article - Richard.Black-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk 

Link: BBC News

illustration by www.stephenroundtree.com 

Watch these 3 videos - and learn about how serious the problem are!!!

Finally please have a closer look at this rapport from the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists

It makes you think about the Tuna the next time you order sushi!!