NSP:124 Valentine Thomas Making a Living Spearfishing | Part 2

Second Interview with Valentine Thomas! This episode we cover what’s happened to her in the last 5 years including guesting on the Joe Rogan Podcast, attending international fishing symposiums, moving to Florida, shooting a huge Marlin and her very own cookbook. You know pretty much just your average person’s last 5 year story:) In addition, we review some safety issues, sustainability, and so much more. Listen in!

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Valentine Thomas with the Black Marlin mentioned in the interview

Important Interview Times

06:00 How her perspective and life has changed since our last podcast

• What has changed? Events, discoveries along the way
• International Symposium of Fisheries Sustainability, organized by the FAO of the United Nations in Rome.
• New life in Florida | French Fish and Seafood Cookbook
• How has that been reflected in her life, choices, and habits
• Confronting attitudes and dealing with BS
• Freediving and spearfishing progress. Marlin in Cabo, Baja
• Fish handling | reducing fresh water to clean the fish before bagging or vacuum packing

19:00 Her work in fighting against certain commercial practices

• RECENT INSTA POST: Markets and fishing | making better choices and influencing others. Perceived value
• Seafood labeling and carbon monoxide
• WASTE: Valentine POST on INSTA: Fisheries are discarding and wasting around 10 BILLIONS pounds every year (conservative estimate!). Why is that?
• 1 – To comply with regulations. If they fish over their quotas or if they accidentally caught species they aren’t supposed to (by-catch)
• 2 – The market value of the fish caught is too low
• This is why varying our diet and why the variety of species we consume is so important. We create the demand, consequently the market
• Nefarious practices | impinging on National waters, people smuggling
• Inequality of fishing laws, fishing law enforcement and some countries inability to police their own waters
• Traceability and Seafood Labeling | Ecolabels
• Lionfish – Invasive Problem | Creating consumer demand, incentivizing restaurants and changing public perceptions
• Also countries with very well managed fisheries now importing a huge percentage of their national seafood intake from poorer countries with less well managed fisheries
• Aquaculture. Seems to be an amazing idea with lots of problems. Enclosed waterway nets of species like Yellowtail Kingfish cause damage with the volume of fecal matter and also seem to attract disease whereas open ocean fish farming seems to mean large nets can be broken off in storms and become ghost nets and lose their capital investment in the equipment.
• Reduced Transport Footprints | Additionally, why do people in Australia demand fish from 1000’s of km away when they have amazing fish on their doorstep. Very short shelf life
• Different forms of fishing and how they impact the environment. Harvesters (Oysters), purse seine, long-lining, trawling
• Helping bleeding hearts understand the place and utility of commercial fishing and using quota to ensure stocks are maintained.
• Using the whole fish | sharing the good stuff with others and promoting good practice

56:50 The Blackout Story from the SinkPhase crew

64:52 Captain Dan Walsh Speargun Story

Links Mentioned

• First Episode NSP:012 with Valentine Thomas
• Check out Dan Walsh’s Full Interview here
• Joe Rogan Podcast Interview
• JOHN NILAND and the cookbook THE WHOLE FISH
• Valentine Thomas on Instagram @valentinethomas
• Valentines Cooking on Instagram @valentinescooking
• Agua Negra Spearfishing Documentary
• Sink Phase Spearfishing | The Blackout Video Story
• Noob Spearo Community on Facebook
• Noob Spearo on Patreon

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