FILET-O-PISCES

DESCRIPTION

This wearable sculpture/bag exemplifies the iCONS+ series, showcasing exceptional craftsmanship and unparalleled creativity. It is meticulously crafted from almond-hued hand-boarded Madras vegetable-tanned goatskin and features a striking exterior with blotchy patterns, translucent pectoral fins made from embossed TPU, colored metal spike studs, razor-sharp teeth, and an esca that artfully alludes to the ferocious appearance of the deep-sea creature, the anglerfish.

The front pocket flap is embellished with goatskin letters spelling out "pisces", adding to the bag's unique design. The bag also features a pair of hand-polished, mirror-finished 316L stainless steel 'hands' in the form of spring keyring - a signature emblem of the iCONS+ series, with three removable and intricately made fish charms, adding a whimsical touch to the piece.

The bag is secured with a smooth Raccagni silver-tone zipper and comes with a pocket with an invisible magnetic closure at the front. The interior of the bag is fully lined in electric blue recycled cotton twill and has a small goatskin patch pocket. The artisan mark “E” and year of production mark “A” are stamped on the back of the right zipper stopper.

This versatile bag can be worn as a crossbody or shoulder bag with a single shoulder strap, or as a backpack with double shoulder straps. Alternatively, it can also be displayed as a stunning art object, showcasing the intricate details and imaginative design that make this piece truly exceptional.

MORE DETAILS

H20 x W14 x D10 cm (8” x 5.5” x 4”)
Exterior: 100% Hand-boarded Madras goatskin
Interior: One goatskin patch pocket
Trims (Fins): 100% Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU)
100% Recycled cotton twill lining
Front flap pocket with magnetic closure
Three removable fish charms
Two adjustable shoulder straps
Hand-polished mirror finished 316L stainless steel hardware
Required 45 hours for one artisan to make
Cross-body, shoulder bag and backpack
Can also be displayed as an art object
Individually handmade in China
Reference No. CX23U0104012

STORY

Do you know that today, according to the United Nations FAO’s 2020 State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA) report, 34.2% of global fisheries have been fished beyond sustainable limits?

Before we dive into the topic of sustainable fishing, we need to first understand what sustainability means when it comes to fishing. One school of thought, often adopted by environmentalists, ecologists or animal welfare advocates, views fish as an animal in its own right, in the same way that most of us view other groups of sentient beings. In this particular realm, our end goal is to restore the animal population to as close to their pre-human levels as possible-including fish. This implies that we should be catching very little if any at all. The other school of thought views fish as a natural resource. In this realm, the primary objective is not about restoring the population of the animal back to optimal historical levels but catching as much fish as possible (known as maximally sustainably fished or fully fished) without depleting fish populations to the point where the ecosystem irreversibly collapses.

Since much of the research, industry, and policymaking is geared towards the second school of thought, which views fish as a natural resource, this idiosyncratic work (also part of my limited series on the recurring theme of astrology) entitled Filet-O-Pisces (An Anglerfish Holding Three Fresh Catches) aims to explore these concepts and help understand the causes and impacts of unsustainable fishing. It also seeks to address the importance of maintaining the vibrancy of the world's oceans.

Of all the threats facing the oceans today, overfishing takes the greatest toll on marine life and people. Catching fish is not inherently bad for the ocean, but when fleets of commercial vessels harvest wildlife from the sea at a rate faster than the breeding stocks can replenish, it threatens the world's ocean ecosystems and the billions of people who rely on seafood as a key source of protein.

While there are many causes of overfishing, the main contributors are increasing human demand, illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing (IUU), subsidies, poor management of fisheries, and lack of protective regulations. Although exploitation rates varied year-to-year, over the last decade, they have hovered around one-third globally. Of the 600 fish stocks evaluated by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), 34% of fish stocks (a 'fish stock' is a fish population in a given location) were overfished or depleted, 60% were maximally fished, and 6% were under-fished.

Some of the worst ocean impacts are caused by pervasive illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing. Illegal fishing refers to fishing activities conducted by foreign vessels without permission in waters under the jurisdiction of another state or which contravene its fisheries laws and regulations in some other manner, such as disregarding fishing times or the existence of the state's protected areas. For example, some IUU vessels operate in waters under the jurisdiction of West African states. As these countries generally cannot afford to establish effective fisheries control structures, the IUU vessels are able, in many cases, to operate with impunity. Unreported fishing refers to fishing activities that have not been reported or have been misreported by vessels to the relevant national authority. For example, some vessels harvest more tonnage than they are entitled to catch under official fishing quotas. Unregulated fishing refers to fishing activities in areas where there are no applicable management measures to regulate the catch; this is the case in the South Atlantic. The term also applies to fishing for highly migratory species and certain species of sharks, which are not regulated by a Regional Fisheries Management Organization (RFMO). Finally, the term applies to fishing activities in international waters in violation of regulations established by the relevant RFMO.

Managing the sustainability of fisheries is a delicate process that requires continual monitoring of fish populations, their reproduction rate, and the amount of fish being caught. The deterioration of fish stocks is particularly evident in regions where the fisheries management structure is not in place or is ineffective. According to the FAO, a staggering 62.5% of fisheries across Asia, Africa (except South Africa), South America, the Canadian East Coast, the Mediterranean, and the Black Sea are fished at unsustainable levels. Many of these regions also practice dredging, sometimes referred to as bottom trawling, an efficient but extremely destructive method of catching seafood in which boats drag a structure along the seabed to dislodge organisms. In fact, one-quarter of the world's fish are caught this way. Passing a trawl over the seabed can have a severe impact on the organisms that live there. Many countries have reduced the use of bottom trawling, including the UK, Portugal, Spain, and Japan. In 2016, the European Commission also banned bottom trawling in deeper water, below 800 meters. Unfortunately, bottom trawling has been growing rapidly in countries such as China and India.

Subsidies provided by governments to the fishing industry to offset the costs of conducting business remain a significant challenge to reversing this troubling trend of overfishing. They typically include support for cheaper fuel, gear, and shipping vessels. Access to these types of inputs at below-market rates leads to overcapacity of fishing vessels and ultimately leads to the depletion of fish stocks, lower fishing yields, and decreased incomes for fishers. Capacity-enhancing subsidies also tend to favor larger fishers as opposed to smaller, traditional fishers who are considered most vulnerable. The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has called for an end to harmful subsidies.

Overfishing is a global problem with many serious social, economic, and environmental implications. Decades of overfishing have resulted in the precipitous decline of key fish stocks such as Southern Bluefin tuna and mackerel, as well as collateral impacts on other marine life such as coral reefs, dolphins, sea turtles, seabirds, alongside tens of millions of sharks and rays. Many of these vulnerable species, whether fished out intentionally or as bycatch, are critically endangered or protected. Outside of climate change, overfishing is the main contributor to the rapid decline of ocean health, which is intrinsically linked to our environmental, social, and economic well-being. Of the Earth’s nearly 8 billion people, over 1 billion depend on seafood as their primary food source and the industry provides over 780 million jobs worldwide. Without immediate action, the precipitous decline of this resource will result in accelerated environmental degradation, international conflict, and hunger.

For more information about overfishing and what you can do to mitigate the problem please visit the links below.

www.wto.org
www.worldwildlife.org
www.msc.org
www.nationalgeographic.com

CONTACT US