Oil price puts squeeze on Indonesia (can't afford to fish)

[phantom power]

For the fishing boats of Indonesia, going to sea has become an expensive business.

As global oil prices surge, fishermen are paying more to run their boats, but the fish they catch still sells for the same price.

"I don't know what to do if the price keeps going up like this," says Sunada, a fisherman who makes his living in the waters off Java.

"If we stop working we can't eat at all, but if we go on like this we don't make any profit."

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/E58D9056-C3D4-4A65-9824-7769B0D322C8.htm

[villager]

1. inadvertantly, then, this might allow fish stocks to start recovering?

In the short term, if fishermen use sail power -- less range, perhaps, but less expense (and thus, less fishing required to "meet expenses" and make a profit -- will that work?

[phantom power]

3. I suppose it might, but I doubt it.

Fish populations are getting hit hard by coastal pollution, anoxic zones, acidification and temperature changes. I've read that some marine biologists are worried that some species may not recover even if we quit fishing them. The populations are now too small, and the stress on them too large.

We're going to find out, I think.

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. Peak oil, it is here

By the way many low wage earners in the US will be in the same boat, or already are

[phantom power]

4. The truckers are pretty much there right now...

Lots of businesses are feeling the squeeze. They've been avoiding the danger of trying to pass on costs to their customers, but nobody can play that game very long. At that point, businesses either figure out how to survive with a smaller customer base, or go under.