By Jessica Hopper, Michelle Balani and Alissa Figueroa
Rock Center
Off the coast of Honduras, divers are dying in search of what they call "red gold." The treasure they're hunting is the lobster that ends up on many American dinner plates.
"Americans should know that every time they eat the lobster, there is a history behind that lobster," said Dr. Elmer Mejia.
Mejia has been treating lobster divers for nearly three years at his clinic in La Ceiba, Honduras. The doctor has the only hyperbaric chamber to treat the men who come to him when they are suffering from decompression sickness, commonly called "the bends."
Thousands of men have become permanently disabled working in the unsafe and poorly regulated lobster industry in Honduras. They dive at depths of up to 120 feet with air tanks that rarely have pressure gauges to warn them when their supply is running low. The divers then bolt to the surface when they're running out of air, which can result in severe decompression sickness and in some cases, paralysis.
"It's incredibly dangerous what they are doing. They are diving so far beyond anything that we would consider to be within acceptable limits," said Eric Douglas, who writes about diving safety and has studied the Miskito divers along with Dr. Mejia. "They are poorly trained. They are poorly equipped," said Douglas. "They have none of the basic things that divers today would consider mandatory equipment- pressure gauges, alternate air sources, even a buoyancy control vest to help them float underwater without effort."
These men dive as many as 16 times a day, and sometimes ignore their difficulty breathing to attempt to catch one more lobster.
"They get paid by the pound, so the more lobsters they can get on every one of those dives, the more money they make. So they're going to push it for every last breath in the tank," said Douglas.
About 90 percent of their catch ends up in the United States, according to the Honduran government.
Mejia has treated more than 250 divers over the past three years. These men are often paralyzed as a result of their decompression illness.
"It's very difficult when you see very young people paralyzed from the neck down below and you know that they will not improve," said Dr. Mejia.
Mejia frequently travels to the Miskito Coast, a remote area of Honduras about 200 miles from his clinic where most of his patients live. People here have no electricity or running water. There are few other job opportunities, and most families have at least one male relative who was injured diving for America's dinners.
In a dilapidated one-room house, Wilmur Mauricio Sambola lay dying. He was paralyzed from the chest down while diving for lobster and he was suffering from a severe infection caused by his illness. Mejia had treated Sambola ten months earlier and knew that his injuries were severe, but he was still shocked to see how rapidly he had deteriorated.
"He was a very strong man, I'm really surprised at his condition at this moment," said Mejia as he leaned over the ailing man.
During his visit, there was little Mejia could do to treat the 31-year-old man except to provide him with pain medication.
Some 4,500 divers throughout the Miskito Coast have suffered from dive-related injuries like Sambola. Those lucky enough to be healed often return to diving.
"We feel very pleased when they improve very quickly at the chamber, but sometimes we are kind of scared because if they improve so quick, so fast, they will think the hyperbaric chamber makes miracles," said Mejia. "So they will go back again diving and the next time can be the last time."
They take the risk for a few hundred dollars a month.
"Whether they are dive caught or trap caught lobsters, you can't tell, all that we're looking at is the tail," said Agent Paul Raymond of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
There are no laws in the U.S. blocking the import of lobster caught by deep sea divers like the Miskito men.
The Honduran government is working with regional fishing agencies and nonprofit organizations to put an end to lobster diving within two years. USAID and the World Bank are providing funding to help the divers find alternate work if the ban takes place.
"If we do not provide the job alternatives, stopping the diving will be like killing them," says Dr. Mejia.
Leave a Comment:
dr. mejia: for your information, canada exports 46,600 metric tons per year, the us exports 42,900 metric tons per year and the uk exports 33,800 metric tons per year. honduras is nowhere to be found in the top 15 on the list either for exporting or for its lobster industry. you should appeal nationally and not internationally to your government so that instead of lining their pockets from the tourism trade, they should inject some of the funds into the safety of the divers or re-train the divers to work in the tourist industry.
I'm sure the guy who wrote this article supports the so called global 'free' trade. Free trade only benefits international capital holders, at the expense of consumers and producers. Exploiting divers in Honduras is just as bad as exploiting child labor in China.
Better yet, let's ban lobster imports from Honduras and then find out where these divers are going to get that $200 a month they are getting paid. It sounds to me like these do this because this is the only way for them to make money, if we the "Big Bad US" stops eating the lobster and they don't get to harvest it, then what other dangerous job will they have to take on? The author of this article is an idiot.
well here is your problem
the mexican government need to make sure the poor guys do their job in a safe way and not be idiotic in thinking ill feed my family or die
that doesnt make sence concidering if you die or get disabled because you dont care of the risk to your person and you die, it will be pretty hard to feed your family eh? especially if you are only dissabled, apparently folks need help from their government to make sure this doesnt happen to people who dont know better,
safety first so the men who do this job can continuously feed their family without worring about death at work
and work safety has nothing to do with your free trade remark
its called idiocy not to make sure your freeking work force stays safe
and i dont see any exploiting not to sure how that fits in to this discussion
exploiting is where you force somebody to work and then take from them what they create or harvest
so yes the problem is your government and no one elses
protect your workers they are human after all
treat them as it was true and stop trying to cover for a government responcibility
they do tax you you know
wonder where the taxes may have gone? ehhh
and the government is trying to stop the trade and not protect it, that doesnt make sence unless somebody hasnt paid of their local official
when one has good income with a legal system you would think they would build up the buisness with protections and reinforcement
not close it down and stop divers who could benefit if they had the proper equipment
dam thats not to hard to figure out
If only I could afford lobster. This story points out a sad fact about this group of people. It really doesn't matter how much they export. What matters is their working conditions are bad, and people are getting injured and dying for it. If there is something that can be done to help these people work safer, then it should be done. Fortunately for us, we don't likely have to work in conditions like they do. But it is also true that in America we have Fishermen in Alaska who risk their lives every year to put crabs and other seafood on our plates. Unfortunately, death and injury is a fact of life for fishermen.
One thing that is sad is these people will be told "NO, you can't make money that way anymore, the government has a new job for you that doesn't pay as well and your sense of self worth will be less." Almost every time a government tries to step in and force people into a new life style, they end up making those people they try to help poorer than they were before. God bless them when a guy in a suit walks up to them and says, "I'm from the government and I'm here to help."
Send them plenty of traps, stop diving and start trapping.
also sounds like someone down there is trying to put the harvesting of these lobsters into a monopoly so only they can pull in the cash
greedy rich always
It's time we put a stop to the torture and inhumane killing lobsters. It's wrong on so many levels.
Is the premise of the article implying in any way that "Americans" are responsible for the acts of people in another country who of their own will and mind in the pursuit of of financial reward? I think this is indeed what the author and of course the marxists in Honduras expect us to "swallow".
What about how the importation of this product has hurt US domestic harvesters prices and their ability to stay in business? Nobody seems to give that much thought or seems to care.
Maybe Hondurans and their government should be responsible for their acts and effects of what they do! In the mean time, please pass the drawn butter... thanks.
By the way, reading these posts I have to say... there are some looney whack jobs out there! Inhumane treatment of lobsters? Are you serious?
Please pass the butter...!
Stop buying lobster from Honduras. Problem solved (if you listen to the anal theories of this doctor). See how these lobster divers like it then! Luckily for us, unlike oil, lobsters are not a necessity.
Kyot - yes. While the solution is not simple when exploiting others for luxury items one should feel responsible. We find child porn obtained by exploiting minors offensive but not goods produced by children or slaves or people who have a choice of starving or working in these conditions? Especially when in a lot of these cases it's companies based mainly in the US that directly make contracts the oversea operations.
LOL!
Kieth,
The story is from Honduras, not Mexico.
If the divers are getting the bends going after the lobsters, what about the poor lobsters? I mean PETA (people eating tasty animals) should be all over this travesty.
Really the divers are not dying to provide us with lobster dinners at exorbitant prices, they're dying to get the greenbacks so they can eat dinner, they've been spoiled to believe they should have a dinner every day.
"Americans should know that every time they eat the lobster, there is a history behind that lobster," said Dr. Elmer Mejia."
Yessir, that history is the one where people get educated, workers are required to work in a safe environment provided by the employer, get paid a living/decent salary, people unionize to force recalcitrant employers who only want more profit for themselves and don't give a good G-damn about their employees health or the lobsters for that matter, and just for good measure get two days off a week. Then they have enough time to invent artificial lobster or at the least breed shallow water lobster on farms, of course with enough room to roam, (free range lobster).
99% huuurahh. Today Wisconsin tomorrow the world.
Canadian-412215......Agree. Another article probably supporting some U.N. initiative for "less fortunate" countries.
Dennis-816242......Exactly. Maybe Mr. Obama could send the SofS with her supporting staff to Honduras with a couple New England lobster traps with operational instructions.
I suppose Honduras has listed the U.S. at their #1 consumer of their lobsters, or is this just more spin from the "seeders".
Sheeeesh, it must be so slow at MSNBC, articles like this one is published. Guess there is a 'lull" in the Republican debates.
One of the many nice thing about living on the coast of Maine is getting dock prices on local lobster. $2.25/lb. Maine lobster is some of the best in the world, we do it as safely as possible. If you want to stop these deaths stop buying rock lobster and buy from Maine. You probably won't get my price, but it will still be worth it.
@Keith B-
this is an article about divers in HONDURAS. not Mexico
Either they die or the "job killing regulations" that the republicans always complain about put them out of business.
It's a no win situation. We certainly can't be safe and make money - that's absolutely unheard of.
Unsafe working conditions is the reason Unions were imported to the US to begin with. (Unions are a communist idea in case you forgot...workers of the world unite...remember?)
Honduras is a perfect example of untempered capitalsim - if this is what you want remember to vote republican in November.
Kyot...
I agree that is how it reads....
I think the author and the Marxist sounding Doctor wishes to send us decadent Americans, who obviously all dine on lobster three meals a day, a full dressing down. We are killing their countrymen because we demand to eat Lobster and of course with full knowledge that the have an epidemic of stupidity going on down there. By the way did you know they have no electricity and no running water too? Must be America's fault, maybe we should dig another tunnel under the border for Honduran opportunity.
Yes, we are. Lobsters are intelligent, sentient creatures. See how you like being boiled alive.
Whoa! Mozzie has lost it. Do you realize there is new studies out there that say that plants have feelings too. You are running out of things that you can eat buddy. I don't want to come off sounding cruel, but we need to eat to survive. If it came down to it... I'd probably boil you.
The Republican debates are very relevant to this article. It's Guatemalan Republicans who won't allow the divers to organize, won't tax themselves for divers training schools, won't stop polluting the lobsters environment, won't support a minimum lobster diving wage, won't stop fillibustering (its what republicans everywhere do), and want to ship lobster diving jobs overseas so they (the Guatemalan Republicans) can eat lobster dinners (no way in hell the 99% can afford lobster at these prices)
One more thing, you ever heard those poor little buggers scratching the side of the pot with the lid held down, it's heartwrenching and I don't think I'll ever get over the trauma.
If a lobster can catch me, he can certainly give it a try.
Idiot.
Mozzie, Kyot has no idea how much pollution he is consuming.
http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/mercury/guide.asp
Let's say this together. "If it's from the sea, it's not for me."
Want to be humane? Put a knife through the center of the lobsters head - it won't feel a thing. They are basically large bugs. Feel free to kill and eat them if you ever killed a bug.
See, that's the problem with people who don't know that the best way to cook Lobsters and Crabs is to soak them in a gallon of cheap red wine first. Leave them for about 15 minutes and when they are good and drunk you drop them head first into a big pot of boiling water. By the time they feel the pain they are dead; and as a bonus, they don't tighten-up and the meat is more tender.
They do it to themselves and they know the risk!
Next. Story.
Actually, I buy my little lobster a nice Merlot before consuming her. She enjoys it and knows it's her last, but she still slams a couple of good belts before the hot tub party!
what hondurus doesnt have a government?
i pull the mexico statement but im pretty sure its the same in mexico
considering all the bodies dumped on the street of mexico
there not alot of love there iether
Ok, you pay for it.
Another MSNBC and Brian Williams BS story. First the one about the poor Alabama cucumber farmer that was loosing his illegals because of the State's anti-illegals legislation.
THE AUTHOR FORGOT TO MENTION THAT THIS SAME FARMER IS THE SECOND LEADING TAX PAYER SUBSIDIZED FARMER IN THE STATE WITH OVER $1.3 MILLION IN TAX POAYER'S MONEY RECEIVED.
Now he comes out with a story about the poor Honduran lobster diver. BS Brian forgot to mention that almost all of the lobsters harvested in the waters off Honduras are done by traps and not hundreds of ignorant divers.
I guess Brian is so uncomfortable with being from the U.S. he thinks he has to run a bunch of pity party stories in which he allows the subjects to make the U.S. citizen sound like the bad guy.
well these divers dont dive for or supply good Maine Lobsters, those things they dive for dont even have ONE big claw. They look deformed compared to a real lobster. maybe you can buy these in NYC but you cant buy them in Northern New England, put one of those on my plate and i'll send it back.
Emilyiniowa... you're way out of line... someone should remove that Bull sh... t
Maine lobster vs. caribbean lobster | Caribbean Islands Forum ...
NICARAGUA: Lobster Diversin Deep Trouble - IPS ipsnews.net
Nicaraguans Risk Death Diving for Vanishing Lobsters
Lobster as Sustainable Seafood – Unhealthy for the Men Who Harvest Them, by Guy Harvey
There are Mexicans, Nicaraguans and many others also dying and being crippled for this bourgeois treat for which the divers get pennies per lobster.
Do some research and see how affected the ecosystem has left natural populations of much of the Oceans previous Bounty.
Reasoning such as your own, Will, has allowed this type of practice to creep into our own previously proud Nation due to such neglect of decency and concern as you display.
Keith -loved how you skated over that little Mexico/Honduras mistype - you should run for the Republican nomination.
Divers catching lobster by hand are not the problem, good try though.
If Americans bought dirt for $17.99 per pound I wonder how many people would be killing themselves with a shovel?
Emilyiniowa.
I guess you must be a big Brian Williams fan. This whole story is BS. Nobody but the divers are at fault for what happens to them. The U.S. is not exploiting them we don't get most of our lobster from Honduras we have our own lobster and get most of the rest from Canada.
Get a grip and do a little research instead of falling for every pity party story Brian and company decide to do.
We import 85% of seafood consumed.
We had the same problem with divers in Maine whe the Urchin market in Japan sarted buying them.
Unqualified divers were dieing continuously until they got smart and got qualified.
There is simply no comparison between a Maine lobster, and a rock lobster.
Its a good thing I only eat home grown seafood, would walleye be considered seafood.?
This is about Honduras, not Mexico.
I'm allergic to shellfish
Lusitania
If thats all ya got, why not:)
Michael Lockwood
I don't know who Brian Williams is but I do know that Honduras is the quintessential banana republic that is currently poor due to largely American fruit companies.
I think it's a bit fresh for the country with a colonialist past, that drafted the Monroe doctrine and instigated heavy Cold War meddling (as a result of these actions much of the rest of the world is poor and we are so wealthy), to act like we have no responsibility or even human compassion for the rest of the world.
This new RockCenter is the poorest excuse or journalism I have seen in a long time. The stories they have been posting are unbalanced, error prone, provide incomplete and inaccurate information, etc. They are in serious need of some fact checkers for this outfit. Maybe NBC will do us a favor and kill RockCenter before it goes much further.
Instead of sending them traps, can't someone show them how to make traps? They've got materials to make rudimentary traps.
Besides the work conditions, the other issue is that they have to take care not to overfish. There were concerns about the Maine lobster fishery that was noted above (catches were smaller, as were the individual lobsters), and I heard about it when I lived on the coast there. It's been awhile since I've lived there, so I'm not sure how it turned out. Basically, fish it smartly, and you make less per year, but it works out better because you can fish them for much longer. . .
who gives a @!$%# about these guys!!!!!! quit doing it if it hurts...greedy basterds.
A lot of the posters, the author and Dr. Mejia seem to be missing the true point of this situation, which isn't that Americans eat all the lobster or that the divers aren't trained or educated.
The point is that risking their lives everyday to catch a few lobsters is the only way these poor bastards can feed their families. I'd be out there too if I knew my kids would go hungry if I didn't! So we stop eating lobsters and then they REALLY starve?!
Instead of this nonsense why don't they focus their attention on improving the economy of Honduras so that these people don't NEED to dive for lobsters...I guess it's easier to find some half ass* way to blame it on Americans.
I'm also getting annoyed with people who get on their soapbox about the inhumane treatment of lobsters. People who have had a warm place to sleep and food 3+ times a day every day for their entire lives. If you were faced with slaughtering an animal or letting your child starve, I'd hope you'd pick slaughtering the animal. A lot of people in 3rd world countries don't have the "luxury" of food kitchens, homeless shelters or other types of aid. Their on their own when it comes to taking care of their families and like most of us, are willing to do that in whatever way possible.
There is a simple fix to this..its called a Lobster trap!.LOL.
I know they know what one looks like since The gulf of Mexico ,the Baja and all of the central American fishing villages, east and west coast are stacked with them. This is one insane article...the American lobster eaters are killing the Hondurans? Please.LOL. The fact of the matter is is that lobster is on the menu all over the world...but the Hondurans are killing themselves just for us? I'm certainly going to hang my head in shame everytime I pass a red lobster...oh the guilt! LOL.
KEITH BIODROWSKI-1213062 wrote (at the end of a long post):
Keith, your post was damn too hard to read. I gave up trying to figure out what you were writing. I'm sorry if English is not your first language, and I apologize for my impatience. But if English is your first language, please take some time to proof-read and use spell check.
Is it not obvious that this article was written for free trade corporations to push the local lobster fishermen to get out of the way for corporate fishing. These guy's have been fishing lobsters and feeding their families for over a thousand years.
Really, Americans have to be the most empathetic and dumbest bunch of corporate tools. They must have learned those skills in college, called tool university. Don't get me completely wrong, you college kids are great at spell checking other people's spelling errors. Whhoooo I feel our country is getting better already cause of all you college educated folk.
Why do Republicans want to kill education so bad? Department of education? I understand over paid admins, etc. - roger that - but why all of education? It is a serious question...
Yea there are jobs out there, but guess what, most require a degree - I know because I field resumes for two engineering positions open where I work.
Clearly, Corporate Interests are cornering markets in all commodities. The Oceans are losing the Coral Reefs at a rate which will leave only about 5-10% of the Living Reef that existed through the 1960's. The Divers are not the reason for the Lobster shortages in shallower water(above one atmosphere), but are forced to dive deeper to where the remaining stocks are, which is where they are contracting the Bends from. And Corporate-backed fisheries are taking the lobster by other means than JUST free or SCUBA Diving. Traps take the largest part of the Caribbean Harvests. It is not because they just love us and want us to eat well...
It is an unsustainable supply due to both overfishing AND worsening Environmental conditions throughout the Caribbean and World's Tropical Waters which is the root problem, from these desperate divers to the entire population in general.
When the Oceans are Dead, see how far any of your snarky responses get you. And it IS happening at an accelerating rate. Perhaps in 25 years you can brag to your kids how you knew that we would never prove Man had Killed the Earth. Because you will be as Blind to the Truth then as you are now.
My first SCUBA tank was a converted fire extinquisher in the early '60s, and I have watched the Caymans, South Florida/Keys, Mexico, Jamaican, Hawaiin and several other Islands Ecosystems lose the D=Coral Infrastructure to the pollution, warming temps and bleaching. It is so @!$%#ty these days, I have just about stopped going diving as it breaks my heart to see the massive die offs and lower fish variety and populations.
Bring on the next plagues; not everyone will care it appears. Always an excuse, never an admission. You are probably the same people that text while driving...
Keith must figure that EVERYWHERE "south of the border" is MEXICO. I mean, isn't everywhere NORTH OF THE BORDER CANADA (EH!?) SO it MUST be MEXICO...
I nutted on my girlfriends back and it looked like a lobster.
I try not to nut on my wife........out of respect
And he never will understand. He's destined to remain as ignorant as he is now.
bob...
Actually NO. they have not been fishing for lobster for a thousand years. SCUBA is a 1942/43 invention. They MAY have been using traps before then. Please don't let the FACTS get in the way of your EDUCATION though.
lynnlargo
They won't starve they will have plenty of lobster to eat
Emilyiniowa
Brian Williams is the host for the show that produced ths stupid story in the first place. As for feeling sorry or the people in Honduras, I think that should first be done b Honduras itself. On top of that we send them 10s of millions in economic aid each year. Then when they had a major hurricane we sent them over $400 million.
Bottom line is it isn't our country, they have options! The and you should not expect the U.S. to drop down on their knees and beg foriveness every time a person decides to take is or her life in their own hands to try to make a living.
Notso, you ever been to Haiti,hispaniola? Not a damn thing living in those reefs and dude it has nothing to do with coporate anything! Its called over consumption by local population...but thats our fault too I suppose.
And I'm not sure where you have been in the Carribean and the gulf of Mexico OR central America but I hate to tell you...but most of those nations have better far enviromental and marine fisheries laws than we do..... sorry but they are not running out of Lobsters because of greedy text while driving Americans...but good try!
Remember this Folks: Lobsters are scavengers rather than hunters; if you don't eat them they just might end up eating you! This is a predator eat predator world we live in after all.
notsojingo, emilylunatic and others of the "corporate bashers" and eco-kooks;
It is stunning how ignorant you people are about nearly everything. you apparently have some innate addiction to urban mythologies of the marxist vein. What is the "corporate" seafood industry anyway? Does JP Morgan and Goldman control this too? Is that your schtick?
Seafood is imported by mainly private companies by the way and by the container load. Not by the Mythological "Corporate" Boogie men... get a clue.
Kyot, there is some truth to notsojingos claim of corporate fleets, although, I'm not so sure about this fishery in Honduras. I'm thinking its not a threat to this particular fishery, though.
As far as fish go, I would believe there may not be enough feed at the beginning stages of the food chain to maintain an unlimited supply of larger fish.
Kyot? What about the American, Japanese and other Nations' fishing fleets I've seen trolling off the East Coast? The fleets that then dock and sell to single interest processing plants who in turn sell to CORPORATIONS such as Starkist, Manischewitz, Best Foods and their ilk?
Corporate Fleets feeding Corporate Processers feeding Corporate Distributors and selling to Corporate Food Chains. Really, no suspicion on the Corporations?
What about the American, Japanese and other Nations' fishing fleets I've seen trolling off the East Coast?
REEALY?!! When? In 1976? Cause there haven't been any since, seeing as catcher processors are illegal on the East Coast.
This is the latest buzz on East Coast cororate fleets. Read the comments at the article. They are important.
http://www.gloucestertimes.com/topstories/x1265052083/Fishermens-catch-share-letter-sparks-furor
Amen to that... you are blaming the US because Honduras doesn't regulate an industry... what planet are you on??/
We cannot be the world's policemen... if they want to dive to 120' without gauges and a BC, or spare air, and don't do safety stops as required, and KNOW this method will kill them, so be it.
Don't make America look like we take advantage of them we are simply buying what is for sale. Honduras should manage this issue themselves if they really care that much and aren't looking for another handout from the US.
..... pass me the drawn butter please???
What do you expect? This is typical anti-American liberal media.
The US and it's allies should immedietely overthrow the government of Honduras and send in OSHA to implement safety regulations. If the divers can't afford to meet the regulations, they won't be allowed to dive. Once they are out of work we can issue them $200 a month in foodstamps and provide them with student loans so they can go to college and learn to be Wall Street traders.
Diving 200 feet with faulty equipment used to be a good job before the Unions got hold of it and spoiled it for everyone! It's the Unions that are ruining Honduras! The Unions! I suppose Kommie agitators have convinced those divers they should be paid for the food they take out of water they don't even own - plus - they get a free place to swim! The Unions have ruined Honduras - Ruined! RUINED!!!!!THe Way LibrALS are ROONING the Good OlD US oF AAAAAA!!!!!
This is the most BS story i've read in a long time. We don't need their lobsters we already have the best in the world. I wouldn't even call them bugs lobsters.
Betronbs, I agree with you. How in the name of God are we supposed to know that Honduran fisherman are working in non-regulated conditions?
I want to know who in the hell is buying lobster anyways, because it sure isn't me. Anyone see the price of that lately?
According to what the Canadian guy above said, if those figures are true, I find it hard to believe that Honduras is pulling up that much, especially if their fishermen are ill-equipped to do so.
What about the people that want to do away with regulations in THIS country?
I can see that this is a very difficult situation for the lobster divers. I can sympathize with them as I worked in the logging industry back in the 60's when there wasn't much pay in it and there wasn't any future. Life in our part of Appalachia was centered around logging. Some places had coal....we had logs. You worked yourself until you were worn out and then you died. My father died when he was 46. Luckily for me I had some breaks in life that allowed to break away. These lobster divers are probably not as lucky.
Tennessee Ernie Ford said it a song......St. Peter don'tya call me..... cause I can't go......I owe my soul to the company store.
How many coal miners died from Black Lung disease? They all knew it would happen....why didn't they just stop coal mining? Lobster divers know that they're running great risks for $300 a month....why do they keep doing it?
Thanks JohnnyT!
Desperation and no other options make Man do Desperate things to try to survive..and we are seeing it more clearly than since the last Great Depression begin to happen again, even here in the US.
Good Luck, Future Generations...
Brian Williams must be an ass to cover this as lame as he did.
Kyot
True just like his piss-poor article about the poor cucumber farmer in Alabama crying about how he couldn't afford to pay legal residents but in the next breath claiming to make millions. He also didn't mention said farmer was the second highest receiver of tax payer paid government subsidizes in the whole state. Second only to his brother, and both have received well over $1.3 million each.
Just another piece of drivel from a second rate reporter working for a liberal media outlet that can only survive off of sensationalism, lies, smoke, and mirrors.
No investigative reporting in any way. They just spin everything to fit the way their corporate heads want it to.
I can't believe what I just read. Somehow the authors are attempting to paint a picture of the "Ugly American" who might as well be eating the eating the livers of the poor and oppressed Miskito Coast divers. Media rubbish, proper training, education and equiptment would eleminate almost 100% of the alleged probelm. Common sense and a watch can tell you when you are about to run out of air. A bail out bottle would also prevent them from too rapid ascent. What you have here is a combination of greed and stupidity and American diners should feel responsible for that. Pure rubbish.
Also, just use traps. I can't imagine how inefficient it is to send divers down for lobsters! You'd probably be hailed as the smartest businessman in Honduras if you started using traps.
I was going to suggest the same thing! Traps.
I agree Pure rubbish Always americas fault If we didn't eat them they wouldn't sell them somewhere else ?? of course they would what garbage
That was the first thing I thought of; "Why are they not using traps??" - It would be safer, more efficient, and I'd imagine cheaper in the long run. Perhaps they are afraid of people stealing the lobster from traps or something? I dunno, probably for the better anyways because if they did start using them they'd probably over fish the lobsters and destroy the local population; just stick to having them get some better diving gear and follow some better procedures I suppose.
I agree though with others, don't make the US dinners out to be the sole cause of this. Other countries eat lobster too, and while it does get eaten here most people I know aren't sitting down to a lobster meal on a regular basis. There are a lot of other bad things that go on in this world that people do to make a living and a lot more deaths from those industries. Could we put a simple law in place to ban this, yes. Should we, sure. Do we (the US) deserve all the blame? Hell no.
It is time everyone stop blaming the USA for every ill in the world. We have our hands in the cookie jar more than others, yes (even though that is usually not by the citizens choice) but we are not always the cause of the problem either.
or send air gauges. They're not expensive.
At least one person here has already tried to:
A: Attack Obama
B: Promote the Tea Party Platform.
Whatever.
They've already over-fished the lobster in Honduras. Outside of protected areas, it's very hard to spot one these days. Restaurant chains like Red Lobster sell this stuff and they don't care how small the animal is - they'll take anything. Diving at best is precise and hazardous work - equipment and appropriate maintenance is expensive, and I'm betting the employers aren't paying enough for insurance for anyone who gets bent. When your workforce is under-educated and impoverished enough to do something that is dangerous, and when you fail to educate/protect them from taking risks in order to increase your profit, THAT is exploitation.
Pedestrian......I'm thinking that's the way some would like it to be here....again!
Some people must raise themselves up by keeping other people down. Instead of finding solutions that will im prove everyones lot in life, they think they are rising just because someone else is sinking.
To all the people with suggestions about what the divers should do...I have a question:
If they somehow managed to get traps, wouldn't they need a boat to haul them? Where would they come up with all this equipment while still trying to make a living on $300/month?
In the construction industry OHSA classes are mandatory to work on publiclly funded jobs. They have reams of files on cases of workers who take shortcuts and get injured doing it. This is in a country where safety trumps money and the workers take a formal class to learn that. Imagine what the situation is in a country where the safety issues aren't even an issue.
@ Max^108,
If these divers are calling this diving for gold maybe they should take some of that gold and buy the equipment they need. This isn't a problem for the American people this is a problem for the people that employ them and the people that buy there lobster from them.
As a consumer of lobster or should I say a past consumer of lobster (can't afford it now) the money spent on lobsters on the plate should more than pay for the equipment needed for safe harvesting. As the price of food continues to rise there will be less of us eating beef so don't come knocking when beef hits $10.00 a pound and cattle are dying on the hoof because no one can afford them. The dog is starting to look pretty good and the cat tasted like tuna fish.
Confussed....I think that there is a major error in your thinking on this subject.
You seem to think that the people buying the lobsters from the divers actually care about the divers. I doubt very much that any thought given to them is only about how many lobsters they'll bring. They want lobsters CHEAP. In places like Honduras (although I've never been there, I'm sure it's like most other Latin American countries) the business owners probably value the lobsters more highly than the people who bring them to them....they are not about to take any of THEIR OWN MONEY to see that a lobster diver has a better life.
That's just the way it is. It might also be the way our future is going to be also. The Hay-days of the IBM's and companies similar to them are gone...people are a commodity to be used up as cheaply as possible.
Well Johnny,they aren't swimming out to the reef you know...it takes a boat to get you there and a lobster in that region isn't down there a thousand feet. They are primarily reef creatures and even on a deep structure those pots can be hauled by hand if need be... people do it all over the world even in the U.S. Whats worse, diving down at risk of life and limb to grab a few lobsters by hand and shoving them in a sack before you run out of air.... or spending a few minutes hauling a trap up by hand?
And believe you me they are not near as backwards and under equipt down there as this article would have you believe. I lived in central America and Mexico...fished there and advised commercial fishermen as a cooperative and they are as on the ball down there as we are...these people are ocean dwellers have lived by the sea for centuries.... they aren't some dumb sorhgum farmer come out of the hills looking for another way to make some money.
Most fisheries down there are part of a co-op well regulated by those Goverments and most of the financial return from harvests comes from tourist areas along the gulf and the Baja long beofre the overflow catch is shipped to the U.S. or other countries. As for foriegn coporate fishing fleets...it takes something akin an act of congress to get a permit to fish foriegn waters and that small percentage of permits is dealt out only after the local fishermen are granted the lions share of that nations fisheries permits.... as it should be.
If you were lucky enough to recieve a permit in a place like that for any fishery, more often then not you are reguired to reflag your vessel under that nations banner,being then no longer a U'S registered vessel, but a vessel of that particular nation and subject to all their fisheries and export laws . There is no such thing as an international fisheries free for all ...where you can just buy a boat, steam to your nearest third world nation and rape their fishing grounds,that is a complete myth...but if you don't believe it give it a try! See how far you get.
The lobsters being caught in Honduras are different from the lobsters from Maine and Canada. Consumers need to educate themselves about where their food comes from -- ask questions and try to eat locally and sustainably.
Here's a great tool:
http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/download.aspx
http://www.globalfishalliance.org/spiny/honduras.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/10/world/americas/10honduras.html?pagewanted=all
I asked my waiter where my lobster came from and he told me it was from the kitchen.
How unusual, MSNBC/NBC running a story showing the US as the bad guys
I live in New Mexico. Somehow I don't think I'm going to find local lobster in the desert.
@me - I'm assuming Leah meant locally as in nationally rather than internationally.
no, she meant new mexdicans should not eat lobster because if is not available locally.
yeah, and the lobsters from Maine and Canada are way better. Rock lobster is ok, but only if you're in the tropics and Maine lobster is not available. I mean, come on- the big a** claw meat is what you want. Where were the claws on that Honduran lobster?
Also, I wonder if divers steal from the traps, hence, everyone dives, and no one sets traps?
No kidding.
As a former deep water diver,having the proper training and equipment is the only way to get the honduran divers to get the upper level training they need or to ply their trade safely and productively. Training, training and more training is the best and only way to perform there trade safely and thus more profitably.
well i guess the government really doesnt care if their work force has any intelligence
the people there may wise up and jail the government there
These guys all know about the bends whether they have "proper training" or not and they STILL CHOOSE to do this.
I suppose the country's idea of retraining will be to clear some forest land and turn them into farmers, like they've been doing in the Amazon for years. More forced cultural change from the geniuses in America.
It gives a whole new twist to saying .(DYING FOR A PIECE OF TAIL)
you have to admit, Dracula, that was pretty out of line...
yeh it was, but it was funny...lol
The taste of fear and death only adds a little zing to my dinner...
Talking to Dracula about sensitivity?
We might be the biggest market (not too sure about that), but MOST of our lobster is harvested locally, last I heard...
They are probably the little rock lobsters that Red Lobster sell during the lobsterfest they advertise. I've never ate their lobster dinner, but the lobster pizza they sell is pretty darn good.
So, whose fault is this? Ours (the U.S.)? They've been doing this for years and they haven't figured out what's killing them? And, then organize and teach each other? They aren't willing to invest a few bucks on a pressure gauge to put on their tank in the interest of saving their lives?
Again, there's a reason that third world countries are third world countries - and it's NOT because the developed countries pay people in the third world to catch lobsters.
"Americans should know that every time they eat the lobster, there is a history behind that lobster," said Dr. Elmer Mejia."
So make Honduras regulate this industry. This isn't America's problem. If they're too stupid or lazy to institute proper safety regulations, that's their problem.
Besides, people who eat lobster aren't exactly humanitarians or environmentalists, so hoping to guilt the American lobster eaters/consumers is pointless.
Yup, I 100% agree. It is their problem, not America's.
The few lobsters I've had were from Alaska.
Why would I want one from Honduras?
they taste the same
I'll be going on a cruise to Honduras, Belize, and Mexico in January. Can't wait to try the lobster.
I'll be going on a cruise to Honduras, Belize, and Mexico in January. Can't wait to try the lobster.
Hope your boat sinks and the lobster gets to sample you
You would think that after years of men getting sick, paralyzed and dying these people would at least be smart enough to figure out how much air they have. Once again people need to take care of themselves. It's not the governmetns problem.
I was leaning towards blaming the Honduran government for failing to regulate the industry, but you're right mike. These divers work for themselves (like subcontractors). It's not as though they work for a corporation, and their employers are forcing them to work in unsafe conditions (such as a miner might be). These divers' problems are a direct result of their own stupidity/greed/carelessness, and they need to learn from/correct their own faults or continue to die. The really far out concept of this doctor's story is that the US could be in any way considered responsible for what is solely these divers' Darwinian ignorance.
Instead of publishing this whiney rant, maybe this doctor should startup a much needed course of diver education for these people he cares so much about.
This is kind of stupid. Why would you want to end lobster diving? Get them submersible pressure gauges and train them in proper diving techniques. 120 feet really isn't all that deep when you have been trained properly. Decompression sickness is no joke, just need to train the divers
In Indonesia there are divers whose equipment consists of little more than long plastic hoses with an air compressor at one end and the other end pushed through a hole in their mask. Engine fumes often get into their air.
They dive to move around the bottom of fishing nets or to mine for tin. It is tragic the desperate risks poverty drives people to take.
If they're willing to take that kind of risk, the money must be too good for them to ever be interested in "alternative crops."
It does sound like they are blaming the US lobster consumers for Honduras' problem.
Heaven forbid we should know how the food gets to our table. If it were small children being worked to death to provide a "delicacy" for you, would it taste any different?
Are the small children being served with a side of melted butter?
More leftist BS from the libtards at NBC. Brian Williams is an idiot.
Indeed! What would the story be if the US were to try to go down to Honduras and tell them how to properly run their lobster diving industry? God, the UN would try to sanction us!
This is not about lack of regulation; it is about poverty. If the lobster industry were regulated, the plight of the divers would be even worse as they would loose their jobs and be forced to accept their "Next Best Option".
The "Next Best Option" for many might be to sell their children to brothels.
You regulators are not going to do anyone any favors.
So the only options are dangerous lobster diving or "The "Next Best Option" for many might be to sell their children to brothels"?
Poverty leads to desperate measures.
When the US passed laws against child labor so that children could no longer work in the factories, many of those children went on to lives of prostitution or jobs with even greater danger. Many others of course starved to death as their "Next Best Option"
Rent the movies "Ironweed" or "Grapes of Wrath".
Death and starvation are also options
JEM-1989317,
You have a good point. We complain about government regulation killing jobs and businesses in this country; why would we be so quick to suggest such a self-inflicted wound to citizens in other countries?
No, they need a solution for the people, by the people. Honduran lobster-divers need to come up with creative answers to their own problem. What they should not do is continue along the same dumb path that has been getting them killed, then point fingers at the United States.
“Regulation” does not kill jobs and businesses. Only those corrupt businesses who pose a threat tohealth and safety have problems with regulation.
Had we adequate regulations in place, we wouldn’t of had the financial metlt down in the housing/banking industry during the last administration.
Regulations keep our air clean, keep business honest, keep our food fresh and edible, keep our nursing homes safe, keep our medicines safe.... the list goes on and on and on. Sure, there’s exceptions but only very rarely.
Without regulation, you get exactly what happens in Honduras and other parts of south and central America. Remember that. It’s staring you right in the face. Don’t be a dittohead and chant a popular cliche/slogan from Fox or Limpbag. Do your own thinking.
I agree that some regulation is good; for instance, I don't think 10 year olds should be mining coal. It isn't all regulations that I have a problem with; however, it is you who is misinformed if you do not think there is a problem with over regulation in certain industries. Yes, we need regulations. No, we do not need 14 bureaucracies with a myriad of excessive, ridiculous and often times administratively burdensome rules that make the cost of doing business in America uncompetitive. There has to be a better way; there has to be some sort of compromise or our country is in the tank.
JQ 12261891,
My point exactly. Maybe I should have put it clearer for those who fall into the trap of thinking in absolutes:
I meant: "... [too much] government regulation killing [many] jobs and businesses in this country..."
I did not mean: "... [any] government regulation killing [all] jobs and businesses in this country..."
Regulation is not the answer to every problem, nor are the corrupt the only ones hurt by regulations. Perhaps it's difficult to understand these concepts for a liberal who believes that those with opposing viewpoints are "dittoheads."
JEM....the problems you talk about because of child labor laws being enacted.....that was before my time but I never heard those stories from Gramps and Grandma. If it did happen, why? My first thought is because it was only half a solution. Sorta like just defunding welfare in a time of near 20% unemployment.
My Dad lived through the Depression. I remember the lessons he passed on to me. People died young and life was extremely hard. We owe it to our decendents to not slip back into that again.
It's either lobster diving or Dumpster Diving!
Only if they're "fortunate" enough to have access to dumpsters. Those who have ever truly, literally needed to wonder where the next meal might come from can empathize. The rest are as out-of-touch with poverty's reality as BOTH U.S. political parties.
If they have no electricity or modern conveniences, how are they aware "The American" will purchase their catch?
OK, I'll help. I will ban Honduran lobster from my diet. The next thing you are going to tell me is that I killed a lobsterman because I wouldn't buy the lobster that he died trying to catch.
Haha, yes, YOU (as an American) are at fault either way ... it's ALWAYS our fault. We need to send more money ... LOL.
Costco has large boxes of Honduran lobster tails right now -- only $125 per box.
I think I'll pass.
You are wise to do so.
I am going to go buy a box just because i can.
If people are going to die catching them the least i can do is buy them.
This is rich. Of course it's the fault of the US that this is happening to them. Maybe they should learn to fish lobster the right way. Hey, what isn't our fault?????
No one should blame the States for this, but the ordinary americans who eat these lobsters could show just a little bit compassion to the poor divers...
yep here's my compassion... I don't eat lobster but should I win the lottery and afford a lobster dinner I will buy Maine Lobster. How's that for compassion. This "DR" needs to get a life, or better still take his $$$$ and buy them the necessary equipment.
If i hit the lottery i will buy a diver some good gear,then i am done with my part.
I'm sorry, but good gods. Nobody is holding guns to their heads and forcing them to dive for lobster. Honduras has a responsibility to their people. Not the US.If they can't provide safe and adequate equipment for their fishermen then that's not something we're responsible for.
All People should be responsible for themselves and governments should stay out of it.
MSNBC will never pass up an opportunity to infer that America is BAD! How long before someone demands U.S. taxpayer FUNDS be used to study this Honduras problem and Americans are demonized because they dare eat a Honduran lobster........please!
they imply, you infer from what you have heard of their implications
Instead of guilt-tripping Americans who like lobster, maybe the Honduran government should get off its ass. If 4,500 men have been injured in this line of work, its high time the Honduran government institutes some training and equipment regulations for this profession.
It is the fault of the Honduran Government that poverty is so bad that people are driven to take such desperate risks to make a living. As governments become more and more powerful, human life becomes cheap. Regulations will only drive people to even more desperate measures to survive.
Why does their government need to get involved? Why don't the divers just get together at the dive shop and hold some training classes? Like the government knows more about it than they do?
"Hello, divers. I represent the Guatemalen government. I came from an office building miles from the ocean, have never dived, and I'm here to teach you how to do it safely."
Yep. Makes perfect sense.
I doubt they'd need to be forced to accept training. They know the risk and would probably jump at a chance to know how to do it safer. Throw in some gauges for them. They already have tanks and regulators; those are way more expensive than a basic gauge.
Perhaps money would be better spent buying the fishermen Lobster traps and a few dinghy's...