Boston Bartender Tells Tall Tales

Now on deck, along with his environmental “Mini-Me” at bat? Sam “Mayday” Malone!

Actor Ted Danson called Thursday for tough limits on subsidies that are promoting overfishing around the globe.

In an interview with The Associated Press, the actor said the World Trade Organization needed to address the problem of boats fishing on the high seas longer and farther away from port thanks to billions of dollars in annual government handouts.

The subsidies are a major reason why 80 percent of the world’s fisheries are threatened, and why the industry is bringing in smaller catches despite the bigger fleets, Danson said.

“You are subsidizing the boats to do exactly the wrong thing,” Danson said at the WTO’s Geneva headquarters. “One of the fastest ways to deal with this problem, is to take boats off the water. If you cut subsidies, you are going to cut their ability to do the wrong thing.”

Remember, we only have ten years to save the oceans.