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Video: Stephen Colbert, the Economist and Photoshop

The key to Photoshop… Once one learns to use the magic wand, it’s a cakewalk!
Hint: Turn the contrast up and lower the wand number.

Kick dat turtle! Living literally a few meters from a Gulf commercial shrimping fleet now, and actually working the boats when I was younger, there is something I think people should know about that industry.

Commercial fisherman are no friends of the environment. Not only will they cheat and over fish if they think they can get away with it, but there is also the issue of turtle extrusion nets. The nets are required by state and federal law. 

Shrimp nets in the shallow bay and gulf dredge the bottom of the sea, picking up everything including endangered sea turtles. Any turtle caught will drown. So the nets must have a trap door that the turtles can use to escape. It works surprisingly well but the fishermen say it reduces the shrimp catch by some percentage. I do not know, but I would guess it does to some small degree. So they try to get away without using them or locking the doors. They fish for today not tomorrow.

On the other hand, commercial sport fishermen, the guides and their boats – which I also have worked for a living – are more tuned to the environment. Most large game fish are released and they do follow the bag limits on keeping the good eating ones. Not only because they are more easily caught by the DNR, but to stay in business they need to have fish out there for tomorrow.