The Catch

Small pelagic fish have been sustaining the communities of the Gambia and Senegal for centuries. But recently, foreign fleets have taken interest. China in particular has been processing large quantities of fish from the region into a product called fishmeal, to support animal feed and fish farms abroad. And as the fishmeal industry has grown, local communities’ food security has suffered, pushing many to migrate abroad. On season five of The Catch, host Ruxandra Guidi reports from the Gambia and Senegal to hear firsthand how the fishmeal plants are impacting these communities and whether the industry, which underpins much of aquaculture, can be turned sustainable for all.

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Episodes

Bonus Episode: The High Seas Treaty

After nearly two decades of negotiating, the United Nations passed an agreement called the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Treaty, also known as the High Seas Treaty. Host Rux Guidi is joined by Lisa Speers, the Natural Resources Defense Council's Director of the International Ocean Program and Duncan Currie, a lawyer with the High Seas Alliance, to hear more about this recent breakthrough. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 14, 2023•12 min•Season 1Ep. 7

Coming Soon: Season Two of The Catch

Coming up on this season of The Catch, we head to the upper Gulf of California, to see what a porpoise, a fish whose bladder fetches tens of thousands of dollars on the black market, and the highly desirable—and delicious—colossal shrimp tell us about the complicated world of fishing. This spring, Foreign Policy is partnering with the Walton Family Foundation for season two of The Catch, hosted by Ruxandra Guidi. We'll hear how local fishermen are caught between providing for their families and ...

Mar 10, 2023•1 min

Part VI: The Fate of Fishing

In the final installment of our series we hear from two U.S. congressmen—Jared Huffman, a California Democrat, and Garret Graves, a Louisiana Republican—who are working to curb illegal fishing practices. We learn about the ways individual countries such as Japan and China are adapting their laws to hold industrial fishers more accountable. Finally, chef and food advocate Barton Seaver talks about his quest to teach others how to think and eat more conscientiously. Learn more about your ad choice...

Jul 13, 2022•32 min•Season 1Ep. 6

Part V: Game Changing Diplomacy

This year, the future of squid and the oceans in general is being determined by a relatively small group of diplomats and representatives who are working on new agreements to regulate the laws of the oceans. With new incentives to curb fishing subsidies, new marine protected areas, and new laws for the high seas, collectively these agreements could have a major impact on the health of the Earth's oceans and the viability of all fishing stocks. Today on The Catch we go behind the scenes—first to ...

Jul 06, 2022•25 min•Season 1Ep. 5

Part IV: The High Seas

A look at the international efforts being done to curb Illegal, Unregulated, and Unreported fishing. Host Ruxandra Guidi hears from Peter Hammarstedt a captain from the organization Sea Shepherd as well as Dyhia Belhabib, Principal Investigator at Ecotrust Canada and an Executive Director at Nautical Crime Investigation Services. The two discuss ways in which NGOs are assisting log enforcement to root out bad actors and what can be done to better monitor international waters. Learn more about yo...

Jun 29, 2022•26 min•Season 1Ep. 4

Part III: Who's in Charge?

In part three of our series, host Ruxandra Guidi and reporter Simeon Tegel return to Lima to hear from officials and NGOs on how sustainability could be improved. Voices in this episode include Peruvian Coast Guard Captain Jesus Menacho and Alfonso Miranda, President of CALAMASUR. They two speak to Carlos Martín Salazar with the Instituto del Mar de Peru about ways to improve sustainability with data. And finally, they hear from Patricia Majluf, a well-known conservationist and Senior scientist ...

Jun 22, 2022•26 min•Season 1Ep. 3

Part II: Pota in Paita

On this week’s episode of The Catch, host Ruxandra Guidi and reporter Simeon Tegel continue to follow squid, or pota, as it's known locally in Peru. They hear from fisherman Armando Chinchay on how artisanal fishers are faring against larger industrial fleets. Then they head to two processing plants to speak to Gerardo Carrera of Produmar and Hector Olaya of Fisholg & Sons about how squid has changed the local and national economy. And finally, they speak to Juan Carlos Sueiro, Director of F...

Jun 15, 2022•24 min•Season 1Ep. 2

Part I: Out to Sea

The race to catch squid off the coast of Peru is increasingly pitting local artisanal fishers against huge multinational fleets. Host Ruxandra Guidi, along with her Lima-based reporting partner Simeon Tegel, travel to Paita, Peru, to get a firsthand look at one of the country's top fisheries: squid. We begin with Lima-based reporter Dan Collyns as he joins the Peruvian Coast Guard as they patrol Peru’s waters and work to prevent illegal fishing. We hear from local fisherman Eduardo Garcia, Javie...

Jun 08, 2022•33 min•Season 1Ep. 1

Coming Soon: The Catch

The next time you order up some calamari, stop for a minute and think. Where does this actually come from? This summer, Foreign Policy magazine is partnering with the Walton Family Foundation to bring you a new podcast: The Catch. Each episode offers a behind-the-scenes look at the current state of global fishing by tracking squid—from the waters off the coast of Peru, to the processing plants, all the way to the restaurants, and finally–your plate. Join us as we learn what squid tells us about ...

May 25, 2022•3 min

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