Russian fishermans Miracle

Imagine you have been out fishing in your boat when terrible weather comes and you are shipwrecked somewhere remote without communication and proper food sources and you are found after three months, it sounds like something out of a Hollywood film doesn't it.

On 10th October 2007 eleven Russian fisherman set out in two boats to catch a haul of fish in the remote region of the Kamchatka Peninsula (6,700 kilometres east of Moscow). After a huge storm erupted while they were fishing both boats were wrecked and washed up in a bay.

Since October 10th 2007 all eleven fishermen had been living in the wrecks of their boats to provice shelter and burning furniture from the boats to provide warmth. The food supplies they had were the fish they caught prior to becoming shipwrecked and also flour they found in an abandoned military base they found in the bay.

At the beginning of the new year with food supplies becoming dangerously low the fishermen decided to split in to two teams, one stayed at their make shift base in the wreckage of their boats while the other set out on foot to find help.

The team that set out on foot came across Russian soldiers after an ardeous trek, these soldiers raised the alarm and sent helicopters in to rescue the other half of the team still with the wreckage. This was on Friday January 4th 2008, 87 days after they first started out on Wednesday October 10th 2007.

After three months living in a remote region of Russia with no communication and very basic supplies all eleven fishermen not only survived, they also required no medical treatment

To me this is a wonderful story that shows just how people can work together during times of distress to beat the odds and survive.

Read the inital story on BBC news

Snow and its affects on a country

Having lived in the UK all my life and seen the ravaging effects that one centimetre of snow has on the country as it grinds every day life to a halt, but why is this the case when countries that are not classed among the richest and most powerful in the world see colder weather with greater amounts of snow and they keep on trucking (pardon the pun).

I have just spent the last two weeks in Bulgaria, a wonderful little country in south eastern Europe...its a country that has just joined Europe after escaping communism only 18 years ago and has an average salary of £100 a month...less than every full time UK resident earns in two days.

While spending my time in Bulgaria (which was wonderful by the way) I experienced snow that was up to 60 centimetres in depth and temperatures that went down to minus 31 degrees Celsius and I was shocked to see that this did not stop anyone carrying on their daily business.

Even with temperatures so low and snow past their knees the Bulgarians carried on as normal, driving and walking everywhere...how you may ask?

Well there is a wonderful thing called a tractor that has a snow plough put on the front, these wonderful vehicles drive round all the roads clearing it of snow so drivers can carry on their journeys as needed.

The pedestrians of Bulgaria also make their own little snow footpaths by following each others tracks. This is quite a funny vision to behold as you only see everyone from their knees upwards walking through thinks snow.

My point to all this is how can a country that is wonderful yet not powerful like Bulgaria manage to achieve so much when mother natures plays her hand while the UK cannot when they never even see such quantities of snow during such cold temperatures?

Protected Fishing Zones

I have noticed in the news that a few countries have been looking in to the possibilities of setting up protected fishing zones, these zones would mean that in specific areas companies will not be allowed to fish. The idea behind this is to improve depleted fishing stocks which have become reduced in certain waters over the past few decades.

While these countries are really trying to help the environment and improve the chances of our future children having the ability of fish on their dinner menus it does seem that other countries are battling against these protected fishing zones due to monetary reasons.

The government of Croatia has decided that from the 1st January 2008 (yesterday) they will impose a protected fishing zone of fifty seven thousand square kilometres in the Adriatic sea to improve depleted fishing stocks that it says have become dangerously reduced by Italy over fishing in the waters.

While this is a great idea and would help improve levels of fishing stock Italy, Slovenia and other countries are opposing the protected zone. Italy is opposing the zone due to economy reasons as Italy catches 200,000 tonnes of fish stock per year, Slovenia on the other hand is opposing the idea due to unresolved sea border disputes.

Even the European commission has played a part in Croatia's decision advising that it could affect Croatia's plan to join the EU if they stop EU countries fishing in their waters.

I believe there is a great need for countries to start reviewing plans for protected fishing zones so we can see an increase in fish stocks. The problem faced when looking at this is that EU countries can fish in each othes waters and if one country places a protected zone in its waters other countries contest it.

May be it is time that the EU flexed its muscles from Brussels and worked with member states to create special exclusion zones so these disputes do not surface.