It seems that every time I listen to the news or open the paper another species is at risk of dying out, or even worse, has already gone.

This morning, it was the insect family. Apparently, creepy-crawlies, as they are sometimes unfairly named, are the latest victims to join the danger list, and all because our world is too brightly lit.

According to the Daily Wail, (other publications available) the problem is that most insects are nocturnal.

They prefer to hunt for their food and chase the opposite sex in the dark.

This, of course, clashes with our need to have the world lit up 24/7. In fact its a fair chance that the decline and disappearance of so many varieties of the fish, birds and animals that used to share the world with us is entirely our own fault.

Take the oceans. I used to be an avid reader of the weekly publication ’Fishing news’ and I would follow the progress of the bigger and faster super trawlers that plundered the southern oceans.

They were followed and supplied by the even larger and specially built, factory ships, hunting a species of fish called blue whiting.

This particular fish was valued as fish meal, which was processed and sold as food. Not food for human consumption I hasten to add, but food that was so high in protein that it was perfect for the mass produced and fast growing chicken that we see on the supermarket shelves.

When I was a young lad, I well remember the stories of the whale fishermen in those huge ships with the built-in loading ramps.

The whales would be chased and harpooned and then winched on board to be killed and processed into meat, fat and whale oil.

Seventy or so years ago, this was the stuff of adventure stories. Now it is unthinkable.

I remember fleets of fishing boats working out of English and Scottish ports. These boats would often be seen in Manx waters, together with their Irish cousins and the many local vessels that earned a decent return on their investment in their boats and hard work.

But there has to be a limit on what can be caught.

The old saying that is used to describe a plentiful supply of something, ’There’s plenty of fish in the sea’, is sadly out of date.

Who can remember the fleet of boats that would come every year to fish for herring? Those were the days my friend.

When did you last buy a herring? This year, 2019, I saw herring on the fishmonger’s slab twice.

I was tempted to buy only once. The problem is, I remember the old days, and I will say no more.

So much of our fish, or seafood as it is now known, is ’farmed’.

I recently watched a TV documentary about the Scottish salmon farming industry. To say that it was an eye opener could not possibly come near to the truth. It was incredible. It is a huge business and would appear to be a great success.

But at what cost? How much fish meal does it take to feed a growing salmon before it reaches maturity?

The majority of fish meal is made from sardines and anchovies, two of the most prolific and plentiful fish in the sea.

But for how long? they can’t last for ever. But who cares? Neither can we, but surely there’s plenty left, isn’t there?

Last year, I was having a bit of a mooch round Shoprite.

I was passing the frozen fish cabinets when I spotted some whole lobster that had arrived in the Isle of Man from Alaska or Canada.

Would you believe that it cost me more in postage to send a Pullyman book back across the Atlantic than it did to buy a lobster?

All of which brings me nicely to this year’s Pullyman charity book, which is now in the shops.

A decade ago Pullyman - aka Michael Cowin - was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, a condition that affects people in different ways. Michael discovered writing and Island Life is featuring some of his musings. Sometimes topical, sometimes nostalgic, read about life as seen through the eyes of Pullyman