The fishermen are all right. Most fishermen always respected the sea and so they followed the rules and traditions so they neither over-fished nor left trash behind. However, they will have noticed an increase in nets and traps left behind along with other trash and offal. They do their best to clean up when they see it, but they can only do so much. This increase in trash activity will coincide with the presence of larger ships that are seen passing through, ships they hadn't seen before. (This is related to the whale hunting.)

The fishermen will also tell them an interesting legend of why they respect the sea as much as they do. In a world filled with large leviathans and other creatures, it's no surprise that there is a belief that there is something greater that dwells in the deep. Whether a leviathan, a deity, or just another large creature, there are countless stories of a large beast that lives in the deep oceans. Some say they've heard tales of entire islands consumed by tidal waves from this creature's wrath. The only warning they have is a massive shadow before there is a dark red eye peering from its depths before destruction. As for why they were destroyed, no one is certain. However, there is a common thread that the people of these islands had been disrespectful of the sea, so many believe it as "divine punishment" of sorts from the "gods of the seas."

These incidents are said to have happened centuries ago so these legends could just be put as made up fairy tales to teach everyone to respect the ocean, born from that turbulent time when the Escordvi oceans of today were formed. But should further investigation be made in the old records, some entries will be found of islands that had disappeared or utterly destroyed by what could only be assumed as a tsunami due to the flooding and water damage left behind. Perhaps remnants of these islands may still stand...

Hope this helps!