Up until the last few years, I didn't have to worry about where my fish came from because I didn't eat them. My recent affinity for our underwater friends has made me think more deeply about the sustainability, or lack thereof, of the fishing industry. In the last 50 years, poor fishing practices have caused an incredible decline in fish abundance. As a result, the
industry actually earns $50 billion/yr less less than it could. Our lack of foresight endangers the future of big fish, particularly those that are difficult to farm.
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| "The big fish, the bill fish, the groupers, the big things will be gone. It is happening now. If things go unchecked, we'll have a sea full of little horrible things that nobody wants to eat. We might end up with a marine junkyard dominated by plankton.” - Dr. Daniel Pauly |
It's up to us to make the right consumer choices. Instead of eating Atlantic bluefin tuna whose population has been reduced 90% since the 70's, masticate on some yellowfin/blackfin tuna, albacore, or wahoo (that's what you'll be saying when you try it). Replace Chilean sea bass (fishing of which threatens many other species) with Alaskan sablefish, aka black cod. Farm-raised shrimp and sturgeon are great alternatives to their wild counterparts. For more subs to popular seafood,
check this out. Below are some notes to guide your seafood/sushi decisions.
Thanks to Greenpeace's
supermarket seafood sustainability scorecard, Target was honored for their eco-consciousness, and retailers like
Trader Joe's and Costco were motivated to increase the sustainability of their stocks.
Interesting post. Seems like canned tuna is in all three columns. What does troll, poll, and longline mean? Sounds like ways to catch fish maybe. And any idea how I know what mine is when I'm looking at a can? This can says StarKist Solid White Albacore Tuna. I don't see an obvious way to tell where it's from or how it was caught.
ReplyDelete"StarKist
ReplyDeleteLabel says: dolphin safe
Web site says: "StarKist continues its practice of refusing to purchase tuna caught with gill or drift nets, which are known to be dangerous to many forms of marine life. StarKist condemns the use of these indiscriminate fishing methods that trap dolphins, whales, and other marine life along with the intended catch of fish."
Observation: That's easy to say, as gill nets aren't really used, says Fitzgerald, the EDF policy specialist, adding, "Most tuna now are caught by purse seines or long lines, which can have lots of by-catch."
Unless a label says troll or pole, it is probably long line. These days, most canned tuna is long line. Some good brands include Pelican's Choice, Tuna Guys, and Wild Planet.
Here is the website that info is from: http://www.walletpop.com/2010/09/02/avoid-canned-tuna-dolphin-safe-doesnt-mean-creature-safe/2