Fish Food for the Soul

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.

"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.

Sustainable Seafood Guidelines (courtesy of the Monteray Bay Aquarium). Download regional pocket guides here.

Sustainable Sushi Guidelines

Chicago is Safe, but for How Long?

Various nations in Africa and South America have begun to recognize that collaborative efforts may be necessary in order to control freshwater exploitation. This is apparent in the recent call for aquifer use agreements, which would protect cross-country water resources.

Various aquifers in question

In order to protect our water resources, it is important to understand how we are affecting them.
What are we doing wrong? (from what I gather is least to greatest impact, please share your ideas)

1. Road Salt: I always wondered how it could possibly be environmental OK to use so much road salt. I asked myself, "how can there be no consequences when 2 minutes of driving encrusts my car in it?" Apparently, it does matter. One study published this year shows that runoff from salted roads increases water salinity in rivers/streams/lakes, threatening plant and animal life.

Snow or salt?

2. Unleashing Aquifers: Our aquifers are being  drained faster than they can naturally be recharged, causing water shortages in places from Wisconsin to India. That's not the only problem. The water we release from the ground eventually ends up in the world's oceans and is responsible for 25% (.8mm/yr) of rising sea levels.

3. Global Warming: There is significant evidence that global warming hastens the water cycle, which results in increased evaporation and precipitation. Unfortunately, when you mess with the water cycle, you don't get more rain everywhere. In wet regions, rainfall increases, which fosters damaging floods. In dry regions, less rain will fall, and freshwater bodies may increase in salinity and/or dry up, which may cause devastating droughts.

I've always had great appreciation for Chicago. It isn't just because of the city's impressive architecture, positive energy, and seasonal variation. It's also because when the world's water supply fades, Chicago will be at the heart of the largest freshwater system on Earth, The Great Lakes. However, my guess is that, in time, even Chicago won't be immune.



Evidence from near and far:

• East Antarctic Lakes have seen increases in salinity.
• Salinity increases in India have led crocodiles into populated areas.
• Cities in Wisconsin were hurting when they were cut off from Lake Michigan.