When many of us think of fishing, we picture someone on a warm sunny day sitting on a dock or in a little row boat dozing off while they wait for the bite. It's an activity that seems innocent enough, perhaps borderline boring for those of us who have less patience when it comes to finding dinner. But fishing is a much more devastating notion than the leisurely activity we picture.
Fish populations have plummeted due to overfishing, which simply means that we are taking more fish out of the ocean than can be naturally restored. Overfishing statistics are shocking - according to overfishing.org, a staggering 90% of large predatory fish stocks (such as tuna and cod) are already gone. I definitely don't think many people know or think about this devastation before they purchase a tuna sandwich for lunch. This poses the problem of different fish populations eventually becoming extinct, in turn affecting a whole number of other animals within the ecosystem
Overfishing is a catastrophe in its own right, but why should you care? Well, it goes beyond saving fishies in the sea merely because we are supposed to protect dwindling animal populations. If you look more closely you can see that there is an ecosystem, beside our bellies, that relies on these fish populations. Think about the animals that rely on overfished stocks for food, they have nothing to eat so they die off. Now think about what happens to the animals that rely on the animals dieing from overfishing, or the animals that rely on the animals that rely on... (you get the idea). It creates a large gap in, or completely destroys an ecosystem, and disrupting an ecosystem can cause greater problems in the overall environment and for us.
The idea of standing up and refraining from eating certain species of fish which have been overfished is a notable one, but the problem is that pretty much all fish are overfished. Even the fish that we don't eat. The process of fishing, in general, is devastating, 27 million tons of fish per year are discarded after they are caught and killed. That's 27 million tons of fish that aren't even given the chance to end up in our stomachs. Commercial fishing tactics are mostly to blame for this problem. Nets used to fish on a large scale catch many other species than those targeted, most of which are discarded because they're unwanted or already dead when reeled in. This may be a familiar concept to those who remember when tuna companies were outed for accidentally trapping dolphins, and subsequently killing many of them. Well, this is still going on with many more species than dolphins, and it's still causing problems. So, I challenge you to make, yet another, sustainable choice in your life (if you feel empowered), and refrain from consuming commercially caught fish with me. How about it? So where do you fit into the overfishing conundrum? You are right in the middle of it - as a consumer of fish. You may ask, "Well, what am I supposed to do about it?" or "How can I help to make the fishing industry more sustainable?" There's a myriad of things you can do, but I think the most pronounced way of taking a stand on the matter is to cut fish that are commercially caught or fish altogether out of your diet. Yes, that's right, just don't eat it! I'm not saying that we should take our frustrations out on fish and berate their deliciousness, and I know that many people rely on fish in order to maintain a healthy diet (i.e. vegetarians), but perhaps we should research before we purchase. Read labels, figure out how far away the fish was caught, and research what methods were used to harvest them. It's not a matter of punishing ourselves or giving up something we enjoy eating, it becomes a matter of priority and principle. What do we value? Why? What are the alternatives?
For those who are concerned about cutting fish out of their diets because of nutritional purposes, there are alternate ways that we can obtain the same kind of nutrients found in fish. A major nutritious component found in fish are their omega-3's, which are also found in flax seed and soybeans. Protein is another big one, but protein is found in, well, a lot of other foods: nuts, grains, beans, tofu, and sprouts to name a few. So, I challenge you to make, yet another, sustainable choice in your life (if you feel empowered), and refrain from consuming commercially caught fish or fish altogether with me. How about it?
If you are more interested in this topic check out the movie, End of the Line, showing at Alden Library in Room 319 on Wednesday from 5:00pm-7:00pm, hope to see you there.
Stay Sustainable,
Becca in Athens
No comments:
Post a Comment