Wars | the Whale | Genius | Knew Too Much |
|
|
Home
Author
Articles
Archives
Links
|
CONSCIENTIOUS SEAFOOD BUYERS MAY BE GREATEST HOPE TO REVERSE
WIDESPREAD DESTRUCTION OF FISHERIES
Low-Impact
Fish Farming and Eating Lower on the Food Chain Can Provide
More Jobs and Increase Seafood Quality and Safety View full report: www.worldwatch.org/press/prerelease/wwp172.pdf “Today,
most of the world’s seafood, from tuna to salmon to bay scallops, is
threatened with extinction,” writes Halweil in Catch of the Day: Choosing Seafood for Healthier Oceans.
Studies show that fishers have eliminated at least 90 percent of tuna, marlin,
swordfish, and other large predatory fish in just the past 50 years, and United
Nations surveys show that roughly two-thirds of the world’s major fish
stocks, from cod to salmon to mackerel, have been pushed to the verge of
collapse. “A public that better understands the state of the
world’s oceans can be a driving force in helping governments pass legislation
to ban destructive fishing, mandate fishing labels that indicate how fish were
caught, and create marine preserves off-limits to fishing where fish can
spawn.” But this growing
movement is still fragile, Halweil notes. The commitments of many participants,
from retail giant Wal-Mart to the Red Lobster restaurant chain, remain
incomplete. For instance, Wal-Mart’s recent pledge to sell only certified
sustainable fish in the next 3–-5 years involves no commitments with
respect to farmed salmon and Asian-farmed shrimp, which constitute the bulk of
its seafood sales. And endangered swordfish, Atlantic cod, and Chilean sea bass
are making a comeback on some restaurant menus as chefs forget earlier
campaigns to protect them. The rapid decline
of marine life is largely a result of increased seafood consumption and the use
of high-impact fishing technology, which not only raises yields, but also
requires about 12.5 times as much energy to catch fish as the fish provide to
those who eat them, explains Halweil. He notes that the United States, Europe,
and Japan—the world’s largest seafood consumers—receive most
of their seafood through large distributors, restaurants, and supermarkets, so
changes in buying habits in these channels could have a profound impact on the
health of today’s fish stocks. “In
the same way the organic food movement is evolving beyond the culinary fringe,
sustainable seafood can make its biggest impact when it starts appearing at
popular supermarkets and restaurants,” says Halweil. “Fish is an
incredibly healthful food, but we’ll need to eat less of certain kinds
and more of others if we want fish in the future.” Salmon farms, for
instance, consume more fish in the form of feed than they yield in seafood, and
large ocean species like tuna and swordfish are most likely to be contaminated
with mercury and other toxins. Eating clams, oysters, and smaller species, in
contrast, puts less strain on oceans and protects consumers from contaminants. Recalling the
success of the “dolphin-safe” tuna campaign of the 1980s, Catch of the Day draws attention to a
wellspring of private initiatives that are helping to save marine
life—from color-coded seafood selection guides to targeted purchasing by
large seafood buyers like pioneering restaurant company Bon Appétit. These
efforts are boosting the sales and reputations of participating companies,
protecting jobs in developing countries where seafood is the dominant industry,
and increasing the overall quality and safety of fish products worldwide.
“Some
scientists predict that if current trends continue, the oceans will be reduced
to a trawler-scraped wasteland inhabited primarily by sea slime and
jellyfish,” Halweil notes. “The fishing industry and fisheries
regulators have spent decades trying to prevent this grim outcome, but they
have largely failed. Whether it is helping a marine conservation group push
through laws prohibiting deep-sea trawling or supporting more restrictive trade
in endangered species, seafood shoppers can help reverse the damages humans
have created and preserve the fresh catch of tomorrow.” See below for a
one-page fact sheet on Catch of the Day:
Choosing Seafood for Healthier Oceans, a list of tips for seafood
lovers,” and a summary of policy recommendations. The full report is
available for download at http://www.worldwatch.org/press/prerelease/wwp172.pdf. Catch of the Day: Choosing Seafood for Healthier Oceans FACT SHEET Growing Seafood
Consumption Worldwide ·
The world’s fish farmers and
fishing fleets harvested 132.5 million tons of seafood in 2003 (the latest year
for which data are available), nearly seven
times the harvest of 1950. ·
People in the developing world eat
most of the world’s fish (thanks to larger populations there), but they
eat much less per capita: 14.2 kilos per year, versus 24 kilos in the
industrial world. ·
Chinese consumers now eat roughly
five times as much seafood per capita as they did in 1961, and total fish
consumption in State of ·
As more vessels work a limited
number of fisheries, roughly two-thirds of the world’s major stocks have
been fished at or beyond their capacity. Another 10 percent have been harvested
so heavily that fish populations will take years to recover. ·
In 2004, marine scientists concluded
that industrial fleets had emptied the oceans of at least 90 percent of all
large predators—tuna, marlin, swordfish, sharks, cod, halibut, skates,
and flounder—in just the past 50 years. ·
Worldwide, fishers catch an
estimated 18–40 million tons of fish and other marine creatures that are
discarded—as much as half of all official marine landings. Rapid Growth in Seafood
Trade ·
Since 1976, the volume of seafood
trade has jumped fourfold, to 30 million tons, while the value has jumped
ninefold, to $71 billion (in 2005 dollars). Fish processors exported 14 million
tons of frozen fish in 2004, over six times more than in 1976, with frozen
shrimp and squid experiencing particularly rapid growth. Inefficient Energy
Use ·
In 2000, the world’s fishing
fleets burned about 43 million tons of fuel to catch 80 million tons of fish.
In other words, they use 12.5 times as much energy to catch fish as the fish
provide to those who eat them. Illegal Fishing and
Its Impact on the Developing World ·
The UN Food and Agriculture
Organization estimates that illegal fishing robs sub-Saharan Africa of more
than $1.2 billion annually in stolen fish, unpaid taxes, and lost work. Positive Trends ·
The Marine Stewardship Council,
which certifies certain seafood as “sustainable,” has granted its
label to 18 fisheries worldwide, including ·
Scientists estimate that
establishing no-catch marine reserves over 20–30 percent of the oceans
would provide spawning grounds and refuges to sustain all major fisheries. This
would create 1 million jobs and cost $5–19 billion each year—far
less than current fisheries subsidies. What’s
a Seafood Lover to Do? ·
Eat low on the
seafood chain. This means fewer salmon and more clams and squid.
Fish lower on the ocean food chain tend to be less endangered, and catching
them is less energy intensive. They are also less likely to accumulate mercury
and other toxins in their flesh. ·
Get to know where
your fish comes from and how it’s caught. Avoid seafood
caught using large-scale indiscriminate techniques, such as long-lines (tuna
and swordfish) or bottom trawling (shrimp and cod). Seafood guides, like the
ones put out by the Monterey Bay Aquarium (http://www.mbayaq.org/cr/seafoodwatch.asp)
and the Blue Ocean Institute (http://www.blueocean.org),
often include this information. ·
Support small-scale
boats and fishers. Smaller boats support more people
per fish caught than large vessels. They also tend to use more selective and
less destructive fishing practices. ·
Consider what you
wash down your drain. Much of the water we use in our
homes—for showers, sinks, washers, and toilets—ends up in the
oceans. Switch to non-toxic, biodegradable cleaners and dispose of paints, car
oil, and other toxins at recycling centers. ·
Consider the other
food you eat. Runoff from large livestock farms and agricultural
chemicals often ends up in the ocean, where it encourages algae blooms that rob
other ocean life of oxygen. Animal feedlots also feed livestock large amounts
of fishmeal and fish oil. Favoring organic food and pasture-raised meats means
fewer farms dumping waste into the oceans. Proposed
Fisheries Policy Reforms ·
Eliminate fisheries
and energy subsidies. Propped up by $15–20 billion
in annual subsidies, global fishing fleets are estimated to be up to 250
percent larger than are needed to catch what the ocean can sustainably produce.
The ·
Establish a global
network of marine reserves and protect future fishermen. Studies
show that putting just 20–30 percent of the oceans off-limits to fishing
would provide sufficient refuges for major fish populations to spawn and
reproduce. While fishermen might lose access to their favorite grounds in the
short term, such reserves result in more fish to catch in the long term. ·
Eliminate bottom
trawling. Dragging a net across the ocean bottom has been compared to
clear-cutting a forest in search of squirrels and chipmunks. Such fishing is
energy intensive and destroys habitat that can harbor future populations of
fish. Such trawling should be banned from the most sensitive deep-sea areas
(coral forests) and gradually eliminated in other areas. ·
Reduce wasted and
illegal catches. ·
Encourage
ecological fish farming. Large fish farms currently follow
the model of land-based industrial farming, raising large numbers of nearly
identical species in tight, unsanitary conditions. Raising multiple species
together (e.g. salmon and mussels) can reduce pollution, disease, and the need
for inputs. Raising herbivorous fish (e.g. tilapia rather than salmon) can
reduce aquaculture’s massive use of fishmeal and fish oil. Notes
to Editors: Purchasing Information: Worldwatch Paper 172: Catch of the Day costs $9.95 plus
shipping and handling and can be purchased through the Worldwatch website (www.worldwatch.org), by calling
1.877.539.9946, or by faxing 1.301.567.9553. Worldwatch E-mail list: If you would
like to receive Worldwatch press advisories regularly or wish to be removed
from this mailing list, please send your request to Andrew Wilkins at awilkins@worldwatch.org or call
202.452.1992 x594. |
| Home Author Articles Archives Links |
click on the whale to send email