Don't eat fish!
http://www.celsias.com/article/no-reprieve-east...
The world's fisheries are taking a beating - and that's not just tuna.
If you really, absolutely, can't POSSIBLY go vegetarian, take the pledge to stop eating fish, and switch to chicken, turkey and pork instead (avoid beef, which has the highest land-animal impact of all).
Pledge to stop eating fish today - and for now on - and save our oceans!
Far too many fisheries are overfished, it's true. But managed right, fisheries can supply the world with a lot of food that it sorely needs. If you eat fish products that are certified with the Marine Stewardship Council mark, you know that the fishery is sustainably managed, with a good security margin and issues such as by-catch and seafloor damage adressed.
MSC is awesome. It's the reason I joined WWF - they had a big hand in creating it, and it's an example of the great work they do.
But even if you can't get MSC-certified fish, there are fisheries which are close to getting the certification, or are managed sufficiently well that they are in no danger of collapse. Your local WWF organisation will probably have more info. Eating fish from these is far preferable to chicken, turkey and pork, because farmed animals eat food that could have gone to humans (and lots of it! most of the calories are "wasted" by the animal for such things as moving about and maintaining body temperature). Caught fish do not.
For the record, yellow fin tuna is on WWF's "yellow" list - don't eat much, and only if you know it's from a good source. Bluefin is on the red list. I order veggie sandwiches instead, and eat MSC pollock and green-listed haddock for my protein :-)
in July 2008
Like most generalizations, this one has a few caveats.
Regular (western style) fish farming is sometimes efficient at producing food, depending on the feed that is being used. That's mainly because the goal is to produce a specific high value output (eg. salmon) rather than maximising protein output.
Fish farming, as practiced in some areas, can be far more productive than raising chickens, pigs or any other meat production.
Fresh water fish farming (tilapia, carp, catfish etc) can often work very well as part of an integrated farming strategy.
For example, putting fish in paddy fields helps to eliminate crop pests (better yield with less chemicals) while converting bugs and algae into fertilizer (less chemicals and better yeild) as well as generating fish. Ducks are pretty good for this too.
Similarly, farm ponds used to hold irrigation/stock water can benefit from fish (converting bugs and algae into fertilizer) and produce a fish crop too.
in August 2008
The opportunity to begin to reverse the prevalent 'take' mentality and instead to begin thinking in terms of 'giving back' to marine life has begun. Enhancing the seabed and growing more seafood for todays needs and future generations is very achievable in much the same way as applying the principles of Permaculture to the land can turn desert back into productive lands. See www.reaf.org.nz or check out our Community Reef project listed here on celsias.
in August 2008
I don't anything with a face.
in August 2008
Does anyone have any other solutions or questions on this issue?
Add a comment and help others!
Incidentally, there's a great project on Celsias called 'REAF' that looks to address many of the points that this action touches on...
in August 2008
I understand many (westerners) eat fish but not meat as a means to get protein.
A widespread paradigm exists that a) we need a lot of protein daily, and b) that the best sources of protein are from animals. I suggest doing a bit of research for yourself. Apparently the fact is that the people's with traditionally the longest life spans consume very small amounts of animal protein if any at all. That includes protein from milk (70% of the worlds population are apparently cow milk intolerant and don't consume any at all) and eggs.
As for the amount of protein required on a daily basis it appears to be far less than a) we are led to believe by food industry, and b) far less than the average westener actually consumes.
Protein (including from fish) appears to have been subject to a widespread confusion campain from the time when animal farming began to grow to be the major money spinner in western agriculture and food industry....
I'd encourage anybody interested in climate change to consider and research the relationship between humanity's impact on Earth and our [western] food habits.
See also my project "Food 4 Change" for more on the basic idea of personal food choices making a difference.
in September 2008
Dimitri's got it right. We're so programmed about what we're supposed to be eating, it's crazy! I highly recommend Michael Pollan's book "In Defense of Food".
in February
I would like to add that if you catch your own fish for your own consumption - and use methods such as catching them on a line instead of setting nets (for example) - that's a whole other story to eating commercially caught fish.
in March
I am bad at choosing fish.I can not make out the long dead ones from the just dead ones.
Muriel is one fish that is alive for hours after being caught.
Now it is very very expensive. What a relief I can't afford it.
in September
remember you eat what they eat
goes for all animals
in September
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