Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I have been reading a lot about the deeply worrying state of the world's fish stocks, which are in decline everywhere.
Obviously it's a huge issue, but I just wondered if you can buy fish from sustainable sources where you are, and if it is labelled as such in your local store? I am trying to ensure I don't buy anything now that isn't labelled as sustainable... but it's not always an easy task! (unless you are lucky enough to be able to catch your own!)
It is not labeled "sustainable" in my local grocery stores, and we don't have a Walmart that carries fresh fish/meats/produce. So I admit I tend to buy whatever fish is on sale, without knowing whether it is sustainable or not. I do know cod is not a good choice, so I have been avoiding that.
I avoid ocean fish not only for the way that numbers are declining, but nature is being damaged with trawling and non-commerical fish and marine mammals are trapped in nets.
I usually buy whatever non-farm raised fish is on sale. There are also few fish that I will actually eat. For me if it has too much of a fishy flavor (if that makes any sense) I dislike it.
I never used to eat fish at all, but the last few years I have been eating as much as I can to make sure I get my share before its all gone.
I only eat wild caught ocean fish.
That “farmed“ fish raised in pools of chemicals and feces is not fit for human consumption.
LOL
Farmed fish also eat more fish than they actually produce - something like 4 pounds of anchovies are used as food for each 1 pound of salmon produced! Crazy
I usually only buy shark steaks. Mako or blacktip cooks nice on the grill. Other than that ill buy steamer clams and crab legs from time to time. Every now and then I find fresh Wahoo and I will get it, but it is rare to find it.
This is an issue very close to my heart and one I am deeply involved with at a Political and Social level. I always buy sustainable fish and seafood . I also always ask in restaurant for provenance and will abstain if it is not from sustainable sources.
I used to go fishing with my Grand-Father on his sailboat and he taught me to never treat Nature and the Ocean as an endless cornucopia but as something where resources had to be carefully managed. Overfishing , dredging , trawling and other terrible fishing practices have basically not only pillaged and raped the oceans but also damaged a very fragile eco-system apart from the fish and seafood issue. ALL of Nature is linked by a myriad of little chains and we are simply biting the hands which feeds us.
Most consumers don't care or don't want to really learn about it but the situation in most places is seriously dire and pretty bleak for our future. We eat very few species but overfish them and out fishing practices mean we also destroy others ( which we do not even eat or use , most are thrown back in the ocean dead or dying) . The Ocean beds are being ravaged by dredging and stocks are now really low in many places.
We need to diversy the species we eat, and use better safer practices . It seems utterly idiotic to me that dredging for example has been done in the name of fast bucks and this means we are killing the future of the fishing industry... So fishermen will complain about stocks being really low when often they have been responsible for the arising issue. And this leads poorer fishermen in third world countires who still practice traditional fishing methods to utter poverty as they consequentially end up paying the price ....
We ALL need to take responsibility and like with meat , eat less fish but better sourced and demand that the industry cleans up its act.
Same with fish-farming which is environmentally a disaster. And the fish tastes awful.
I adore fish and seafood and was brought up on it ( fresh off my Grand-Father's boat) but I only eat it when I know where from and how it came to be on my plate. Anything else is playing Russian Roulette with our future.
I don't eat it that often because I prefer to eat less of something but something of higher quality and better sourced. I know some people think this sounds pompous but at the end of the day it is in our interest to ensure we still have stocks in the future... Sound fishing industry management is a crucial part of our future on this planet. And that often starts with us the consumers. We are the people who pay for it and have the power to demand better.
Not just for Nature's sake but for own as we too are part of it. And of course for the poorest of the poor in developing and third worl countries where the issue is becoming a life threatening one.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.