Deeper Shade of Green

There is plenty of fish in the sea. Well…. maybe not so any longer. This age-old expression is now old-age. The fishing industry has been managed thus far as if it were an endlessly renewable resource. This has resulted in seafood stocks being caught faster than they can reproduce, as well as neglecting to leave enough fish behind to repopulate for the next catch. For the first time in history aquatic animals have been placed on the extinction list and many other aquatic species are threatened with extinction.

Bottom trawlers drag their nets across the sea floor to catch fish and shrimp. For every pound of shrimp caught for consumerism, 10 pounds of bycatch is discarded. The weights and chains placed at the bottom of the nets in order to stir up the sea floor and catch fish hiding in rocks and sand cause a devasting degree of destruction to the seafloor, coral beds and fish breeding grounds. Some of these corals are centuries old and most of the damaged aquatic life can take decades to be restored, and only if that same area is not trawled again during its restoration. Some believe this activity is the single most harmful act on the oceans of any human activity.

Bycatch is another concern which needs to be addressed immediately. This is the practice of removing animals from the ocean by way of netting used to catch fish. Since these animals were not the intended catch, they get thrown back dead or dying. Common bycatch includes dolphins, turtles, seals, whales, birds, sponges and corals.

You don’t have to stop eating seafood to save our oceans, far from it. However, the choices you make when consuming seafood make all the difference in the sustainability of this industry. For example, when purchasing cod and halibut, look for pacific, wild caught and non-trawled brands. The best choice for crab is Canadian snow crab and dungeness crab. For thoses with discerning tastes, choose caviar from US sturgean and paddle fish farms. Imitation crab is best obtained from Alaskan pollock. One option to avoid is Chillean seabass as this species has a very long life span during which they do little breeding, putting them at risk for extinction by overfishing. They also contain very high levels of mercury.

David Suzuki, Canada’s Food Guide and several other organizations have teamed up to create Seachoice, a comprehensive national seafood program aimed at educating the public, conducting research, engaging in dialogue at the government level, and working with industy and retail leaders to promote sustainability. Their website provides a quick reference wallet card detailing which seafood options are best and worst to consume, in terms of sustainability. They also have cards you can leave behind at restaurants to tell proprietors how to join the sustainability movement. Visit www.seachoice.org for more details. David Suzuki offers a detailed look at the issue at www.davidsuzuki.org/Oceans/Publications.asp .

Vancouver aquarium has also committed to raising awareness of the issue by recruiting restaurants who can offer the Ocean Wise certified seafood as choices on their menu. For more information on this program, including participating restaurants and how they obtain this rating visit www.vanaqua.org/conservation/oceanwise/home.html. If you would like to educate others about this issue, materials can be obtained at no charge at www.mbayaq.org/cr/seafoodwatch.asp.