Posted by Stan Rose on January 12, 2010 at 1:14 AM
that would be: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8440758.stm
As much as i love my maguro, its downright scary what is happening to our big fish populations. Just one sign of a very troubling overall problem in the ocean environment.
I have been involved in both commercial and recreational fishing most of my life. The problem we have is many fish have a bounty on their head and the advent of modern electronics stacks the the odds up against the fish. If we don't control our selves the fish will vanish. The giant tuna fishery along with many others is totally over exploited. Fish has made the evolution from poor mans food to gourmet table fare.
Yeay, it does make you stop and think. I sometimes wonder how we have any resources left at all. I realize that we farm a lot of our food, fish, and shellfish included. But aside from sushi, there is a huge demand for shark fins. They don't even use the entire animal. Just cut off the fins and tail, then push the still alive helpless shark overboard. I once saw a documentary on how the dredging style of fishing destroys the reefs in places that still do it. For a few shrimp, there were tons of other creatures considered garbage. Already damaged, or killed, just swept back into the sea. It's a sad thing what humans consider acceptable for the sake of economic efficiency.
Chris
Posted by Carl Donohue on January 26, 2010 at 5:16 AM
Hey Peter
Unfortunately, scarcity drives up the price, which heightens motivation for fishermen and woman to go further and further afield and deplete the population.
A huge problem too, is when fish swim outside national boundaries. Bluefin tuna delight in crossing the Atlantic, and yellowfin spend huge portions of their lives far from national boundaries, too. The ILSC (Interntional Law of the Sea Conference) is nearly toothless and way past needed updates, but more controversial between nations than US health care and global warming.
If you still want your sushi tuna, switch to hamache. It's virtually 100% farmed, with the buri (a size class) used in sushi produced fairly quickly. Not a perfect solution though, because the majority is fed with Pacific Saury purse seined on the high seas with it's own set of problems.
Posted by Carl Donohue on January 26, 2010 at 5:07 PM
Hey Hank
An Alaskan supporting farmed fish speaks volumes about the scale of the problem with demand for tuna, eh? :)
Discussion
9 replieshttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8440758.stm
cheers
georg
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8440758.stm
As much as i love my maguro, its downright scary what is happening to our big fish populations. Just one sign of a very troubling overall problem in the ocean environment.
The sea is a truly limited resource!
Chris
Unfortunately, scarcity drives up the price, which heightens motivation for fishermen and woman to go further and further afield and deplete the population.
Cheers
Carl
If you still want your sushi tuna, switch to hamache. It's virtually 100% farmed, with the buri (a size class) used in sushi produced fairly quickly. Not a perfect solution though, because the majority is fed with Pacific Saury purse seined on the high seas with it's own set of problems.
An Alaskan supporting farmed fish speaks volumes about the scale of the problem with demand for tuna, eh? :)
Cheers
Carl
I think you missed the tongue-in-cheek point, sorry.
Cheers
Carl