From yesterday’s NYTimes:
The answer to the eternal mystery of what makes up a Filet-O-Fish sandwich turns out to involve an ugly creature from the sunless depths of the Pacific, whose bounty, it seems, is not limitless.
The world’s insatiable appetite for fish, with its disastrous effects on populations of favorites like red snapper, monkfish and tuna, has driven commercial fleets to deeper waters in search of creatures unlikely to star on the Food Network.
I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, our oceans are going to hell in a handbasket. Sad, but not news to anyone paying attention. The signs of dramatic ocean decline are crystal clear.
When there’s nothing but jellyfish and algae left, our children may wonder why we knew, yet did nothing. So it goes.
September 10th, 2009 at 3:52 pm
Worry not! We can always have the wholly synthetic menu from Taco Bell
September 10th, 2009 at 6:11 pm
People love to deny that they could actually be destroying aquatic systems. I really don’t know why; you’d think after decimating Monterey Bay almost 100 years ago, when the population of the USA was much smaller, would have given people a clue – but no, humans are too thick. Add to that these people I keep running into these days who say “eat fish, not cows, it’s better for the environment”; It’s pretty hard not to smack ‘em.
You don’t have to try very hard to find news articles about fishermen blaming whales, seals, hobby fishers, etc. for the declines in their stock. Such accusations are unbelievably stupid – the few tens of thousand of seals around can’t even compete with a single ‘small’ trawler which would pull in tens of tons per week. BUT – it’s better to blame others than to waste time and money trying to think of schemes which are sustainable.
September 10th, 2009 at 10:21 pm
Sheril, do you eat seafood?
September 10th, 2009 at 10:46 pm
Occasionally, if it’s been harvested or farmed sustainably.
September 11th, 2009 at 12:47 am
Unless I misunderstood the issue, at one time it was thought that pollack was in that position…now we learn that the crop has cratered.
Can we truly be sure that any seafood is safe to consume?