Finding A Sustainable Fish Stick
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 12.19.07
Insufficient quotas haven't helped North Atlantic cod
Here in Sweden fiskpinnar (fish sticks) are on nearly every restaurant's children's menu from south of Stockholm to above the Arctic Circle. But today came the alarming news from WWF that north Atlantic cod, that fish stick staple, is in worse shape than ever(warning: Swedish link), especially in the Scandinavian waters of Skaggerak and Kattegatt between Denmark and Sweden. Sweden's announcement that domestic fishing quotas for cod would be lowered 8 percent next year was not even one-third of the 25 percent cut some scientists recommend (others say a total fishing ban is needed). WWF warned that North Atlantic cod could be exactly in the spot where Canadian cod was before it disappeared from the water and our plates in the 1990s.
This dire news could turn anyone off the idea of fish sticks for dinner. But some experts say giving up on fish totally is not the answer. Hit the jump for some suggestions:
WWF fishy expert Inger Näslund says buying MSC-certified and organically-certified fish is a still a very good idea, as it's one way to reduce illegal fishing. The extensive chains of custody put in place for certification make cheating on quotas harder, and this in turns help healthy stocks stay sustainable.
Any search for a good fish for dinner could start at the WWF list of country-specific green/yellow/red pocket fish charts here; of special note is the fishonline site, a real treasure chest of info. There's also the treehugger TV segment on finding good fish here.
In the case of cod, it is Atlantic cod that is in worst shape, but Näslund points to two bright spots - KRAV organically-certified line-caught cod is coming to Sweden next spring, and Näslund hopes Norwegian Bering Sea cod will consider getting certified. Pacific cod is not in as bad shape as Atlantic cod, and last year MSC certified a Pacific Cod (mostly available frozen). Though any farmed fish can create more environmental problems than it solves, farmed cod with organic certification is also a good choice. And one choice for MSC-certified packaged (pollock) fish sticks is Henry and Lisa's, or make your own from certified fish - here's a kid-friendly recipe. And don't despair - though it is harder (and takes longer) to create a chain of custody for certified fresh fish, fresh choices are coming to market - Näslund said Germany and the UK are furthest ahead in this endeavor, and it is worth it to keep checking the fish counters at favorite markets.
Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:
- Countries Falling Behind As World's Oceans Are Still "Vastly Under-Protected": Study
- US Should Push for Bluefin Tuna Fishing Moratorium, Conservation Groups Say
- Killer Smog Cloud is Smothering Sunlight in Asian Cities: UN
- China's Coal Fires Burn 20 Million Tons of Coal Per Year
When I was a teenager and came home from summer camp one summer and announced I was becoming a vegetarian (but still willing to eat fish) my mom served everyone else a lovely dinner and gave me two frozen fish sticks. often still frozen, or so I remember.
after three months of such torture I broke down in the face of a roast beef and yorkshire pudding.
I, for one, welcome the demise of the frozen fishstick, but not the fish.
All of this struggle and work for what? To continue completely unnecessary consumption.
There is a much simpler and less expensive solution: stop eating fish.
but fish taste good. and are EXTREMELY good for you. Science has linked the massive increase in our ancestors brain size to a time when they moved to the coasts and learned to catch fish. So thank fish eaters for your ability to read and respond to TH.
There has to be a way to raise fish in fish farms that doesn't cause some massive harm, but reduces or eliminates their being caught in the wild.
There has to be a way to raise fish in fish farms that doesn't cause some massive harm
-aquaponics
@liz
One would think that if what these theorists say is true, then those people who don't eat fish (large part of the world population) would have little brains. I think we would have heard if that was the case.
As far as the physical effects of a lower-nutrition diet, we may not have direct evidence that eating less fish reduces brain size, but I think it is safe to think that lack of some of the nutrition inherent in earlier diets could be contributing to the rising incidences of asthma, allergies and even ADHD and autism.
I must protest the use of the the geographic denomination "North Atlantic" in this context because this is the stock in the North Sea which is being depleted. Hence this is a EU problem. We in the sovereign North Atlantic are in contrast managing our stocks very well and have decreased this years quota significantly to preserve the cod.
If the EU would stop this mucking about with their quota system in favor of spoiled fishermen this wouldn´t be a problem.
Greetings from Reykjavík.
'If the EU would stop this mucking about with their quota system in favor of spoiled fishermen this wouldn´t be a problem.'
---Too true.