On Giving Up Salmon for Sardines
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 9.08
British Columbia salmon farming
Taras Grescoe, author of “Bottomfeeder: How to Eat Ethically in a World of Vanishing Seafood.” writes in the New York Times about why he has given up on salmon.
"Wild Atlantic salmon are commercially extinct, and runs of Pacific salmon south of the Alaska panhandle are experiencing catastrophic collapses. This year, for the sake of the remaining wild salmon on the West Coast, as well as my own health, I’m changing my diet. Whether it’s wild or farmed, I’m swearing off salmon."
Farmed salmon is not much of an option:
"In Chile, overcrowding in these oceanic feedlots led to this year’s epidemic of infectious salmon anemia, a disease that has killed millions of fish and left the flesh of survivors riddled with lesions....In British Columbia, offshore net-cages are breeding grounds for thumbtack-sized parasites called sea lice."
Not to mention the vacuum cleaner of the ocean that farmed salmon is: "It takes four pounds of small fish like sardines and anchovies to make a single pound of farmed salmon, a process that deprives humans of precious protein."
He concludes: "So, I’ll wait for next year and hope the West Coast fisheries show signs of recovery. Until then — or until salmon farmers convince me they’ve cleaned up their act — I’ll be eating closer to the bottom of the food chain.
Sardines, it turns out, taste pretty good barbecued." ::New York Times
See Collin in Planet Green on Grescoe's book on Making More Sustainable food choices
Bill Nye on How Low Can You Go? (on the food chain)
TreeHugger on farmed fish:
Schwarzenegger Declares State of Emergency as Salmon Fishing ...
Deep Impacts: salmon farms threaten marine life and human health ...
Is "Pink Gold" Coming To Your Local Grocery Store Soon?
Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:
- Ten Things to Eat Before They Die
- Fish Waste Biodiesel Project Launched in Vietnam
- Farming Fish in Central London
- 3 Amazing, Galapagos-Only Birds Possibly Headed for Extinction
i dont care about the us and canadian salmon but if you guys mess whit the portuguese already depleated sardine suply i
I've given up most seafood for the most part, even small fish, because I just don't think there is any way that we can feed the world with fish. I'm doing my part to simply eat very little, if any seafood.
I don't think that fish stocks will recover any until commercial fishermen can't afford to fill their boats with fuel, so I'm not going to hold my breath. I'm just going to alter my diet for the long run.
Well, then I advise you to search for some good Portuguese restaurants. Sardine is one of our favorites fishes and the main dish in many of our summer festivals.
Next time you come to Portugal, just email me and I'll show a good time with good wine and grilled sardine
Check: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_cuisine#Fish_and_seafood
Since this story http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/06/portugal-renewable-plan.php I think Portugal is on a good road to be more ecoconscious ans sustainable
Sardines do offer up a great alternative, which are really high in omega-3, 6 and 9, and also offer up high dosages of calcium. Not only are they nutritious, but also they are more available and offer just as many avenues for cooking to satisfy any taste bud.
And, in particular, BELA-Olhão's sardines are sustainably caught, so they support the sustainable fishing, the local economy of Portugal and have low, if not indistinguishable, levels of mercury.
www.mybela.com