A fish story

Nothing is more mainstream media than "Time Magazine." When they do big piece on the dangers of fish farming you can expect that concern to seep into the shopping mainstream of America. Fish consumption has been growing rapidly across the globe. That's encouraged a global increase in aquaculture, fish farming of both finfish and shellfish.

"Time" reports we now get 40% of our seafood from farmed animals. They go on to quote an official from Worldwatch saying we are essentially farming tigers. Tuna, salmon and other popular food farmed fish are at the top of the food chain. Worldwatch has done a detailed report on how this feeding on alpha predators damages the rest of the ocean's food chain, threatening entire eco-systems. One simple conclusion, go back to anchovies, forget the tuna, already. A study led by Wood's Hole researchers called earlier this year for serious regulation of offshore aquaculture.

Want to see how fast fish farming has grown in America? Check out this government site which shows not only more and more salmon being farmed, but the price per pound decreasing. Speaking on behalf of the ocean, that's not good news. It makes salmon ever more competitive with hot dogs and beef from the Argentine...though have their ecological costs of course. And thre salnmon farmers wil lnaturally produce more and more to keep their cash flow growing. Salmonburgers? Salmon jerkey? Dried salmon flakes? McSalmon?

Wanna clean up your own act, fish-eating wise? Here's a site run by Monterey Bay Aquarium that rates those fish on the menu, in terms of planetary responsibility.

As the sea levels rise with global warming there would seem to be more and more ocean and less and less land for growing birds and mammals for food, thus the pressure will increase on the ocean to supply humans with protein. And to help you follow the debates or commentary on all this aquaculture stuff, here's an online glossary.

Maybe I'll check the local grocer for a little filet of plankton for dinner.