How to Eat Seafood Responsibly (Part One)

Why?
The oceans are in trouble due to serious overfishing, destructive fishing methods, and a lack of global ocean management. By making better choices about the seafood we eat, we can alleviate some of the pressure placed on ocean life and ensure our enjoyment of many species in the future.

The Issues
1. Overfishing
Fish are being caught faster than they can reproduce, increasing the number of fish that are overexploited or depleted to 25% of the world's fish stock. According to recent studies, fish stocks are permanently affected by overfishing due to the harmful genetic alterations caused by gradually reducing the numbers of large fish. The global fishing fleet is operating at 2.5 times the sustainable level, causing fisherman to move on to new species when one is no longer plentiful, causing serious damage to ocean ecosystems.
2. Illegal Fishing
It is estimated that 1/4 of the world's catch is unreported or unregulated. Some fisherman ignore the management plans and "these violations include taking undersize fish, fishing in closed areas, during seasonal closures, using illegal gear or taking more fish than is allocated."
3. Habitat Damage
The future of fishing depends on the health of the habitats in which these fish live. Many ecosystems are fished so often, they never have time to recover. The type of fishing method used is important, some are more harmful than others.
Fishing Methods:

Gillnetting:
This method of fishing employs nets selected specifically for a particular size and species of fish. They can be set at any point in the water column. They are particularly useful in the snaring of any ground or pelagic fish species, including cod, salmon, swordfish, halibut, and tuna. These type of nets pose a serious threat to other marine wildlife such as sea turtles, sea otters, porpoises, dolphins, whales, and seabirds who find themselves caught and die because they are unable to surface for air.

Trawling:
Dragging mobile nets from the backs of boats at various depths, the trawling method succeeds in catch large numbers of target fish, as well as many other bycatch species. These nets can be as large as 40 feet tall and 200 feet wide. The environmental impact trawling has is immense. The sediments stirred up by bottom trawling affects the local environment and reintroduces pollutants like DDT and PCB trapped in soil on the ocean floor. Trawling also damages slow growing coral. Most trawling in completely unregulated.

Purse Seining:
A boat drags a net around in a circle and the bottom singes up like a drawstring purse, catching entire schools of fish at once. These method often ensnares dolphins as bycatch, especially tuna (dolphin's food source).

Poll Fishing:
The most environmentally friendly method, pole fishing has a very low rate of bycatch.
Trolling:
A method employing one or more long fish lines, baited and dragged through the water. Salmon, mackerel, marlin, bluefish and kingfish are common species caught using this type of fishing. It is an environmentally friendly way of fishing because bycatch can be identified and released quickly.

Traps and Pots:
These submerged cages rest on the sea floor and attract target fish with bait. They cause minimal damage to the ocean environment because the simply rest on the bottom and rarely catch unintended species. Lobster, crab, shrimp, Pacific Cod, and sablefish are caught in these.

Longlining:
A long central fishing line (between 1 and 50 miles long) from which other smaller lines baited with hooks dangle is dragged through the water. Although less destructive to bottom habitats, they are notorious for catching unintended bycatch such as seabirds and sea turtles. It is estimated that 100,000 albatross are killed each year using this method and 19 out of the 21 species are threatened.



Source List:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega-3_fatty_acid
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/01/060112040047.htm

Local vs. Organic Foods

LOCAL

What IS local food? Generally speaking, it is food that comes from your local city and in some cases the state, as a general statement.... within 100 miles of where you live. Although local food doesn't always mean that there is no use of pesticides, there are several advantages to eating them.

1. Taste
Local foods are by definition seasonal, at the peak of the particular growing season, consequently tasting much better. Check out what's in season here... http://www.chefkendra.com/seasonal_produce_chart.htm.
2. Health
The distance the produce has traveled from farm to shelf is less, so essential vitamins and nutrients are retained.
3. Diversity
About 96 percent of commercial vegetable varieties have gone extinct and buying local preserves the heirloom varieties. (2) "Simply put, a vegetable is classified as an heirloom if it is open-pollinated and has been cultivated for over 50 years. Heirloom seeds have typically been passed down by families from generation to generation. These are the same seeds our ancestors used to grow their vegetables, herbs, and fruit." (3)
4. Community
Meet the farmer that grows the food, other people concerned about healthy food choices, and support your local community!
5. Environment
Small farms restore and revitalize the soil unlike large commercial farms. (2) In addition, industrial agriculture promotes food borne illness, increases bacterial tolerance to antibiotics, and has been linked to several strains of influenza. Most importantly, it didn't have to travel 1500 miles to reach your plate saving precious fossil fuels. Simply put, eating local is better for the environment.

Despite the overwhelming advantages to local food, many people are concerned about the price. Local food is more expensive because it reflects the true price of growing food without the aid of government subsidies, "cheap oil", and underpaid labor. The unseen costs of the cheaper, farther traveled food in the grocery store chains is in the commodity food taxes we pay , the harm caused to the environment, and the lower quality of the produce. Unlike organic standards, which entail specific legal definitions, inspection processes, and labels, local means different things to different people, depending on where they live, how long their growing season is, and what products they are looking for." (1)

ORGANIC

A movement that hails back to the old ways of farming, organic farming seeks to return to "natural" methods. First, pesticides, herbicides and insecticides used ideally should be organic (naturally-occurring) and not synthetic. In Jonathan Safran Foer's EATING ANIMALS, he says that "for meat, milk, and eggs labeled organic, the USDA requires that animals must: (1) be raised on organic feed (raised without most synthetic pesticides and fertilizers; (2) be traced through their life cycle; (3) not to be fed antibiotics or growth hormones; and (4) have 'access to the outdoors'." Although a popular new commodity, organic food only accounts for 2% of the food consumed in the United States.

Ideally, organic foods are to be strictly monitored and regulated and must meet certain requirements given by the USDA. Whether or not this is actually the case is a hotly debated topic.

Limitations and Problems with Organic Food

1. The corporate market is getting involved in organics, meaning less and less money and opportunity for the small farmers.
2. Large-scale monocrop organic farming would still fail to sustain healthy soil like diversified agriculture (4).
3. Organic doesn't ensure proper treatment of farm workers. (4)
4. The ability to afford organic food is still a racial and social class issue.


It seems that in the choice between organic and local foods, each has its own benefits and downfalls.

Sources:
1. http://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/eatlocal/
2. The Locavore's Handbook by Leda Meredith
3. http://www.veggiegardeningtips.com/defining-times-for-heirloom-vegetable-varieties/
4. Cook, D. Christopher. Diet for dead planet, How the food industry is killing us.

Join the Locavore Movement:
http://www.localharvest.org
http://www.communitygarden.org
http://www.slowfoodusa.org/
http://www.nrdc.org/health/foodmiles
http://www.foodroutes.org
http://www.eatlocalchallenge.com/

You Are What You Eat

There is no love sincerer than the love of food. ~George Bernard Shaw, "The Revolutionist's Handbook," Man and Superman

The food we eat and the methods by which it is produced or raised reveals who we are, hints at our values, defines our culture. Food is one of the essential ingredients to making us human. Whether farmer or consumer, we are all aware of the dietary requirement food provides us with, as well as the enjoyment that comes with eating quality produce and meat. It seems we have lost touch with our roots. Long forgotten the smell of the sun-kissed earth, the knowledge of growing seasons, the familiarity of domesticated animals, where the food we eat comes from, how it was produced, and who produced it.

Why is this important? With the rise of genetics and farm technology, a new era of farming has been developed. Genetic modifications allow fruits and vegetables to be grown year round, to the right specifications of color, size, and taste. Foods can be shipped from literally anywhere in the world, ending up on the grocery store shelves without any consideration about origin, seasonality, or environmental consequences. Animals can also be manipulated genetically to increase muscle size and taste, thereby increasing profitability. Factory farming produces most of the meat consumed in the United States, and soon to the rest of the world. In order to comply with increased consumer demand and year-round availability, the speed and efficiency by which food is produced is top priority, leading to diminished quality.

My mission is to discuss certain questions about the health benefits, environment consequences, genetic changes, factory production, and the ultimate future of food.



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