OYB doesn’t usually do causes. But this is a biggie.
OK, the world seems to be fairly on top of the concept of conservation for land and land animals. We don’t do very well with erosion and do really badly at sprawl. Land animals aren’t doing so badly.
90% of the large fish have been caught from the oceans of the world in the past 20 years. They take years to grow big and aren’t being replenished, to put it mildly.
The devastation of large fishes has started a chain reaction that is ruining the rest of aquatic life. All the way down to coral reefs which are disappearing. The tiniest things are apparently going fast because the big ones have gone. Marine ecology is very tightly bound together.
So says the Monterey Bay Aquarium. (Check out their Seafood Watch.)
And so says the wife and kids who just saw an amazing new IMAX movie, “Deep Sea 3D.”
They’re inspired to do something about it. What we can do is make sure we don’t eat the wrong fish. And we can make info-art to spread the word. (See below…)
Now, we have some conservation laws in the US, but others don’t. Well, the whole world needs to get its act together on this one, like they did with whaling (pretty much).
If people didn’t eat certain big ocean fish for the next 10 years, I suspect this disaster would be averted.
World fishing absolutely needs to be submitted to conservation practices.
Or we’ll probably all die off pretty quick. The oceans probably have a much bigger influence on global life than land animals do. If they go, we go, probably isn’t overstating it.
It only makes sense. The only way the fisheries themselves can persist is through conservation. There’s been no exception to the concept that I’ve ever seen. If “rogue nations” persist in scalping the seas, bust their butts. It can be done. Has been done. Can be done again. It works. Everyone is better off for it, especially the fishing industry. Focus on short-term profits will ruin us all in this case as in all cases.
I take a direct-action approach to causes. The only thing I suggest is for YOU and ME to not eat these certain big fishes. And to encourage other efforts to save them as they arise.
Here’s a list of fish to eat:
MAIN FISH GOOD TO EAT
Catfish (Farmed)
Clams (Farmed)
Cod, Pacific (Bottom Longline & Traps)
Mussels (Farmed)
Oysters (Farmed)
Salmon (Wild-Caught Alaska)
Shrimp, Pink (Oregon)
Striped Bass (Farmed)
Striped Bass (Wild-Caught)
Tilapia (Farmed)
Trout, Rainbow (Farmed)
Tuna, Albacore (Troll/Pole)
Tuna, Yellowfin (Troll/Pole)
MAIN FISH BAD TO EAT
Cod, Atlantic
Crab, King (Russia)
Monkfish
Orange Roughy
Rockfish (Trawl-Caught)
Salmon (Farmed)
Sharks
Shrimp (Imported)
Swordfish (Imported)
Tuna, Bluefin
The other part of the OYB direct action in this cause is to sell you stuff. Like the above list in a prettier form.
Henry drew up and colored a scene of marine life which we’ve made into a greeting card which has an abbreviated good/bad fish shopping list on it, to help us all remember. So, use it yourself and use it to spread the word. (The $3 profit from each card-set goes to Henry.)
CLICK HERE TO ORDER A SET OF SIX HENRY’S “SAVE THE SEAS” CARDS FOR $15.
This cause is a no-brainer. (If anyone has info to the contrary, post below.)
Thanks.
This is Ocean Animal art that Henry made.
