By Gavin Hudson •
February 4, 2008
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What do you do when fisheries collapse? With a quarter of the world’s fish stocks depleted, there’s concern that by 2050 we’ll have no other fish to fry. This may be the biggest fish crunch in history. Still, it’s not the first.
When fishermen in Sinnam, South Korea started pulling up empty nets, they did the only logical thing. Finding themselves in a hard place, they erected huge penis statues.
It turns out that not long before the fishing scare, a young woman–still a virgin–had drowned near the village within sight of her lover. Locals feared that her frustrated spirit was spooking the fish away.
By Leslie Valentine •
January 25, 2008
Today’s guest blogger is Environmental Defense scientist Tim Fitzgerald.
As a marine scientist who has been researching seafood sustainability and health issues for a long time, I’ve known for a while that bluefin tuna not only has high mercury levels but is severely depleted, too.
These magnificent fish are highly prized for their rich, buttery flesh. The global sushi market can’t get enough bluefin, and as a result, exorbitant prices and severe overfishing are driving bluefin tuna to the brink of extinction.
I love sushi as much as the next person, but given its dire population numbers and high mercury levels, maybe its time that we all lay off for a while.
Now making big headlines is a New York Times report that found that much of the bluefin sushi served in upscale New York City restaurants actually exceeds the Food and Drug Administration’s “action level” for mercury. (The threshold is 1 part per million.)
To reiterate: It’s no surprise that bluefin tuna has high levels of mercury – it’s one of the largest and most predatory fish species in the ocean. What is surprising is just how many New York City restaurants are serving the really high-mercury tuna.
By Kira Marchenese •
October 31, 2007
This post is by Leslie Valentine, Online Writer and Editor at Environmental Defense.
1
Rank of shrimp in popularity among all types of seafood Americans eat
4.4
Pounds of shrimp the average American consumed in 2006
10%
Share of shrimp sold in the U.S. that comes from the Southeast U.S. (Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean), where fisheries and farms are held to stricter standards
90%
Share of shrimp sold in the U.S. that comes largely from Southeast Asia
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By Cassie Walker •
September 13, 2007
A few months ago, in an effort to green up my health and beauty products, I ran across National Geographic’s The Green Guide. The site included a handy wallet-sized guide called The Dirty Dozen in Personal Care Products, which allows me to pick products that don’t contain harmful chemicals.
Then last week, my issue of Whole Life Times included a tear-out seafood guide. It lets me know what to
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By Amy Stodghill •
September 3, 2007
Fish is a source of healthy omega-3 fatty acids, but unfortunately because of the pollution in our waters, fish and other seafoods also contain toxins such as mercury and PCBs. Then there’s also the issue of overfishing, and the debate between wild-caught and farm-raised fish to consider. So how do you know what fish choose?
To help you sort out the "good" fish from the "bad" fish, Environmental
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According to the USDA's annual statistics survey, 10 billion animals are killed for human consumption every year in the United States. (Worldwide, I believe it’s 45 billion.) However, it is more accurate to say that “10 billion land animals are killed for human consumption every year"; otherwise, we’re disregarding the billions of aquatic animals killed for the same purpose – to satisfy human appetites. Although the number of aquatic animals killed for consumption in
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By Kira Marchenese •
February 28, 2007
By Timothy Fitzgerald, Environmental Defense fisheries scientist
Long the provender of imperial banquets and champagne tastes, beluga sturgeon caviar from the Caspian Sea has been called the Rolls Royce of caviar. But therein lies the problem. Likened to black gold and magic pearls, the eggs of the beluga sturgeon are so prized that this bony ancient fish, going back 200 million years to the age of dinosaurs, has been
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By Kira Marchenese •
February 14, 2007
Editor's Note: We're happy to introduce another blog feature today, a bi-weekly column by Environmental Defense. Every two weeks, Online Activism & Outreach Coordinator Jessica Bosanko will bring you news, information and action items about ED's efforts to "find innovative, practical ways to solve the most urgent environmental problems."
By Timothy Fitzgerald, Environmental Defense scientist
Seafood lovers who want safe and eco-friendly fish might need help sorting
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