The Crisis in Our Oceans

I just received my April issue of National Geographic this weekend, and the magazine has returned to high quality pieces after a stint last year of near-tabloid rubbish that pushed me to let my subscription temporarily lapse. April's issue deals with another green issue dear to my heart--the state of the world's ocean ecosystems. I'm not exactly a marine biologist, so I'm dependent on reports like NG's to really keep my finger on the pulse of the world's oceans--but we're clearly in trouble. Modern fishing fleets are equipped with high tech nets and other systems that leave little but slaughter and death in their wake. Too many fisherman fish in an imprecise fashion that suffocates less prized fish species in the open air only to discard their carcasses back into the ocean--not even considering selling these other fish in local markets where any protein is often welcome. After all, the fisherman were only after the catch's shrimp stocks, or cod, tuna, marlin, swordfish... This is, of course, only the most mild of sins when examining the whole picture. More horrific stories abound about shark fisherman or, sadly, Mediterranean tuna fisherman eager to satisfy the Japanese, American, and European demand for rich, fatty bluefin tuna, which will, all too soon, be driven close to extinction if we do not practice more rigorous controls.

You can find out more by grabbing a magazine or visiting the report's page here. I'm glad that, as much as I love seafood and sushi, my diet has shifted over the last year to place a much higher emphasis on vegetables and more sustainable poultry.