The oceans are in real trouble. Overfishing, habitat destruction, agricultural runoff and climate change have ripped out vital functions. Destructive fishing techniques such as dredging, longlining, trawling, and poisoning, leveraging from massive advances in technology, have unleashed unimaginable damage to habitat and fish stocks. The impacts can be widespread, devastating an entire fishery, or isolated to specific reefs or fishing zones. The rapid increase in fish farming also causes serious environmental damage due to pollutants and overfishing for fishfeed. It takes at least three pounds of wild fish to produce one pound of farmed fish. Fishing is also vitally important economically and nutritionally to many communities worldwide, and there are real solutions to the problems that confront the world’s oceans. Education is the key.
We include environmental notes for each trail that outline the state of the fishery and the environment, and we provide ethical seafood advice and alternative ingredients when the traditional fish is not available. We implore readers to learn about the fish they eat. Just as it has become unacceptable to wear mink or buy ivory, so it must become thinkable to eat threatened or rare fish species. Solutions will not come from international commissions or treaties. They have failed consistently to manage global stocks of tuna, cod, swordfish and salmon worldwide. Seafood consumers, sellers and restaurants everywhere must understand the various species of fish they deal with, know how they are caught, and be able to tell precisely where they come from.
With the right knowledge, we are confident that a shared love for the sea will drive us all to protect it. We hope we can pass on the enjoyment we get from exploring coastlines and seafaring cultures and discovering exciting new seafood ideas.
Seafood Trails 