A decade ago, few understood the necessity of sustainability to secure a livable future. But now, as sustainability has become a common term to describe lifestyle choices across every industry, the bigger question is how to achieve it. From the products you buy to the choices you make, sustainability plays a part in all of it.
When it comes to the food you eat, sustainable practices are incredibly important. With 1/3 of food being wasted around the world each year, quantity and profit have taken precedence over quality and environmental impact. But does it have to be this way?
While current methods of commercial fishing are not typically sustainable, there is a way to feasibly eat sustainable fish in the future. This can be achieved by overhauling the current global fishing industry and refocusing fishing efforts to a more localized scale. By only catching what we actually eat, not disturbing natural ocean ecosystems, and fishing only in certain areas, we can revert to sustainable fishing.
What Is Sustainability?
The concept of sustainability is essentially the ability to keep operating at the same level indefinitely. When it comes to the environment, that means the Earth’s natural resources are used at the same rate that they are renewed; thus, the level stays the same.
Sustainability is natural on Earth. The so-called “circle of life” explains that there is an innate circle that makes resources like food maintainable for the long term. This is only possible because, instinctually, living beings only consume what they need to survive. When an animal gets hungry, they hunt or gather for themselves and eat. When it starts to rain and shelter is needed, they find a cave or a forest.
Yet humans have disrupted this natural sustainability by consuming far more than we need. This irresponsible usage of natural resources causes them to deplete over time, and if this were to continue, resources that are essential to life on Earth would disappear.
The State Of Fishing
Almost all fishing today is conducted on a commercial scale. This means that instead of one person catching one fish to eat, fishers are catching a mind-boggling 1-2 trillion fish each year. At this astonishing rate, there will be no more fish by 2048.
What makes matters worse is the actual process of commercial fishing irreparably damages ocean ecosystems and wildlife populations. Hundreds of thousands of other sea creatures are caught in nets and killed in the fishing process. Ocean floors are scraped and destroyed, and 500,000 - 1 million tons of ocean pollution each year comes just from fishing gear.
What Is Farm Fishing?
While wild fishing is going out and catching fish in their natural ocean ecosystems, farm fishing creates enclosures where fish are raised. These fish are bred solely for food and are usually in tanks or artificial cages made in the water.
Farm fishing is considered necessary to feed the growing human population on Earth. Unfortunately, it creates a slew of environmental issues. Many of these fish need to be fed fish themselves to grow properly and are often crowded together so closely that they create huge amounts of waste.
How To Make Fishing Sustainable
So if both wild fishing and farm fishing harm the environment and are not sustainable, is there a way for eating fish to ever be sustainable? Yes, but it would take an overhaul of the fishing industry.
If everyone were to fish for themselves or their families and simply catch what they were to eat, the number of fish would return to their naturally high numbers. However, this would need to happen before overfishing permanently destroys fish species.
Unfortunately, not everyone who relies on fish will have the capability to catch their own. A good alternative is to eat fish that was caught as locally as possible. But unless you’re in a coastal location, this may not be possible either.
Thus, to ensure the fish that you’re eating is sustainable, it’s important to know where it came from. Those fishing must not kill any other sea creatures in the process, must not destroy ocean geography, must not overfish just to make more money, and must not pollute the ocean with cruel farming practices. Responsible fisheries can prioritize the environment and sustainability.
Key Takeaways
The biggest threat to sustainability is overfishing, dwindling fish populations, and pollution.
Sustainable fish is a possibility when fishing can return to manageable numbers and practices that don’t disrupt the ocean.
If you can, buying fish that was locally caught, or even catching your own, is often the most sustainable option.
A decade ago, few understood the necessity of sustainability to secure a livable future. But now, as sustainability has become a common term to describe lifestyle choices across every industry, the bigger question is how to achieve it. From the products you buy to the choices you make, sustainability plays a part in all of it.
When it comes to the food you eat, sustainable practices are incredibly important. With 1/3 of food being wasted around the world each year, quantity and profit have taken precedence over quality and environmental impact. But does it have to be this way?
While current methods of commercial fishing are not typically sustainable, there is a way to feasibly eat sustainable fish in the future. This can be achieved by overhauling the current global fishing industry and refocusing fishing efforts to a more localized scale. By only catching what we actually eat, not disturbing natural ocean ecosystems, and fishing only in certain areas, we can revert to sustainable fishing.
What Is Sustainability?
The concept of sustainability is essentially the ability to keep operating at the same level indefinitely. When it comes to the environment, that means the Earth’s natural resources are used at the same rate that they are renewed; thus, the level stays the same.
Sustainability is natural on Earth. The so-called “circle of life” explains that there is an innate circle that makes resources like food maintainable for the long term. This is only possible because, instinctually, living beings only consume what they need to survive. When an animal gets hungry, they hunt or gather for themselves and eat. When it starts to rain and shelter is needed, they find a cave or a forest.
Yet humans have disrupted this natural sustainability by consuming far more than we need. This irresponsible usage of natural resources causes them to deplete over time, and if this were to continue, resources that are essential to life on Earth would disappear.
How Does Fishing Currently Work?
Almost all fishing today is conducted on a commercial scale. This means that instead of one person catching one fish to eat, fishers are catching a mind-boggling 1-2 trillion fish each year. At this astonishing rate, there will be no more fish by 2048.
What makes matters worse is the actual process of commercial fishing irreparably damages ocean ecosystems and wildlife populations. Hundreds of thousands of other sea creatures are caught in nets and killed in the fishing process. Ocean floors are scraped and destroyed, and 500,000 - 1 million tons of ocean pollution each year comes just from fishing gear.
The biggest threat to sustainability is overfishing, dwindling fish populations, and pollution.
What is Farm Fishing?
While wild fishing is going out and catching fish in their natural ocean ecosystems, farm fishing creates enclosures where fish are raised. These fish are bred solely for food and are usually in tanks or artificial cages made in the water.
Farm fishing is considered necessary to feed the growing human population on Earth. Unfortunately, it creates a slew of environmental issues. Many of these fish need to be fed fish themselves to grow properly and are often crowded together so closely that they create huge amounts of waste.
How To Make Fishing Sustainable
So if both wild fishing and farm fishing harm the environment and are not sustainable, is there a way for eating fish to ever be sustainable? Yes, but it would take an overhaul of the fishing industry.
If everyone were to fish for themselves or their individual families and simply catch what they were to eat, the numbers of fish would return to their naturally high numbers. However, this would need to happen before overfishing permanently destroys fish species.
Unfortunately, not everyone who relies on fish will have the capability to catch their own. A good alternative is to eat fish that was caught as locally as possible. But unless you’re in a coastal location, this may not be possible either.
Thus, to ensure the fish that you’re eating is sustainable, it’s important to know where it came from. Those fishing must not kill any other sea creatures in the process, must not destroy ocean geography, must not overfish just to make more money, and must not pollute the ocean with cruel farming practices. Responsible fisheries can prioritize the environment and sustainability.
Key Takeaways
The biggest threat to sustainability is overfishing, dwindling fish populations, and pollution.
Sustainable fish is a possibility when fishing can return to manageable numbers and practices that don’t disrupt the ocean.
If you can, buying fish that was locally caught, or even catching your own, is often the most sustainable option.
