Would you be prepared to stop eating fish as a voluntary response to overfishing? And if not, why not?

Question

Scientific evidence is increasingly showing that the human taste for seafood, and the efficiency of the equipment available to fishermen, combined with age old factors such as greed and corruption has contributed in a significant if not causal way to the near destruction of fish stocks worldwide (mainstream examples include cod and tuna; it is believed that the North Sea Oyster population was wiped out through human activity before farming became the status quo). Like all matters of sustainability, the solution will lie in our ability to moderate consumption and ensure appropriate and effective management of this resource.

Scientific evidence is increasingly showing that the human taste for seafood, and the efficiency of the equipment available to fishermen, combined with age old factors such as greed and corruption has contributed in a significant if not causal way to the near destruction of fish stocks worldwide (mainstream examples include cod and tuna; it is believed that the North Sea Oyster population was wiped out through human activity before farming became the status quo). Like all matters of sustainability, the solution will lie in our ability to moderate consumption and ensure appropriate and effective management of this resource.

ps
a good place to go for further reference would be The End Of The Line, or Carl Safina's Song For The Blue Ocean, or the Marine Stewardship Council Website: www.msc.org

Answer 1

Sorry, need my fish to balance my diet. I never eat read meat. Cannot give up fish as a political statement.

Answer 2

The problem exists because there is no ownership of the fish - it is a common resource where each fisherman can increase his profit by catching a few more fish and the cost of a reduced future catch is spread among many other fishermen. However when each of the fishermen catch only a few more fish, the total additional catch is more than the population can sustain. Back in the l970s there was an article followed by extensive Letters to the Editor in the scientific journal "Science" published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science explaining the phenomenon using public grazing of sheep on a Commons as an illustration of how this over-exploitation develops. The title of the article was called "The Tragedy of the Commons". This problem has been a common theme in the depletion of natural resources that are publicly owned including overgrazing, over-harvest almost to the point of extinction of game by market hunters, over harvest of timber on public lands, and the pollution of the air by factories. The common theme is that the cost to the individual (or company) doing the damage is less than the profit realized because the costs are spread to others.

Solutions are difficult because of the politics (countries acting in their own interests similar the the individuals described above) and the concern for the elimination of the fishermen's livelihoods.
This is in contrast to the fish "farms" where the fish are owned and therefor the costs are borne by the entity that realizes the profits.

Answer 3

Not entirely at the moment, I eat very little I think I only eat a sustainable amount. If I was told that I MUST stop eating because otherwise all the fish would go extinct then yes I would, but not because I care about the fish as such, more because I care about global diversity in general and the larger animals that feed on the fish. I think it all needs much better regulation. A lot of fish is farmed now I think, but im not sure what damage that does to the environment, im sure it does some. None of us NEED to eat fish, there are plenty of people that survive without it. Im sure nuts, seeds and pulses contain any amino acids, vitamins, minerals and oils we would miss out on.

Answer 4

I have read some of this and have started to make changes in my eating habits, though I do love seafood. I am tryign to switch to more safe fish that can be harvested through aquaculture, such as Tilapia and Catfish. I have cut out swordfish (I love it) shark (sooo good), and and have cut down on Orange Roughy (not eliminated it yet, as my wife loves it and it is not as critical as some of the other breeds. There was a list of fish species with their eatability in terms of current species health and numbers. I lost it and would love to find it.

Answer 5

Why don't we, as an Island race, eat MORE fish? It's sadly lacking from many menus (except for the ubiquitous cod and chips) which suggests that:
a) There's no demand or
b) British chefs don't know what to do with it
I suspect the former. A healthy balanced diet should contain plenty of fish - it's up to governments and scientists to work out quotas, not us. Incidentally I know of people who claim to "not like fish" without ever having tried it!

Answer 6

I just read something that has scared me off eating Cod for life. Melville Island, Australia: Fisherman Catches Cod With Snake in Its Mouth, Report Says - http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/05/13/09/24/aussie-fishermen-catch-fish-with-snake-in-its-mouth

Honestly I was so uninformed I thought fish ate plankton like we were told in biology and as my religion says I can eat anthing that eats plants etc I thought fine I will eat fish and I've been doing so now I realise why the fish gets so huge in size and also why the skin looks like a snake also. iish, I don't know I feel ill.

Answer 7

Wouldn't affect me at all.. I am not a fish person. But fishing is fun, especially with a cooler on a hot day. Sorry but, I don't think you are going to get very many folks to jump on the 'save the fish' bandwagon,.

Answer 8

I wouldn't cut fish out of my diet, because as a native aboriginal it's part of my diet. But, yes, I do agree with cutting out the fishing industry and allowing people to fend for themselves when they want fish. More regulations, as in, keep only what you need, and no more sport fishing. They're not there for that!

Answer 9

I don't like fish anyways. But I'm not going to moderate based on it's existence. I could really care less if tuna goes away.

Answer 10

I personally think fish is disgusting. lol. I would give it up though if i liked it. Im not a tree hugger or anything but I care for the environment :)