Reaction to Seaspiracy: A Call to Action to Reduce Overfishing
By: Gary Parkinson
The Seaspiracy documentary was an eye-opening piece of cinematography that some critics notably described as “a shocking indictment of the fishing industry.” The content was praised by some and panned by others, largely due to disputes about the accuracy of some of the claims featured in the documentary. Nevertheless, the light shone upon the commercial fishing industry opened eyes around the world, including here at home in Toronto.
It’s in moments when the curtain is pulled back to reveal the dark underbelly of industries that are largely unseen by the public that we have moments of epiphanies. In these moments, we get to stop, reflect, and weigh the options before deciding if traditional activities can still be supported in the current day and age.
Facts about overfishing (in Canada and abroad)
According to Dr. Sylvia Alice Earle, President and Chairperson of Mission Blue and Explorer-in-Residence at the National Geographic Society, the oceans may be virtually empty of consumable fish by the middle of the 21st century if overfishing continues at today’s rates.
“The estimate is that by the middle of the 21st century, if we keep taking wild fish at the level we are today, there won’t be enough fish to catch.”
Due in part to overfishing, there has been an unprecedented increase in endangered fish species. In the banks off both the east and west coasts of Canada alone, many species of fish have virtually disappeared. The Atlantic cod is among the most endangered of all species, and both Atlantic and Pacific salmon are listed as at-risk of extinction species of fish.
At the same time, an ever-expanding number of commercial fish farms contribute to the destruction of wild naturally-occurring fish. The farms are littered with antibiotics and disease-carrying feces from the commercially spawned fish, and pods that manage to escape the boundaries of the farms potentially wreak havoc in other parts of the ocean. Collectively, all of these factors lead to further destabilization of our natural resources and risk depriving the world of one of its most important natural sources of food.
Mindful eco-friendly fish intake habits can turn things around
It’s not all doom and gloom though. There are things that each of us as citizens and human beings can do to protect the remaining fish populations, and preserve the integrity of our oceans that are vital to the survival of all living things on Earth.
- Reduce the volume of seafood from our regular diet
This is one of the most straightforward things we can all do together. By reducing the amount of fish (and meat, for that matter) that we individually consume, the demand for fish will slowly subside, encouraging commercial fishers to cut down on the supply they provide.
It’s unrealistic to expect everyone on the planet to give up eating fish and meat altogether. But if each of us cut even one regular meal of fish or meat out of our usual routines, that small simple gesture adds up into a collective breakthrough that will benefit our lives, our meal plans, our friends in the animal kingdom, and even the health of the planet itself.
2. Less fish consumption will reduce ocean pollution
If the demand for fish declines, there’s less of a need for the high-risk commercial fish farms that threaten the ecological stability of the oceans. Less demand reduces the need for supply, which means the antibiotics, toxins, and disease-riddled feces that spawn from those commercial farms will slowly diminish as fewer commercial fish are bred.
It also translates into a reduced need for commercial fish nets. As Seaspiracy highlighted through its footage, fishing nets are one of the greatest contributors to ocean pollution. Fishing nets are littered across the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a 1.5 million sq km body of pollution situated in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. By lowering the need for overfishing, fewer nets will remain in the water, and the volume of garbage added to that patch will lessen with time.
3. Less pollution increases the quality of our water supply
Here at home, the benefits of less fish (and meat) intake will help improve our own water supply. Toronto primarily relies on Lake Ontario as a source of clean fresh water to ensure we all benefit from one of the three primary elements (food and shelter being the others). Therefore, it’s incumbent upon all of us to do our part to reduce our water footprint and preserve the quality of fresh water contained within the Great Lakes basin.
A water footprint describes the amount of freshwater that any process or activity requires. For an individual, our own diets contribute the largest part of our personal water footprint. Foods like meats (including fish), dairy, and eggs have a higher water footprint than fruits and vegetables. The more animal products we consume, the more water we each consume, reducing the amount of water distributed to people across Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and the world.
While eliminating animal food products from everyone’s diet is an unrealistic expectation, we can all commit to cutting down on our own intake to help reduce our personal water footprints. By doing our part, we can preserve the quality of fresh water in the Great Lakes 𑁋 the largest source of freshwater on the planet 𑁋 and retain access to fresh water for generations to come.
Smaller portions of fish can help reduce world hunger
As presented by the creators of Seaspiracy, overfishing and diets with high amounts of fish (and meat) risk the future of our oceans and water supply. But they also risk disrupting our global food supply and exacerbating the ongoing challenges of world hunger.
How would overfishing contribute to the problem of world hunger? Fish is an excellent source of protein and, while large amounts of fish can be dangerous, a manageable diet can provide all of the benefits of fish without going overboard. It also helps more equally distribute fish to countries all over the world.
According to the numbers, Japanese residents eat three times more fish than an average American or British citizen. People from the Maldives, off the coast of Sri Lanka, eat nearly three times more fish than Japanese. Canadians consume similar levels of fish as our American and British cousins.
However, landlocked countries across much of Africa, Central Asia, and South America have lower fish diets than other nations due to their lack of access to fish. Overfishing primarily serves countries that can afford to pay for larger quantities of fish, depriving other parts of the world of access to healthy wild-born fish.
Small fish can make a big difference in the fight against world hunger
In an article published on Oceania by CEO Andy Sharpeless and board member (and veteran actor) Ted Danson, they describe how restaurants and acclaimed chefs are serving more forage fish to customers. Forage fish are sardines, anchovies, herring, and other wild seafoods.
By consuming higher amounts of forage fish, we reduce the need and demand for larger fish that have been pushed to the brink of extinction by overfishing. Additionally, by consuming smaller quantities of fish and increasing the amount of forage fish to replace things like salmon, mackerel, cod, and other endangered species, we continue to preserve the health and integrity of our oceans as well as make a significant step forward in the fight against global hunger.
“Though it sounds counterintuitive, protecting our oceans also means protecting our planet’s food security: by encouraging wild fish species to flourish we are supporting a naturally occurring source of millions of tons of animal protein. Eating wild seafood can contribute to solving one of our most pressing problems, the fact that one billion people wake up hungry every day.” — Oceania CEO Andy Sharpeless and Board Member Ted Danson
