We know we’re overfishing these days. Worm, B et al in 2006 stated in the journal Science “Unless major changes are enacted now, the timetable predicted is for the global collapse of all taxa currently fished by the mid-21st century—to 100% in the year 2048.” Ugh. It doesn’t get any more depressing than that, does it? Maybe. Check out this recent write-up from NPR. Further decline in fish stocks related to the changing climate. Will this speed up the timetable on Worm’s ominous warning? I have been thinking quite a bit about farm raised sources. Once the fish to be avoided, I think careful, sustainable aquaculture has bloomed as a reliable and important (essential, really) industry. There are a number of different groups developing reliable standards for aquaculture. A few to look for include Naturland, MSC.org and ASC-aqua.org. Monterey Bay Aquarium follows the seafood industry carefully- their website is a superb resource.
PS- I was making the rounds at Ikea recently with my sister. I was pleasantly surprised to find that they offer ASC-approved frozen salmon at a great price!
Worm B, et al. Impacts of biodiversity loss on ocean ecosystem services. Science. 2006;314:787-790.