|
The term “by-catch” refers to the unintentional capture of large numbers of non-targeted marine species. Modern fishing gear is very strong and nonselective — meaning, it captures *everything* in its path, not just targeted species, but all kinds of other creatures as well (including turtles, dolphins, sharks, birds, etc.). As an example, shrimp trawlers have one of the highest discard/catch ratios, ranging from about 3:1 to 15:1. This means, up to 15 pounds of non-targeted “by-catch” animals are killed for each 1 pound of shrimp. Would you still eat that shrimp if you could see its true cost directly on your plate? Of course, we are overfishing our oceans generally. Experts predict many (if not all) of our fisheries will collapse in just a few short decades, if we continue business as usual. The truth is, with a population of 7 billion people and growing, any notion of so-called “sustainable fishing” is pure fantasy. The good news is that we can *easily* stop this assault on our oceans right now. All it takes is for each of us, individually, to have the will to do so. Animal foods (including fish) are unnecessary for our health, and producing animal foods at scale is causing immense environmental devastation both on land and in the seas. Please consider these issues, abstain from eating fish, and go vegan. |