I Love Fish

I'm too disturbed to sit still and not talk about this anymore. It's a real problem in my household and I won't act like I don't know about it anymore. Fish consumption. More specifically - over-consumption. I Love Fish. I really do love fish - we have fish in our diets weekly. And most often, it's the stuff from the warehouse club that I can buy a ton of & keep in the freezer. Recently, it's been Tilapia. Now, Tilapia is Eco-OK list. There are three catagories...

Eco-Best

Eco-OK

Eco-Worst

We received our seafood selector pocket card at the sea lion exhibit at the zoo. They're easy to come by, and there are places you can print your own. Please do.

Back to the rant.

Our over-consumption of fish is a real thing. The orange roughy is a fish that matures after 30 years and lives to be 120! It's like clear-cutting an old-wood forest. They don't just grow back! It's a great example of the problem, but there are hundreds more like them.

And be aware of the 'new' fish that are showing up in the freezer section. These names are just to make the Slimehead Fish (Orange Roughy's original name) more appealing.

To this day, I know people that think that the ocean is an un-depletable cornucopia of sea life. And the trouble is, it was...until the 80s. And the way we fish now - very accurate, but not surgical, is exactly like clear-cutting forests. It kills everything in it's path. You've gone from jungle to plowed field in one pass of a boat. The nets are capable of fishing MILES below the surface. Does this sound in any way romantic? Not a man and a boat anymore.

So.

We have to - as consumers- make smarter choices. Enjoy your Alaskan Sablefish, relish your U.S. Farmed Tilapia - but be aware - and tell your loved ones.