Pacific Ocean Pollution AKA The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

brianlux said:

tempo_n_groove said:

brianlux said:

Annafalk said:

Today I read something unbelievably tragic, that there soon actually will be more plastics than fishes in the oceans?
I wonder why/how so much plastics end up in our waters, it can't only be litter that has blown away with the wind, there must be other explanations. Could there some country dumping their waist directly in the ocean or what?
95% of the plastics are only used one single time, we need to stop produce so freeking much and recycle much more.

Appears to be the case, Annafalk.

https://ecowatch.com/2016/01/20/more-plastic-than-fish-in-ocean/

And to make matters worse, fishing practices (including illegal fishing and whaling) are decimating many species of fish. If we don't stop this, we will go as well. I never eat fish any more.

Brian, the United States does an amazing job at keeping the fishing sustainable. They have quotas and observers to watch over this to make sure that a species never gets over fished.
I was a deckhand in Alaska and was amazed at what they do to assure healthy fishing the next year.

That's encouraging, tempo, and I've read that the U.S. leads the world in (so-called) sustainable fishing (I say "so-called" because I'm not convinced we really understand that term to it's fullest extent) and yet when we stop to consider that the US is but one part of a larger whole- the earth- the problem is still great. The fact is that world-wide, over-fishing is a major problem. The U.S. only has control over so much of the oceans and the fish themselves know few boundaries. In fact whales are known to migrate as much as 5,000 KM (3106 miles). Many fish species have become extinct due to over-fishing and many others are endangered. And then, of course, add to that the problem of plastics in the oceans and the dying out of coral reefs and we have a major major problem.

If the oceans die back too far, we and most other mammals die off.

brianlux said:

ldent42 said:

So should I feel bad about the Salmon I just took out the freezer for tomorrow's dinner or am I good?

I gotta say after reading about the fishing a couple years ago I'm SUPER picky when buying fish.

No, guilt accomplishes nothing. If I were in your situation, I would take extra care to make the best meal out of that fish I could and enjoy it and be thankful for the life given for my sustenance. I might even raise a toast to the salmon. And then the next day I would start checking my cookbooks for good healthy tasty vegetarian meals and give the money I would have spent on another salmon to an organization (you know who I would choose) who works to help save the oceans.

Here's what happened to me just a few hours ago. I was invited to a "thank you" dinner by one of our excellent local eateries for being a big supporter of their wonderful local independent restaurant/catering business. We've known the proprietor and his family for several years now. Really nice folks. The meal they served was an outstanding seafood bouillabaisse. No way would I make this meal myself or purchase the ingredients. But there it was. It was going to be consumed one way or another. The fish were already dead. To throw it out would be sacrilege and to make a fuss over it would be rude and unkind to our gracious host. When I got home I decided this was a good time to start tithing my personal allowance to Sea Shepherd. My wife and I already support this organization with some of our combined income and my tiny business income but I wanted to do this with my own money. No guilt, just moving forward.

ldent42 said:

I don't know that he was pushing farmed fish. It was my own curiosity. I only buy the stuff that's labeled "wild caught" now, as I was under the impression that fish farming was bad, but I started to question if I'd gotten that mixed up, which is why I asked.

PJ_Soul said:

I am surprised coastal fish farming is even still legal.

brianlux said:

Do an internet search on "how fish farming is harmful" and you'll find more information than you're likely to have time to read. The antibiotics used, the spread of farm waste chemicals, disease, parasites, impacts on marine life... it's just not good.

As far as sustainable fishing goes, the reality is there are about 2245 species of fish that are on the endangered list. A few years ago I had read that 80% of the worlds fish were being over-fished. Today that number is 85%.

Any excuse you'll read in favor of fishing (whether well intended or not) will come from an anthropocentric point of view. That very human-centered kind of thinking is what is driving the fish and eventually all major forms of life including homo sapiens to the brink of extinction. This is not hyperbole. It is fact.