The other day I
exuberantly expressed to whomever was listening a lighthearted, “Holy mackerel!” What can I say, it amuses me to use corny
words and phrases. What I didn’t expect
was for someone to respond by asking if I actually ate mackerel. Without thinking,
I uttered the first thing that popped into my head, “I wouldn’t dream of eating mackerel since most sea creatures are endangered and I refuse to contribute to their loss.” As it turns out, the mackerel is on the endangered list.
I uttered the first thing that popped into my head, “I wouldn’t dream of eating mackerel since most sea creatures are endangered and I refuse to contribute to their loss.” As it turns out, the mackerel is on the endangered list.
Admittedly, I have
never been one to eat seafood of any kind.
I just don’t like the taste. When
I was a kid, I used to pawn off the rare fish my mother served us for dinner to
my brother under the table. He in turn,
ravenously indulged in eating whatever I gave to him. As I got older, I realized how healthy
seafood is for us and would tell people that I wished I liked it, but alas that will never be the case. I can’t even stand to have the smell of
seafood in my home! I mean I like looking at fish, but I don’t want my
mouth anywhere near one.
Needless to say, it
is easy for me to harp on the fact that we shouldn’t eat seafood, since I am
not a fan of it myself. However, that’s
not what this article is about. On the
contrary, my intention here is to invite people to know what they are eating,
how it got to them and to honor whatever food item is being consumed.
That being said (or
at least written), it’s an unfortunate fact of our modern life, that most of us
just go to the grocery store and pick out what looks best with little thought
about where it came from. What many of
us either don’t realize, or worse yet, what we don’t care about, is that it is
because of mass industrialized fishing, where nets are used, that the life of
our planet’s oceans are at risk.
Over three-quarters
of our sea life is endangered. This
includes fifteen types of mammals (ie whales, dolphins and seals); one hundred
and forty-eight seafood eating birds; sixty-four types of fish; seventy-seven
corals, jellyfish and sea anemones; twenty-two crustaceans (meaning shrimp),
three types of clams, seventeen types of snails, not to mention all the plants
and other life-forms that are all facing extinction because of over-fishing. We are rapidly losing a ubiquitous amount of
oceanic life forms.
Let’s face it;
throughout much of mankind’s history, we have not had the easy access to food
as we do today. We were once hunters and
gatherers and were grateful for each meal.
Now with the industrialization of how food is processed, we take what we
eat for granted. In the meantime, we are
depleting the ocean of its life. The
problem is not only that we are creating a planet without enough food to eat;
we are also taking away pieces of the puzzle that make the unit, called Earth,
whole. Each creature serves a
purpose. When one is gone, we are all
affected.
Take, for instance,
the tropical kelp. Kelp is a type of seaweed
that often grows in large communities of “kelp forests.” It has a complex ecosystem where many
creatures reside. However, with the
shifting dynamic of sea-life, many herbivores, such as sea urchins that are not
indigenous to kelp forests are moving to this ecosystem to feed. Since there isn’t a natural predator, it is
diminishing the sea kelp by an alarming rate.
This, in turn, has the bi-product that all the natural residents are
losing their homes and livelihood, as well.
We must remember that
it’s not just the indigenous sea life that is affected. We humans need all of our plants and trees to
help us breathe. We breathe in the
oxygen and breathe out the carbon dioxide that plants need; while plants absorb
the carbon dioxide and release the oxygen that we need. Each Being, whether plant, animal or element has
a relationship with one another.
Not only is there over-fishing, but it is estimated that 27 million tons (that’s tons) of fish goes to waste and is
thrown out every year. All this is because
someone is trying to make a buck without thinking of the larger scale cost.
Furthermore, I remember seeing an
image on Facebook that showed what the average size of a particular fish was in
1900 and then every few decades through today.
Over-fishing doesn’t allow for the fish to grow to its proper size and
most fish are only about one-quarter of the size they naturally would be if we
had never industrialized our fishing techniques. The sad truth is that they are continually getting smaller too. It is estimated that the average size of our fish will be about half of what it is now by 2050. It’s time to open our eyes and notice that we
have lost touch with what is happening in our natural world.
On the other side of
the coin, there are those who fish responsibly.
The boyfriend of one of my girlfriends goes out to the creeks or rivers to spend time fishing. He brings his rod in
tow and loves every minute of it. He is
not capturing thousands of animals that will go waste. He is catching a small amount that he and his
partner will then consume for themselves.
He is being conscientious and is participating in the cycle of life by respecting
Mother Earth and all its creatures—whereas mass-fishing clearly does not.
So, the next time you
reach for a can of tuna, remember that it didn’t originally come from a
store. It came from a sea, where not
only your tuna was captured, but many other fish that will go to waste, as well
as many mammals who can’t breathe in the nets that they are captured in. If you really have a hankering for tuna then why
not go out to the ocean with an individual rod and catch one for yourself. Then show gratitude to the Being that you consume,
as it has given its life to nourish you.
Thank you for reading
about my Organic Bliss!
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelp_forest
