As World Fisheries Day is observed globally, concerns about a clean ocean and the allocation of responsibility persist, with the threat to seafood becoming a stark reality.
ProVeg South Africa communications manager Wikus Engelbrecht said while fishing communities and aquatic consumers enjoy their delight in maritime produce, climate and plant-based advocates highlight the vital importance of preserving sea life and the environment.
Preserving the ocean
“The World Fisheries Day helps in highlighting the critical importance of the lifeforms that our oceans sustain, which we are methodically ruining.
“Water forms an unbreakable continuum with terrestrial life, whether contained in rivers, lakes and the ocean. The major misconception to address here is that oceanic life and land-borne life are separate,” he said.
Engelbrecht said according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, 90% of the global fish population is fully fished, overfished, or in crisis with stocks in sharp decline and already maximally exploited.
How fishing depletes all sea life
“Each year, around 96 million tonnes of these marine creatures are taken from the sea and subsequently die in pain and distress, 2.3 trillion of these sentient creatures perish and this does not even include the numbers killed by the rampant practice of illegal fishing.
“The ocean produces half of the oxygen we breathe and damage to this life-sustaining ecology, exacted throughout by commercial fishing processes and pollution, is a primary existential threat to human civilisation,” he said.
According to Engelbrecht, fish farming has been touted as a more sustainable way to meet the global demand for seafood, but it comes with a host of issues such as illnesses that can infect surrounding populations.
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Eco-friendly alternatives
“The food industry has been working on healthier, more sustainable, and ethical options, and improvements in taste and texture in recent years means that seafood lovers can now enjoy the same culinary experience, now made with plant-based sources.”
Engelbrecht said fish farms ironically also contribute to the overfishing of wild species since many farmed species of fish are predatory, meaning they must be fed other fish to survive further perpetuating the cycle.
“Fish is also regularly touted as a cleaner and healthier protein source compared to red meat, when in fact fish consumption is a leading dietary source of dangerous contaminants.
“Given that the nutrients offered by eating fish can be obtained from other food sources, it might be time to question whether fish should be considered a healthy food source at all,” he said.
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