The Aquaculture Dilemma

UPDATE: Eat Fish! Don’t Eat Fish!

Here’s the aquaculture (fish farming) dilemma: Farmed fish are safe to eat; wild fish are NOT. To produce 1 kg (2.2 lbs.) of farmed fishmeal, the fish are fed about 5 kg (11 lbs.) of smaller wild fish.

[Note: It takes about 20 kg of wild fish (also known as pelagic, open-ocean, or “trash” fish) including anchovies, mackerel and sardines to produce 1 kg of high protein ranched tuna.]

Aquaculture’s intense reliance on wild fish for feed poses significant ecological risks. Aquafarms pollute the environment with tons of fish feces, antibiotic-laden fish feed, and diseased fish carcasses.

There are other collateral problems created by industrial scale aquaculture: the destruction of coastal habitats through waste disposal, the introduction of diseases and the possible escape of exotic species that can threaten indigenous breeds.

Other Links:

Cat Suicide Dance
The Poisoning of Minamata
Minamata Disaster
1 in 6 American women have unsafe levels of mercury in their blood
Still Ill
Mercury Rising: The Poisoning of Grassy Narrows
Mercury Exposure
Mercury poisoning: 1 in 6 babies are at risk of developmental problems