Conservation News

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Movie Review - "End of the Line"
by Tim Loomis

Dateline December 16 - Christmas time in Santa Cruz, CA, when the rest of the town is preparing for the traditional holiday of giving and I am sitting in the Rio Theatre with an untraditional feeling of trepidation. Let's just say that this flick wasn't of the cheery, yuletide genre we are used to seeing on TV at this time of year. "End of the Line" was a chilling specter of what is to come (if we continue our wasteful ways of over -harvesting). Citing the late 70's crash of the cod industry off the coast of eastern Canada as an example of what can happen, scientists predict that over harvesting of the major fish populations will result in their disappearance by 2050.

The movie went after the Japanese corporate giant Mitsubishi as a major player in the "planned" over harvesting of blue fin tuna, charging that Mitsubishi is netting the blue fin tuna and flash freezing them for storage. When the tuna are no longer in large populations, Mitsubishi will then be able to name their price for the contingent of high end clients that have developed a craving for sushi grade tuna. Cornering the market on a fish population is just one of the predictions that were made. The frustrations mounted as numerous international fishing laws were discussed but also the lack of an enforcement body to police those laws. Therein lay the problem. Commercial fishing is just ignoring many international fishing laws knowing that they will not be prosecuted.

The film makers gave the audience choices to make. We can either continue to buy endangered fish species and farmed fish (another problem raised during the movie that I will not go into due to lack of space) and perpetuate the over-fishing problem or look for fish packaging that has a "sustainable fishing" label on it. The viewers were urged to conduct their business with supermarkets and restaurants that are aware of the growing problem of over fishing and are now offering sustainable fish to their clients. Demanding stricter law enforcement over the fisheries and creating more marine sanctuaries are other means of preserving the many fish species that are endangered by the mega -miles of bottom nets that huge fleets of boats use to scour the oceans reefs.

It wasn't pretty and darned if I didn't need some holiday cheer after I left the theatre.

Reprinted with permission from Monterey Bay Aquarium
Good for You, Good for the Oceans
Combining the work of conservation and public health organizations, the Monterey Bay Aquarium has identified seafood that is "Super Green," meaning that it is good for human health and does not harm the oceans. The Super Green list highlights products that are currently on the Seafood Watch "Best Choices" (green) list, are low in environmental contaminants and are good sources of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids.

This effort draws from experts in human health, notably scientists from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). The Monterey Bay Aquarium will continue to work with these organizations to balance the health and environmental attributes of seafood. The Super Green list includes seafood that meets the following three criteria:
* Low levels of contaminants (below 216 parts per billion [ppb] mercury and 11 ppb PCBs) * The daily minimum of omega-3s (at least 250 milligrams per day [mg/d])* * Classified as a Seafood Watch "Best Choice" (green)

Contaminants in Seafood
Seafood contaminants include metals (such as mercury, which affects brain function and development), industrial chemicals (PCBs and dioxins) and pesticides (DDT). These toxins usually originate on land and make their way into the smallest plants and animals at the base of the ocean food web. As smaller species are eaten by larger ones, contaminants are concentrated and accumulated. Large predatory fishÑlike swordfish and sharkÑend up with the most toxins. You can minimize risks by choosing seafood carefully. Use our Super Green list and learn more about contaminants in seafood on the EDF website.
*The Best of the Best: October 2009
* Albacore Tuna (troll- or pole-caught, from the U.S. or British Columbia)
* Mussels (farmed)
* Oysters (farmed)
* Pacific Sardines (wild-caught)
* Pink Shrimp (wild-caught, from Oregon)
* Rainbow Trout (farmed)
* Salmon (wild-caught, from Alaska)
* Spot Prawns (wild-caught, from British Columbia)

**Other Healthy "Best Choices"
* Arctic Char (farmed)
* Bay Scallops (farmed)
* Crayfish (farmed, from the U.S.)
* Dungeness Crab (wild-caught, from California, Oregon or Washington)
* Longfin Squid (wild-caught, from the U.S. Atlantic)
* Pacific Cod (longline-caught, from Alaska)

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