Saturday, November 12, 2016

Overfishing: Decling Seafood Stock is a Reality

Wild fish stocks have steadily declined around the world. Much of this is due to the worldwide increased popularity of sushi. One particular favorite sushi fish is declining, the bluefin tuna. The red belly meat of the bluefin tuna was used as cat food in Japan. Ironically, it wasn’t until Westerners began to develop a hankering for sushi in the 70s and started to gobble up toro that the Japanese gave it a try. They too got hooked & the world started to see more and more bluefin tuna on sushi menus worldwide.

Unfortunately, bluefin tuna are reproductive late bloomers & aren't mature to reproduce until almost 8 years old. The increased demand for bluefin & their late reproduction has led to something near a 90% decrease in the bluefin population. As foodies we must eat responsibly & demand global policies for responsible farming/harvesting/fishing/ranching/hunting. If we don't, the food and world we love won't exist for future generations to enjoy. 

Please read the article, A sushi master's lament