According to Bill Clinton, ‘putting in place effective, conservation focused, scientific fisheries management in the 25 countries that control most of the world’s seafood catch…is – relatively speaking – a practical, inexpensive, and quick way to make sure our planet has lots more nutritious food in the future, when we’ll really need it.’ But why is fish such a sustainable food source over, say, meat? And why should you be including more of it in your diet?
In The Perfect Protein: The Fish Lover’s Guide to Saving the Oceans and Feeding the World, Andrew Sharpless and Suzannah Evans write that dish is ‘the one animal protein that’s rarely mentioned in the endless reports about big agriculture and hunger crises.’ However, this protein packs more of a punch for your wellbeing that any other; fish is low in cholesterol, full of omega-3 fatty acids and brimming with nutrients like riboflavin, iron, and calcium. That’s your bone, brain, blood and heart wellness boxes ticked right there!
Sharpless and Evans explain, ‘Fish and shellfish are integral parts of our diets, and they should be. And they don’t come with the massive baggage of industrial pork, poultry, and beef, animal proteins that produce tons of waste and pollution, destroy thousands of acres of land, use huge amounts of water, and are often too costly for the world’s poorest people. The modern industrial agricultural system has mechanised food production in a way that’s nothing short of awe inspiring for sheer effort. But we’re paying a huge, often hidden price. And our planet may not be able to conceal the true costs of agriculture much longer.’
‘Seafood is also the only food with which we still have – mostly – the same hunter-trapper relationship as early hominids cracking open clamshells,’ the authors add. ‘We may be evolutionarily disposed to enjoying seafood, but as our population has grown and grown, our collective appetite for wild-caught seafood has outstripped the oceans’ ability to provide it — and there’s no question that we can’t afford to decimate all wild seafood.’ So what can you do to keep seafood in your diet, without damaging the planet? Sharpless and Evans advise, ‘Eat wild seafood. Not too much of the big fish. Mostly local.’