Peak Fish... Not A Joke...

[acronym]

Quote from edil:

This sounds yucky but this may be the way to go.

"Fish fillets grow in tank"

"Scientists trying to create alternative food sources for astronauts believe we could grow meat on demand, without slaughtering fish or animals."

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn2066

I recall they were trying to figure that out-seriously, how good could it possibly be? Its just weird.

It might be fun to sort of grow a fillet mignon in some electrolised petri dish,
but i think id have reservations about eating it.

 

[2cents]

Quote from Hydroblunt:

Much more.

A lot of the feed for fish farms is corn & soybean meals, which already have been genetically modified by the corporate farmers. It is also full of pesticides and grown on dead soil. I know some of the salmon farms do not even bother with fish meal, that's the cheap salmon steak you see in the supermarket.

Add all that in with the general inactivity for these fishes which in the wild are very active and you have a similar result of what beef farming produces. Diseased, unhealthy, weak & nutritionally deprived living species that we end up eating.

Maybe some fish farms try to be environmentally conscious but most are far from it. Either way, the concept is flawed from the start. Top quality protein meats come from wild species not farmed ones. All of this can be shown through saturated fat content, Omega 3: Omega 6 ratios, bone strength, nutrient composition and tissue contamination.

The answer is eat in proportion and have consideration for the planet that sustains us. If you have ever seen how much food is wasted & thrown away by restaurants and caterers, you would understand.

Also, this problem is at least a decade old. Peak fish is way past us, the oceans were getting overfished for a long time now. Why do you think the sharks are coming closer to shores? It's not like they saw Jaws and found their idol. They are starving and can't find their prey.

makes a lot of sense, cheers... re offshore aquaculture tho', seems quite promising, potentially less harmful to the environment overall, no?

related stuff, i had a diagonal read of the latest FAO report http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2006/1000383/index.html , awesome work but man, can't expect too many ppl to 'be aware' of all thats going on and take environmentally-friendly action accordingly methinks... me at least, happy to admit, i need some help here, if i'm gonna be able to help...

talking of which, just bumped into 2 excellent resources, hydro u probably already know them:
http://www.sustainablefood.org/
http://ecosystemmarketplace.com/pages/static/marketwatch.php see newsletters and links to parent organisations http://www.katoombagroup.org/ http://www.forest-trends.org/index.php

 

[Hydroblunt]

Quote from 2cents:

makes a lot of sense, cheers... re offshore aquaculture tho', seems quite promising, potentially less harmful to the environment overall, no?

related stuff, i had a diagonal read of the latest FAO report http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2006/1000383/index.html , awesome work but man, can't expect too many ppl to 'be aware' of all thats going on and take environmentally-friendly action accordingly methinks... me at least, happy to admit, i need some help here, if i'm gonna be able to help...

talking of which, just bumped into 2 excellent resources, hydro u probably already know them:
http://www.sustainablefood.org/
http://ecosystemmarketplace.com/pages/static/marketwatch.php see newsletters and links to parent organisations http://www.katoombagroup.org/ http://www.forest-trends.org/index.php

It's all about biodiversity and multicropping. Nature's crops are meant to grow side by side as they support each other, along with properly using the soil. All the creatures, even the parasites are an important part of the ecosystem. Worms irrigate the soil, chickens kill the bugs, mice also catch the bugs while the cats & dogs keep the pests in line. Cows are the natural lawnmower which also fertilize the soil. It's millions years of evolution that the capitalist ways have changed.
This natural balance that works great, but it is not cost effective nor scalable in the capitalist concept. Some crops will die, it's part of life. They have their own natural pesticides which are not supposed to be 100% defense against parasites (it is poison after all). There is Darwinism at work, some years the crops will fail badly.
It's the same for the oceans ecosystem which is much more complex than the land farm. Which is why I am not a believer of ocean farming. The waters have their own natural "farms" that were at times plentiful with fish. Once overfished, they need time to recover but the corporations don't have time like that. Then there is the polution, etc and today we are seeing the result.

There are still plenty of ocean waters that are flowing with fish. They sustain the nearby villages, which make a key distinction from the Western ways. They don't overproduce and they do not waste. If a commercial fishery is established at the location, you can say goodbye to that ecosystem in a few years.

There are also "new age" family farms that practice bio-diversity. One is in upstate New York, they come to Union Square market and sell their products. It's good stuff that you won't find elsewhere, every family farm tries to stay unique. It's also quite expensive but way worth it IMO. Plus, it makes you respect real food and its cost.

The real cause of the problem is Capitalism. There are inherently flawed concepts in the system that can only be fixed if a fairy flies over and creates an infinite supply of resources. In the hunt for growing profits & shareholder value, the planet has to be sacrificed.

 

[2cents]

great points, cheers... i'd say perhaps our worst enemy beside ourselves is Ignorance though, in its various forms (lack of awareness etc) and at differents levels within the Collective... but there is hope in this new information age methinks ;-) , notably by way of:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agenda_21
http://www.globalcitizenship.at/start.asp?b=328&sub=1056
http://www.globaldimension.org.uk/default.aspx
http://www.gcchallenge.org/
http://www.youthactionnet.org/toolkit/citizen.cfm
http://civildiscourse.rwu.edu/journal/content.aspx?content_id=17

as u know i am a believer in demanding MORE from central-type institutions and even MORE from our supranational institutions - to me the best counterpowers to unbridled Capitalism -, in terms of accountability, clarity etc but not only...

at a more local, practical, immediate results level, am also a believer in generalizing EPR & ARF type frameworks... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extended_producer_responsibility

not sure how the US are doing on that front (i'm just being polite here, but u know that ;-) ), but Western Europe, Japan etc are pretty much leading edge... think Oz and Canada are not doing too badly either...

 

[Humpy]

What really bugs me is that THE one guy on the planet who could really make a difference on climate change etc wont. He just woffles on about technology solving the problem.
There isn't time for more and more debate, Some experts think the tipping point may be as close as 10-15 years when its irreversible. Others see the planet getting so hot the rocks melt like Venus.
If there is anyone in America who cares about the planet vote George Dubiyah out in the coming elections and vote in someone who will get the gas guzzlers off the road in double quick time.
PLEASE its our planet too. Forget Iraq - its much less serious