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Vegetarians who eat fish..
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grufty jim
grufty jim
1978 posts

Re: Vegetarians who eat fish..
Oct 11, 2006, 17:12
Cleira wrote:
... even the so called sustainable fish stocks make me suspicious - surely they cannot be truly sustainable, and would never be if we all swopped over to eating them.

Well, part of the point of a sustainable fishery is that we can't all swop over to eating from them. They are fished at less than replacement rate. That's how sustainability is defined in hunting / gathering situations. I guess it's natural to be suspicious of claims of sustainability in this day and age, but sustainable hunter-predator relationships are perfectly normal within nature.

And it's not rocket science... just take less in one breeding cycle than can be replaced in the next. That there are so many of us now, and that we're so bloody wasteful, means market forces are working hard to overcome any attempts that people make to act sustainably. But again, that doesn't mean it's impossible.

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) keeps track of fish stocks which are treated sustainably. By definition the amount of fish available from those fisheries is limited.

This means that if a law was passed tomorrow insisting all food, including fish, be sourced sustainably... that all stocks be fished at a rate below replacement rate... chances are I wouldn't be able to afford to eat much fish anymore. There'd be far less of it available which would ensure a high price for the fish that did arrive at market.

So arguably, that sustainable fish is available at all (at a price I can afford) is based entirely on the fact that most people are happy to save a few cent and buy from unsustainable stocks.

But I can't hold myself responsible for their actions. I have no reason to be suspicious of the MSC's sustainable fisheries stamp of approval. And if I assume that such claims are inherently suspicious then where does it end? Should I believe the Veggie Society stamp of approval? Are meat-free sausages genuinely free of meat?

None of this is an attempt to defend the fishing industry which is one of the most destructive things humanity has yet to unleash upon this poor planet. If you can avoid eating fish, then it's best to do just that. But if you are going to eat seafood, for whatever reason, then it's clearly best to buy from the people who are trying to minimise the damage they do, rather than the alternative.
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Re: Vegetarians who eat fish.. (Cleira)
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