Sustainable Seafood

At the dawn of the 20th century, Gazela sailed her maiden voyage from Portugal, joining the large international fleet fishing Canada’s Grand Banks for cod. Every morning, her crew readied their small wooden dories—one man with a long, baited line to each—and followed the bountiful fish that brought the Basques and Vikings to these grounds almost a thousand years before. After months of fishing, Gazela returned home, low in the water from the weight of salted cod. Gazela sailed home for the last time in 1969 with her hold nearly empty. The age of sail had ended. Soon, so too, would the age of cod. Read more...

Useful Links
Monterey Bay Aquarium		A recognized leader in research and education, the Monterey Bay Aquarium's website includes a downloadable Seafood Watch Pocket Guide to help consumers shop responsibly.
Marine Stewardship Council		The MSC mission is to use its ecolabel and fishery certification program to contribute to the health of the world's oceans by recognizing and rewarding sustainable fishing practices, influencing the choices people make when buying seafood and working with our partners to transform the seafood market to a sustainable basis.
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History		The Smithosian's site includes shopping and recipie ideas for sustainable seafood.
The Huffington Post		Watch a video showing tips for sustainable seafood.
Seafood Choice Alliance		Seafood Choices helps the seafood industry— from fishermen and fish farmers to processors, distributors, retailers, restaurants, and food service providers —to make the seafood marketplace environmentally, economically and socially sustainable.
For Cod and Country		For Cod and Country: Simple, Delicious Sustinable Cooking by Barton Seaver, National Geographic Fellow and Washington, D.C. chef.
Animal Planet		Information on sustainable seafood shopping.
FishWise		FishWise is a non-profit organization designed to improve the sustainability and financial performance of seafood retailers, distributors, and producers.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)		FishWatch provides information about sustainable fisheries and the details about the status of specific species from anchovies to wreckfish.
The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture		Extensive 2008 report compiled the Fisheries and Aquaculture Department of the United Nations
GreenFacts		A summary of an international scientific report, peer-reviewed by independent experts.

Gazela and the Age of Cod

“Unless the order of nature is overthrown, for centuries to come, our fisheries will continue to be fertile.” -Canadian Ministry of Agriculture, 1885

Where did all the fish go?

For centuries, North Atlantic cod was one of the world’s largest and most reliable fisheries. These giant bottom-dwellers provided food, medicine and a livelihood for populations throughout Europe, North America and the Caribbean. The supply of cod seemed endless.

But by the 1930s, innovations were changing the face of the fishing industry as engines replaced sail and longer-ranging trawlers replaced local and seasonal fishers. Rather than targeting a particular type or size of fish, trawlers operate by dragging huge nets along the ocean floor, catching everything in their path and leaving decimated marine habitats behind. As early as the 1930s, concerns were being raised that the industry’s ability to catch fish was out-pacing the fish’s ability to replenish its numbers.

By the 1960s—with ever-more sophisticated methods of detecting, catching, processing and transporting fish—factory trawlers doubled, then almost tripled the yearly catch. At first glance, the sheer numbers of fish caught seemed to indicate a plentiful stock. But the catch was the result of improved fishing techniques, and the cod were, in fact, disappearing.

By the late 1970s, the distressed state of Atlantic cod was indisputable, and international quotas were imposed. Unfortunately, these actions proved too late and the quotas failed to reverse the decline. The stock continued to collapse, and in June of 1992, a moratorium was declared on commercial fishing. In 2003, the fishery was closed indefinitely. The fish that founded a continent was all but gone from the once teeming Grand Banks, and so was a way of life that had sustained fishing families throughout New England and Canada for generations. The ability of North Atlantic cod to recover is still in serious question.

Tragically, similar stories are being written today for many of the fish that feed the world’s ever-growing demand. Tuna, grouper, sea bass and countless others are dangerously depleted from overfishing, habitat loss and pollution. Data and details may be debated, but the need to change our behavior toward the oceans and their inhabitants is undeniable. We ignore this fish tale at our own peril.

Excerpted from:
Cod, by Mark Kurlansky; The United Nations’ Millennium Ecosystem Report; Monterey Bay Aquarium