Give Fish A Chance

Gi Give ___ ___ Fish Fi h_a_____ Chance Ch ___ ___ Fish ______ and Seafood: _ _________ An ___ Ecological g ______ and_____ Ethical Crisis Presented by Charley Korns Northwest VEG

Fish: Older than Dinosaurs ~ Fish have been on the earth for more than

450 million years, long before dinosaurs. ~ There are over 25,000 identified species of fish. ~ It is estimated that there may still be over 15,000 fish species that have not yet been identified. ~ There h are more species off fish f h than h all ll the species of amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals combined. combined PetEducation.com

Overview i 1 Eating Fish - or Not 1. 2. The Extent of Global Fishing 3 Methods of Ocean Fishing & the 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Consequences Fish Factory y Farming g Pollution Related Disease and Illness Tips on Being Fish-Free and Local Options for Dining and Shopping ‘Sustainable’ Seafood

E ti Eating Fish Fi h - or Not N t

U.S. Annual Per Capita p Consumption (lbs.) Year

Red Meat

Poultry

Fish & Shellfish

1910

96 0 96.0

11 8 11.8

11 2 11.2

1940

92.4

12.3

11.0

1970

131.9

33.8

11.7

2000

113 7 113.7

67 9 67.9

15 2 15.2

2005

110.0

73.6

16.1

USDA / Economic Research Service

•

What is the name for someone who eats fish but no other animals? a.Fishaholic b.Tuna head c. Pescatarian P t i d Aquaddict d.

Answer: Pescetarian i ~A Pescetarian eats the flesh of fish

q or of other non-mammalian aquatic animals but will not eat the flesh of q animals or aquatic q non-aquatic mammalian animals. Other animal products like eggs p gg and dairyy mayy be part of a pescetarian diet.

Over 7 Million Vegetarians ~7.3 million Americans older

g , and than 18 are vegetarian, more than a million are vegan – 3.2%,, and 0.5% of the population. }Almost 15 percent of Americans

say they never eat fish or seafood.

Harris Interactive Poll for Vegetarian Times, 2008

The Extent and Impact of Commercial Fishing g

Millions in Motion ~ At any yg given moment, 4 million

commercial fishing vessels are plying p y g the ocean.

The Fate of the Ocean, Mother Jones, March/April 2006

What’s the (Ocean) Catch? ~95 million tons of Fish,

C t Crustaceans, &M Mollusks ll k in 2004 }China, Peru and the USA

are a e tthe e top producing p oduc g countries. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Over-fishing fi i ~ All of the world's fishing stocks will

collapse before 2050 -- if over-fishing and other human impacts continue at their current pace. ~ Already, nearly one-third of species that are fished, including bluefin tuna Atlantic cod tuna, cod, Alaskan king crab crab, and Pacific salmon have collapsed, and the pace is accelerating accelerating. (2006) Impacts of biodiversity loss on ocean ecosystem services. Science 314:787-790

Over-fishing fi i ~ On May y 1,, 2008,, salmon fishing g was

banned along the West Coast for the first time in 160 years. ~ Wild Atlantic salmon in Maine rivers in

2000 were at an all-time low and faced a number of threats that could drive them to extinction. As a result, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service listed the species as endangered. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, www.fws.gov/endangered/i/E51.html

Over-fishing fi i ~ It’s possible that only 10% of all large

fish (tuna, swordfish, marlin) and ground fish (cod, halibut, skate, and flounder) are left anywhere in the ocean (2003 st study). d )

Myers, R.A., & Worm B. (2003) Rapid worldwide depletion of predatory fish communities. Nature 423:280-283

Over-fishing g

~ Bluefin tuna, once plentiful, are now so rare

that this year a Hong Kong Kong-based based trader bought one fish for about the same price as a top-of-the-range p g Mercedes. On the Tokyo y market, one fish can for $150,000.

Peak Fish ~ The biomass, biomass or total weight weight, of fish

caught from the world’s oceans reached a maximum in the late 1980s. Since then,, despite increasing technology and more advanced fishing methods, the global fish haul has been flat or sinking. ~ Annual global catch has declined since 1988 -- att th the rate t off about b t 400 400,000 000 ttons a year. The Fate of the Ocean, Mother Jones, March/April 2006

Can you name the phobia that means a fear of fish?

a.Limnophobia b. Entomophobia c. Ichthyophobia d. Pantophobia Angler Fish

Answer: C - Ichthyophobia y p • If you have a fear of lakes lakes, you suffer from limnophobia • off insects, i t you have h entomophobia p • and of everything, its pantophobia (vague and persistent dread of some unknown evil).

Enormity of the Methods ~ It ain’t a

few kids with fishing poles

Longline i Fishing i i ~Most widely used fishing

gear on earth; each year an estimated 2 billion longline hooks are set worldwide, worldwide mainly for tuna and swordfish dfi h

Longline i Fishing i i ~ Single boat sets monofilament

line across 60 or more miles of ocean ~ Each line bears vertical gangion lines that dangle, baited with up to 10,000 hooks

Longline Fishing

Bottom Trawling i ~ Bottom trawling involves

gg g huge, g , heavy y nets dragging along the sea floor. Large plates and rubber wheels metal p attached to these nets move g the bottom and crush along nearly everything in their path.

Bottom Trawling g

Bottom Trawling ~ The equivalent of fishing

th sea floor the fl with ith bulldozers, trawlers level an area 150 times larger than the total area of forests clearcut on land each year. year

~ The fisheries with the highest

levels of bycatch y are shrimp p fisheries: over 80 percent of a catch may consist of marine p other than the shrimp p species being targeted.

The Fate of the Ocean, Mother Jones, March/April 2006

Bottom Trawling ~ If allowed to continue,, the bottom

trawlers of the high seas will destroy deep sea species, before we have h even di discovered d much h off what is out there.

Robot Fish

Drift Nets ~ In the North Atlantic, Atlantic shark and

monkfish nets are set 1,600 feet below the surface, surface then left untended to sail and randomly ensnare life. life ~ In stormy seas, they may be lost or abandoned yet they continue to fill abandoned, with prey

Drift Nets

Bycatch Victims ~ For every 5 pounds of fish caught,

more than 1 pound of bycatch is dumped overboard, dead or dying.

Bycatch Victims i i ~ Different types of fishing practices

result in different animal/species being killed as bycatch: } nets kill dolphins, porpoises and whales } longline fishing kills birds } bottom trawling devastates marine ecosystems.

Bycatch Victims i i ~ It has been estimated that 100

y are million sharks and rays caught and discarded each year. y ~ An estimated 300,000 whales, dolphins and porpoises also die as bycatch each year, because they are unable to escape when caught in nets.

Longline i Bycatch Victims i i ~ Each h year, llonglines li kill thousands h d

of unintended species that take the bait including approximately: bait, } 40,000 sea turtles } 100,000 100 000 albatrosses and 200,000 200 000 other seabirds } millions of sharks

The Fate of the Ocean, Mother Jones, March/April 2006

Longline Bycatch Victims

A Tangential Massacre ~ Canada Canada's s annual commercial seal hunt is

the largest commercial hunt of marine mammals on the planet. ~ Over the past three years, nearly 1 million seals have been killed, mainly by clubbing. ~ Harp seals are the primary target of the commercial i l seall hunt. h In I 2006, 2006 98 percent of the harp seals killed were pups under 3 months of age. age HSUS

Fish i Farms - Aquaculture

Fish i Farms - Confinement fi ~ More than 2 billion fish (mainly

catfish and trout) are raised on factory farms each year in the United States. ~ By weight, more than one-third of all aquatic animals eaten in the United States are raised in these facilities that typically confine 50,000 to 90,000 fish in a single 100 x 100- foot pen. pen HSUS, The Los Angeles Times

Fish i Farms - Net Loss off Fish i ~ The production of farmed salmon

results in a net loss to the world's total fish production, as it takes 2-4 pounds of ocean fish,, turned into p feed, to yield one pound of salmon. ~ Excessive harvesting of small, small bony fish in Peru and Chile has meant loss of prey for birds and marine life. life Worldwatch Institute

Fish i Farms - A Dirty i Business i

Organic Consumers Association

Fish i Farms - A Dirty i Business i ~Disease and parasites, which

would normally exist in relatively low levels in fish scattered around the oceans, oceans can run rampant in densely packed fish farms. farms. Organic Consumers Association

Fish Farms - Degrading Human Health ~ This harvesting of fish for feed also

h adverse has d effects ff t on human h health. h lth } In the coastal town of Chimbote, Chile,

fi h waste fish t in i the th air i and d waterways t from f fishmeal factories has reduced the inhabitants' life expectancy 10 years inhabitants below the national average. Worldwatch Institute

Fish Farms - The Great Escape • A storm in Maine freed more than 100,000 salmon who swam out of the pens into the wild - the largest known escape of aquaculture fish in the eastern United States at that time (December 2000). • Farm-raised fish, bred for market qualities unlike the hardiness that wild salmon must have to survive, can pass their weaknesses on by mating with the few wild ild fish left. left Boston Globe, 2/23/01

Polluted Waters ~ Millions of tons of toxins produced

by our culture all end up, eventually, in the water. ~ Largest g share comes from animal agriculture in the form of herbicide, pesticide, fungicide, and chemical fertilizer runoff from the fields, and sewage from factory farms. Will Tuttle, The World Peace Diet

Polluted Waters ~ Toxins that pollute the air are eventually

washed into lakes and oceans

¾Solid waste sites and d landfills l dfill are also l leached by water, which hi h carries i their th i toxins into rivers and aquifers. if Will Tuttle, The World Peace Diet

Polluted Waters ~ To T eatt animals i l who h live li in i our earth’s th’

waters is to eat our own noxious ll ti concentrated t t d many times. ti pollution, ~ Fish clean the water of toxins and impurities: they can be seen as earth’s kidneys, absorbing contaminants into their flesh.

Will Tuttle, The World Peace Diet

Dead Zones ~ These Th zones are lowl

oxygen ocean areas where h h hardly dl anything thi lives. ~ Now there are 300 dead zones around the world, compared to 10 in 1960. Jane Subchenco, Zoology Professor, Oregon State University Oregonian, 8/3/08

Mercury in i Fish i ~ Mercury contamination is of the

biggest gg concern in the larger, g , longerg living fish. ~ Fish such as tuna, tuna swordfish swordfish, Chilean sea bass, Alaskan halibut, tilefish and King mackerel have been show to have extremely high levels of mercury mercury. BlueVoice.org

Mercury in i Fish i ~ Even low-level mercury poisoning

has been found to cause memory loss, hair loss, fatigue, depression, difficulty concentrating, tremors and headaches headaches. } The symptoms stopped when fish was

eliminated li i d ffrom their h i di diet (i (in a study d published in a NIH journal, Environmental Health Perspectives) BlueVoice.org

Mercury in i Fish i ~ The EPA estimates that one in eight

American women of childbearing age has unsafe levels of mercury in her blood. ~ As many as 600,000 of the 4 million

p to babies born in 2000 were exposed unacceptable levels because their mothers ate a diet rich in fish. BlueVoice.org

Food Poisoning i i ~ Seafood is the number one cause of

food p poisoning g in the United States. Many of our waterways are polluted with human and animal feces,, and this waste carries dangerous bacteria like E. coli.

Reuters, CSPI: Seafood, Eggs Biggest Causes of Food Poisoning in U.S,” CNN, 7 Aug. 2000.

Food Poisoning i i from f Fish i ~ Ciguatera poisoning: This happens

when you eat a reef fish (any fish living in warm tropical water) that has eaten a certain poisonous food. This poison does not go away a a when hen the fish is cooked or frozen. } amberjack, amberjack grouper grouper, snapper snapper, sturgeon, sturgeon

king mackerel, barracuda and moray eel Familydoctor.org

Food Poisoning i i from f Fish i ~ Scombroid poisoning: A substance like

histamine builds up in some fish when they get too warm after they’re caught. Histamine is a chemical that serves as a kind of alarm to let your immune system know that an infection is attacking part of the body. } any fish that has not been refrigerated properly properly.

Be especially careful when you eat fish such as tuna, sardines, mahi-mahi or anchovies Familydoctor.org

Got Parasites? i ? ~ Anisakiasis is a parasitic disease

contracted from infected seafood which is eaten raw or marinated marinated. Although rare, rare this is a type of round worm which can be picked up p p from eating g sashimi,, sushi,, and ceviche. } Symptoms can range from an acute syndrome

with nausea and vomiting, vomiting abdominal pain or diarrhea within 12 hours of eating infected seafood to other problems which can last weeks to months. months MedicineNet.com

Allergies i to Fish i ~ More than 6 6.5 5 million Americans have a seafood

allergy1 } shellfish allergy gy is reported p by y 1-in-50 Americans } fish allergy is reported by 1-in-250 ~ The onset of seafood allergy is likely to begin in adulthood, 60 percent with shellfish allergies and 40 p percent with fish,, and frequent q and severe reactions are reported by sufferers.2

1The

Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network 22004 study "Prevalence of Seafood Allergy in the U.S.

Fish i Feel Pain i ~ Fish suffer when caught, farmed and

killed. ~ Numerous studies, including a recent one by the Roslin Institute and the University of Edinburgh, have found conclusive evidence that fish do feel pain.

Fish i Are Smart ~ Fish are more intelligent than they

appear. In many areas, such as memory their cognitive powers memory, match or exceed those of higher g non-human vertebrates including primates. ~ Older fish teach y younger g fish about predators, for example, including the sound of trawler engines. University of Edinburgh biologist Culum Brown

Going i Veg! ~ Reasons to stop eating fish: } You won’t be participating in the

environmental i t l onslaught l ht upon species i and habitat } You won won’tt be supporting industries that cause harm to fish and deprive them of their life. } You won’t be consuming additional protein, cholesterol and fat that is not essential to your health. health

Sneaky Fish i Ingredients i ~It’s easy to avoid fish if you

know where to look and when to ask questions.

}Thai Th i restaurant t t menus include i l d

vegetarian meals but often use fi h sauce, especially fish i ll in i curries i and Pad Thai; ask for your dish without ith t th the added dd d fish. fi h

Anchovies ~ Anchovies are a small, common salt-

water fish, fish green with blue reflections due to a silver stripe that runs from the base of the caudal fin fin. It is a maximum 9” in length. They are a key ingredient in Spaghetti alla Puttanesca, Puttanesca some pizza toppings, Worcestershire sauce, Cesar Salad, Salad and many fish sauces sauces.

Isinglass i l ~ Isinglass is a gelatinous

semitransparent substance obtained by cleaning and drying the air bladders of the sturgeon, cod, hake, and other fishes fishes. Isinglass is manufactured the United States & six other countries countries. It is used in the clarification of wines and beers, as a stiffening for jellies, glues and cements.

Familiar i i Beers ~ BridgePort Brewing Company: vegan friendly ~ Deschutes Brewery: vegan friendly ~ Full Sail Brewing Co.: vegan friendly ~ Lucky Labrador Brewing Company: Organic

brew is vegan; others are not vegan friendly ~ Trader Joe's brand beers: vegan friendly ~ Widmer Brothers Brewing Co.: mostly vegan

f i dl friendly ~ Wolaver's: vegan friendly http://tastebetter.com/features/booze

Missing i i fi ? fish? ~So, you’ve stopped eating fish

but find yourself missing it. it }Could be you’re not getting

enough Omega 3’s, or it might be a matter of finding something to eat that resembles fish …

Local Alternatives i to Fish i Veggie fish pockets at No Fish Go Fish: 5th & Yamhill (cart) & 3962 SE Hawthorne

Soy fish fillets at So Vege Thai @ 3272 SE Hawthorne … and Vegetarian House @ 22 NW 4th Ave. … and Nhut Quang @ 3438 NE 82nd. Ave.

Local Alternatives i to Fish i Tofu-based Fishwich & fish & chips at Vit C Vita Café, fé 3024 NE Alberta St.

Sea Vegetable g Salad at Blossoming Lotus, 925 NW Davis St.

Local Alternatives i to Fish i Frozen faux fish options p at Food Fight! Vegan Grocery, 1217 SE St k St. Stark St … and d many Asian markets

C i soon tto F Coming Food d Fi Fight: ht F Faux Tuna! T !

Omega 3 ~ Fish are not the sole source of

Omega 3 fatty acids. Other options include: 9 Flax oil and seeds 9 Hemp oil and seeds 9 Walnuts 9 Supplements (look for non-gelatin p ) capsules)

‘Sustainable’ Seafood Pitch N New Seasons S Market M k t example l

Problems facing our oceans today: 1. Overfishing
 2 Bycatch 2. Bycatch
 3. Farming
 4. Habitat Destruction
 } Our Commitment to Choice
Some people have

asked k d why h we continue ti tto sellll species i th thatt we kknow may be threatened. Our goal is to share information with you, our customers, so that you can make a d i i about decision b t what’s h t’ right i ht ffor you and d your ffamily. il

‘Sustainable’ Seafood Why You Want to Avoid It

1.

Even where certain fish species’ populations are healthy, h lth the th waters t may nott be b (mercury, ( dioxins, other chemicals).

2.

Th FDA’s The FDA’ seafood f d program is i riddled iddl d with ith deficiencies, is woefully under-funded, and provides no assurance of safety for consumers.

3 3.

If preferences shift widely to “sustainable” sustainable populations, those too will become depleted.

4 4.

Be kind to all animals animals, don’t don t eat them them.

#2: Center for Science in the Public Interest, news release, GAO Gives Failing Grade to FDA Seafood HACCP Program,Feb. 13, 2001

Famous Vegans ~ Alicia Silverstone Silverstone, actress ~ Carl Lewis, athlete ~ Dan Piraro, cartoonist ~ Ed Begley Jr., Jr actor ~ Elijah Wood, actor ~ James Cromwell, actor and animal rights advocate ~ Joaquin Phoenix, Phoenix actor ~ KD Lang, singer ~ Kevin Nealon, comedian and actor ~ Martina Ma tina Navratilova, Na atilo a tennis player pla e ~ Moby, musician ~ Sinead O'Connor, singer and songwriter ~ Woody W d H Harrelson, l actor t