After reading Greenberg’s chapters on salmon and sea bass has your perspective on fish cultivation or capture fishing changed?
In a post of at least 250 words, share your thoughts on farmed vs. wild fish for the consumer table. Does it matter if the world eats farmed or wild fish? What do you think ‘sustainable’ means for the present and the future?
Submit your comment by 11:59 pm on Tuesday night and by Wednesday contribute to the discussion online by responding to at least two other posts.
After reading Greenberg’s chapters on salmon and sea bass, my perspective on fish cultivation (aquaculture/fish farming) has changed. I am new to fisheries education and did not have many opinions on fish cultivation before these chapters due to lacking the knowledge necessary for making an informed opinion. As I’ve become more educated, I understand better the need for preserving wild fish populations, including salmon and sea bass, due to the shortcomings and unsustainability of fish farming. Relying solely/primarily on fish farming reduces genetic diversity, genetic integrity, fish health, and quality [e.g., differences in a wild versus domesticated diet]. It is unsustainable due to the anthropogenic activity being unable to replicate the lifestyles of wild populations [among other reasons]. Therefore, it matters that the world eats wild fish. Increasing the output of farmed fish and the reliance of the consumer market on the quantity and low cost of farmed fish increases consumer demand and preference for farmed fish over their wild counterparts; this creates the potential for a decrease in motivation and incentive for preserving wild populations. Sustainable for the present means effectively satisfying the needs of current generations in a maintainable, reduced-risk manner. Sustainability for the future means effectively meeting the needs of present generations without disturbing the ability to satisfy the needs of future generations. Sustainability for future generations should be the primary goal of generating food security. Therefore, we need to acknowledge that fish farming won’t cut it without preserving and restoring wild fish populations.
Elle,
I agree with your sustainability concepts. I was always REALLY bad at economics and I feel like this is an economic statement but can you elaborate on your quote: “Increasing the output of farmed fish and the reliance of the consumer market on the quantity and low cost of farmed fish increases consumer demand and preference for farmed fish over their wild counterparts; this creates the potential for a decrease in motivation and incentive for preserving wild populations.” I want to understand what you mean here because it sounds valid and important.
I like that you point out the reliance consumers could have on farmed fish as an option, therefore increasing the demand of farmed fish. I could definitely see farmed fish being sought after for purposes of price, availability, and in some instances, even taste! The concept of this creating as you said, a decrease in motivation, for wild fish stocks is definitely an alarming thought.
I like that you admitted to not having a stable opinion, or an opinion at all, on a topic you were new to.
Since reading the first few chapters of the book I have learned more about fish farming, and my perspective has changed a bit too. I’ve been working on a commercial fishing boat for as long as I can remember, so I know that wild caught fish is much better than anything farmed, but I also know that fishing has its limitations, especially for feeding 7 billion people. Large-scale fishing tends to have a lot of bycatch and is often very damaging to habitats, and smaller scale fishing is generally pretty inefficient. A considerable number of fish stocks are declining or collapsed because of overfishing, so switching to primarily farming fish in order for the wild stocks to recover might be beneficial, but it could also be worse. As I have mentioned before, some people tend to be irresponsible and take really questionable risks even when there can be huge consequences, and one mistake could be very bad if all the fish we depended on were in farms. It’s safer to keep them wild but it will also be necessary for us to help them survive in the future. As for sustainability, there isn’t really a sustainable way to feed the entire population on our planet with current technology. ‘Sustainable’ means that things are renewable, a system where a population remains more or less the same despite members of the population being added and taken away. It can, unless there’s some major catastrophe, exist indefinitely. In the end, I think that having efficient fish farms might help reduce some of the stress on wild stocks and could be an important step towards sustainability, but it would not guarantee a sustainable future.
Rio,
I strongly agree with your last few sentences. You made an interesting point that there isn’t a sustainable way to fed our planet, and I agree. That’s a wild concept and kind of shocking/alarming. Im curious now, what have you commercial fished? What do you typically catch as bycatch?
I mostly longline for halibut and sablefish. Most of the bycatch in both fisheries is different species of rockfish, which is unfortunate because they get a form of decompression sickness and can’t survive if released, especially in 300 fathoms. There’s also lingcod, skates, and small sharks sometimes but those generally survive if released.
I agree, Gwendolyn, Rio’s concept is very shocking. I think he’s right, but only in the aspect that I can draw. That aspect stems from the fact that economic and political powerhouses won’t allow for reduced red tape, always seeking more money and more complexities on policies that we need analyzed and enacted upon NOW.
Rio,
I appreciate how, despite your lengthy participation in commercial fishing, you acknowledge the negative toll it takes on the environment. I agree that fish farms serve a purpose though they do not guarantee a sustainable future. What, if any, are your ideas for how we can maintain a healthy and effective balance between fish farms and wild populations?
-Elle
I think the best way would be to determine which are the best species for farming based on efficiency, ease of production, usefulness (something that tastes good), and possibly other criteria. Maybe take the top 3 or 5 species that are ranked high in all categories to maintain genetic diversity in a way, then come up with the least environmentally damaging way to farm them on a large scale, like the fish that was mentioned in another comment that “never had any contact with the living ocean.” Hopefully this would relieve some stress on wild stocks and reduce the imperfections of fish farming.
Hey Rio,
Your last new sentences are strong and important. I think the way you explain sustainability is pretty accurate. As of right now, I don’t know if there will ever be a truly sustainable way to feed the world’s ever-growing population.
I’m interested in the nutritional profile of farmed fish. It’s a good point. I think I forgot to mention in my own discussion.
My opinion has definitely evolved. I’ve always had such mixed opinions over farmed fish versus wild but I think if farmed fish was done right, it can have a balance and even benefit wild fish. There’s no better example than the barramundi fish (asian sea bass). The barramundi fish is great in captivity and consumes far less wild harvested fish, they actually eat vegetarian food and can even produce sufficient fatty acids from their diet. The farmed barramundi fish “never have any contact with the living ocean” meaning there won’t be any escapes that could affect wild populations of fish (124). Species like these can “take pressure off wild stock and cause humans to lessen their impact on the ocean overall” which I think is pretty significant (124). The barramundi fish sounds like the perfect balance between feeding people while also benefiting the wild population of fish. Although I don’t agree with other fish farming techniques. A possible solution would be better regulations on fish farms that are made to protect wild fish. I agree that having farmed fish will take pressure off the wild fish so I think there are some benefits to farmed fish as long as they don’t negatively impact the wild fish.
As for the question of farmed versus wild fish; it’s like organic produce versus whatever they do to create all other produce. The organic produce grows naturally from trees/bushes/farms whereas for a faster produce they are “helped” along there growth. People don’t care, but if they do care they get organic produce. I feel the same concept applies for the fish, as long as they are healthy for human consumption. There are people monitoring what goes into the fish and the fish quality so I would hope that anything alarming wouldn’t be approved for humans. Yes, farmed fish may lack nutrition as opposed to wild fish but in theory they are the same. Again the same could be said for organic versus non organic produce. If people cared they would pay for the more expensive organic produce/wild fish.
I think a very possible sustainable future would be finding a better balance between farmed and wild fish; so in theory the wild fish could work its way back to “healthy” for this generation and the next to come.
Gwen,
Do you know of any examples of farmed fish that are “done right”? What are your criteria for a fish farm that is “done right” I agree that fish farming can be part of the solution but not without appropriate regulations in place. Hopefully, we can find the necessary balance.
-Elle
I like your comparison of wild vs. farmed fish to that of organic produce vs. produce sprayed with chemicals/pesticides/GMO’s of some kind. I agree that ultimately the choice is up to the consumer, as some individuals have a strong preference while others do not. The same can be said for wild vs. farmed fish. Factors such as cost, availability, and health concerns can all determine how individuals choose products for consumption.
I’ve always been interested in investigating the probability of creating a one-size-fits-all feeding system for farmed fish. Organic versus GMO produce is a good comparison.
After Greenberg’s discussion of salmon and sea bass fisheries, I’m not sure where I stand on the consumption of wild and farmed fish. I do want there to be a way that fish farming can be more sustainable and help alleviate pressures on wild fish populations without creating different kinds of ecosystem pressure. I do not think that farmed fish should be in wild marine systems or freshwater systems, as this seems to have an overall negative impact on the surrounding aquatic systems and wild populations (except in a few instances). I know for example, to prevent the spread of salmon lice that have been plaguing farmed salmon, salmon farms in England are trying to move more of the farms to land. I think that this is a good start, although effort still needs to be made on better options to feed the farmed fish. I think humans as a population should also consider switching from farmed fish that require the consumption of lower trophic level fish, to just eating more of the less popular, smaller fish (like sardines and anchovies) directly. Another idea I had thinking about this concept of wild vs. farmed fish is that maybe more effort should be put into making aquaponics more efficient and less expensive, as these are usually closed systems that are beneficial to the fish and plants involved. I do think that wild fish should still be caught and consumed, but I would advocate on a much less commercial scale. I think the term “sustainable” in the context of fisheries should place more emphasis on the fish populations being sustainable than on humans having a sustainable amount of fish. The truth is some of the Earth’s fisheries have been irreparably messed up, and humans have to come to terms with that by supplementing diets with other more available food resources, rather than shipping fish thousands of miles.
I agree that we need to make fish farming more sustainable. This will also have the added benefits of taking less wild fish from the ecosystem, like you had stated. Another species that would be a good fish to farm is the Tilapia and would fit Sir Francis Galton’s requirements for domesticated fish better than Sea bass. They are quite hardy and will eat just about any food source. But I appreciated your statements and different view on these questions.
Lillian,
You’re spot on with saying that farmed fish shouldn’t being wild marine systems or freshwater systems. I wonder how the farmed fish will interact with wild salmon in a freshwater system as well as a wild marine system.
Greenberg’s chapters on salmon and sea bass have broadened my knowledge on farmed fish and the history behind them, demonstrating instances in which farmed fish have both succeeded and fallen short of expectations. Although we can be quick to choose wild fish as the superior, both wild and farmed fish can coexist and there is a place for both in the market and for the consumer.
For the sole purpose of feeding the world’s populations, both wild and farmed fish stocks can contribute to this mission. Relying solely on farmed fish poses conflict with wild fish populations, negative impacts on the environment, and potential long-lasting effects on human health. Whereas relying strictly on wild fish populations to feed the world is not sustainable, as there is simply not enough fish to go around forever without depleting wild fish resources. With careful consideration, the application of aquaculture can play a meaningful role in enhancing fisheries for consumption, while still holding wild fish stocks as a top priority. It is ultimately the decision of the consumer to determine whether wild or farmed seafood is on their plate, as the needs and wants of fish for consumption are specific to each individual.
Sustainability should account for both the present and the future. In class last week one of the definitions of sustainability described meeting needs in the present, without completely compromising the ability of the future generations to be able to meet their needs. Sustainability involves balancing the state of the world today, while also having a concern and duty for investing in the good of the future.
Hey Maureen,
I agree that with proper care and preparation, wild fish and farmed fish can coexist in the market and for the consumer, especially for feeding the world’s population. Do you think more people would eat farmed fish if they knew how damaging overfishing truly is? I agree that the consumer should be able to choose, but do you think they really care about the negative impacts?
Maureen,
I completely agree with your post. Both wild and farmed fish are able to coexist and should be used to feed the world population. I like that you pointed out that only relying on wild fish would deplete these fish stocks and would not be sustainable. I believe also that an important part about farming fish is that farming should be made as ethical as possible and should take into consideration the health of the actual fish along with profits.
After reading Greenberg’s chapters on salmon and seabass, my perspective on fish cultivation, aquaculture, and fish farming have changed. But it has more been expanded than changed. I have always loved the ocean and the organisms within, I have taken many marine-focused classes, but this is the first fisheries class I have taken. I was aware of fish farming and that it was controversial but I didn’t know anything specific about it, and I am a bit embarrassed to admit that but it’s okay. The more we read and the more we learned in class, I understand the importance and need for conserving wild fish populations, with the biggest factor causing them to be declining is unsustainable fish farming. Many fish stocks are declining or have collapsed due to overfishing. The conversation about changing to fish farming as the primary source of fish to allow the wild fish populations to recover has the opportunity to be greatly beneficial but could also have negative outcomes. People who eat organic, natural, and/or who like to know the specifics of what they are eating would definitely put up a fight about consuming farmed fish. I think using farmed fish as a temporary solution in order to allow the wild fish populations to become more ‘normal’ would be beneficial. I think sustainable means for the present is that the fish are able to live and flourish without large negative impacts on the population from fishing. To me, sustainability for the future is more or less the same expectations but could end up changing due to climate change and other large effects that are damaging.
I grew up fishing and know a fair share of knowledge on certain species and how to target them but I didn’t realize how much has been done and how advanced aquaculture is. I agree that a heightened production of farmed fish would allow for some wild fisheries to recuperate. There are so many factors that play into sustainability and over fishing as well that is a whole other rabbit hole.
Queenie,
Your last point about the future of sustainability is a great reminder. We’re talking about our direct impacts on fish stocks with catches, but obviously these populations are living in a dynamic environment that we are impacting in other ways (like climate change as you mentioned). I think it begs the question: can you have a mathematically sustainable fishery quota that is still unsustainable for a population due to other external factors?
Queenie,
You make a good point that not all people would eat farmed fish if given the option. I also think it would be a good short term solution to help the fish stocks recover but there are so many things that could go wrong it makes me skeptical.
How do you think the climate could effect farming over all?
My view on farmed fish vs wild fish has changed after reading the past two chapters. I think fish farms can be beneficial if they are done properly, but there has to be a balance. There is a high demand for fish around the world and with some stocks decreasing, farmed fish look like a good possible solution for food sustainability. They would be favorable from an economic point of view as well, because it would be easily available for consumers to buy if all things went well. But as Greenberg pointed out there are many things that could go wrong with it. I believe that if we were to make fish farms work there would need to be a lot of research done beforehand. They would need to make sure the farmed fish did not intermingle with the wild fish, due to the risk of disease and the issues they could cause to the ecosystem. It does matter if the world eats farmed or wild fish because as we learned it takes wild fish to feed farmed fish. So if there is a high demand for farmed fish it would affect wild fish in more ways than one. It is important that there is a balance between the two, I think farmed fish could work but the main priority should be preserving wild fish.
If a fish stock is sustainable it means that it is meeting the needs of the present generations while sustaining the population for future generations. Sustainability for the present would be to preserve the wild fish stocks, rather than creating efficient fish farms. We would need to sustain current wild fish stocks in order to have future ones. Preferably I would prefer wild caught fish over farmed fish.
Howdy Jocelyn, I agree with your thoughts on prioritizing the sustainability of wild fish stocks. I think that it is unlikely that humans will be satiated with less fish. If fish farming was abruptly discontinued it would definitely help wild populations, or at least the habitats surrounding the farms. This being said, do you think there’s a solution in marketing of non-fish replacements that would better fill the stomachs of people that rely on farmed fish?
Jocelyn,
I agree with many of the points that you made throughout your post. Fish farming and wild fish must be balanced. Along with this fish farming does need to be researched more and done in ethical ways. If only wild fish are used and relied on then these wild fish stocks would be overfished and depleted.
I think that Greenberg does a really good job of showing how deep and complex the fisheries industry is. I really appreciated how he provided so many different personal stories from around the world and from different times. Before this class, I hadn’t given fisheries very much thought and had no idea how complex and diverse the industry was. I also was not aware of the rich history. I think I have a deeper idea of how complex the industry is today. While I am still learning a lot about it, I am starting to grasp how complicated issues like farmed versus wild fish are.
I also am not sure how to consider sustainability when thinking about farmed fish. One of the versions of sustainability we have talked about is maintaining fish populations in the present and ensuring their populations in the future. Sustaining farmed fish populations seems like an entirely different issue than sustaining wild fish populations. However, we have also talked about how wild fish might not be wild anymore. It is very unlikely for a lot of species to not have been influenced by humans in any way. In that sense, some fish might not be as wild as they used to be. Maybe there is a way to make farmed fish slightly more wild? (They obviously can’t be completely wild, but maybe there are some aspects of “wild” that can be factored into farmed fish). I also wonder if there is a point in which fish can become too farmed, making them more harmful than nutritious to consume.
Taste is an obvious factor in comparing farmed versus wild fish. However, it would not be sustainable to only use wild fish to meet our current demands. It seems like sustainable might mean different things for farmed fish versus wild fish.
After reading both chapters on cases of these species in the wild as well as farmed I’ve come to a clear conclusion. My conclusion is that farmed fish is a solid solution to fill the gap for consumers but will never be the same as wild fish. Wild fish definitely has a better taste than any farmed fish. While you can’t control what that wild fish has eaten in its life or the quality of water it has traveled through, the taste is incomparable to some tank fish. Farmed fish are probably better for you since their food source is controlled.
I think if the species is wild in your area and regulations allow you should be able to have wild salmon or sea bass as much as you want. However, if this species is not native to your area, farmed fish would be a better alternative. We don’t want the whole world eating the wild supply to the point of no return for the species. Farmed fish would suffice as a substitute to foreign countries.
To me sustainable means that we can pull from the species as much as we need and still have plenty for future generations to take from as well. If we mainly took from the wild source of salmon and seabass we could deplete the species and leave no other options than farmed fish. Right now I feel sockeye salmon are a prime example of sustainable with their current population across the state. If we take good care of the species and conserve them they can stay a sustainable source down the road for future generations.
TJ,
I think a system to ensure that local seafood mostly ends up in local communities is an interesting idea to help the overfishing issue. How do you think that might work? Quotas for local fishers vs quotas for non-locals?
Tj,
I totally agree with you on the part you said about the species being wild in your area and the regulations part. That is why I mentioned Bethel in my post because the Kuskokwim river is just right there.
These two sections we have read so far have introduced me to many ideas of fisheries and the factors they consist of that I had never considered before. In regard to a changed perspective, I am definitely more pensive (in a sense that I have been given much more to think about) when it comes to topics such as farmed vs wild fisheries, GMOs, and the overall climate of fish stocks worldwide. Focusing on the farmed or wild fish debate, I think that most of the time the answer is very situational and depends largely on factors that contribute to the accessibility of both of these options (ex. economic status of the given region, geographical position, etc.). In contexts where a fishery has a large population to feed as well as having the money and resources to invest in aquaculture, fish farming might be the best option. On the other hand, in contexts where a fishery exists on a smaller scale or is unable to efficiently invest in fish farming, a focus on wild fish might be the way to go. Personally, I am not really partial to either wild or farmed fish and am mainly focused on how the most people can be fed efficiently, which as previously stated, can be either or depending on context. I also believe that no matter the route, sustainability should be a priority, which I think requires considering the delicate balance between feeding today’s population as well as ensuring that fish can continue to feed the populations of the future.
Lucy,
I agree that the farmed fish vs wild fish debate is very situational. I also think that sustainability should be a priority. I am very interested to learn more about how we have determined what sustainable means and how the term changes in different contexts.
Does it matter if the world eats farmed or wild fish? What do you think ‘sustainable’ means for the present and the future?
I think farmed, or wild, fish will be fish. Food is a necessity we humans cannot afford to give up, and seeing how much worse of foods people willingly devour on a day to day, a few GMOs will change nothing. I understand that getting wild fish to their natural status is important, and it is a great goal for the scientific community, but farming fish will lighten the toll on wild breeds of fish. This ties into my definition of sustainable. Sustainability is defined by the parameters of the times: If fish are at stable or abundant numbers, they are sustaining. If they are low, they are not. However, this is only able to be tracked over long periods of time, not in one moment or a short span. In the future, I hope that sustainability means that a single ‘thing’, such as a breed of salmon, will be stable in all senses of the word ‘salmon’, not based on wild or domesticated strains of salmon. I’d like to even believe that, if there must be a separation, it will be because of the uniqueness of fish hatcheries to cultivate a steady market of fish while leaving wild fish available for recreational or sustenance uses.
Howdy Kerra! Do you think that sustainability applies to more than just a single species, or that the sustainability of a species is connected to everything around it? I agree with your thought that fish populations are likely more sustainable when there are a lot of them, but I do feel like sustainability is more holistic than the sustainability of a single species. For example, a lot goes into wild salmon having sustainable populations: a healthy ecosystem, access to the right rivers, and enough food which would require healthy populations of smaller trophic levels of fish.
Do you think that there is benefit in having genetic diversity within a species?
Kerra,
I think the point you brought up about food being a necessity is one that should be present in all conversations. The human need for food is constant and grows by the day, and while the quality of fish produced for consumers is definitely important, the sheer quantity of food that is required to feed such a large population cannot be ignored.
As I’ve might’ve mentioned in previous posts, I consider myself an ecological purist concerning to fish farming. I am also skeptical. In short: keep them separate, and treat the matter delicately. If lab-grown meats are still in embryo (which they are,) farming as much fish (or other biomass) as possible (instead of relying on wild cousins) is the approach I feel most comfortable with. There are some concerns between illness and productivity of the farmed populations, and also where exactly you get your ground zero breeding population from. However, putting the environment under more pressure by over-harvesting wild populations or mixing them with genetically modified individuals gives me the creeps. That said, if wild populations are experiencing an exponential population boom (due to a favorable environment, human protections, or both) then harvesting to keep in equilibrium with it’s possibly overfished neighbors is acceptable. Exceptions should be made for sustainable or family-managed fisheries, whether possible. As for sustainability, establishing a network of protected fisheries alongside refuges, increasing spillover, improving habitat, and therefore the fitness of various other marine species is a proven effective approach to indirectly managing fisheries. Sustainability is a moving target, which is why it’s my belief that considering with the eye of a skeptic helps prevent ambitious decisions concerning what populations to harvest from and when.
I don’t think my own opinions regarding fish farming and wild catch changed that much over reading the chapters. I think “sustainability”, to me, is the ability to simultaneously maintain wild fish stocks while also exploiting them for our own use. It’s a bit pessimistic, but I don’t think that we can continue to lean as heavily on wild fish as we have been able to, and I’m not sure that we can ever return to a solely wild fish catch. Ultimately, fish farming and GMO editing are tools in a vast arsenal we have developed over time as humans in our natural world. I think that they ought to be promoted and further refined as supplemental solutions to the problem of pressure on wild fish stocks. If we can continue to further improve on the methods and techniques to make fish farming an increasingly secure and healthy system (to both people and to wild fish populations), they really have to be incorporated to solve the issue of human exploitation of fisheries. I continue to maintain that we don’t have to wholly replace wild fish with farmed fish, but I think – on a broad scale – we have to relieve the pressures we place on their populations. Any ideal state would see a sustainable wild exploitation paired with safe and sound farming methods that work together to solve the problem of bringing fish to consumers, AND in keeping biological diversity alive and well in our oceans. It’s a tough problem that requires a lot of tough solutions.
Tony, it was interesting to read your perspective on how your opinions didn’t change on fisheries, especially since you knew a lot about fisheries prior to reading the book. I also appreciate your emphasis on making sure that farmed fish are healthy systems for both the fish and people. It seems like the longer things are farmed, the less healthy they become because of increased demand.
Tony,
I agree with your outlook of seeing farmed fish as a tool that could benefit from further refinement. Fish farming is still a relatively new field that, due to its recency, hasn’t had the time to build a reputation as monumental as the one possessed by wild fisheries. However, if given time and effort (like the innovations of the past), I believe that farmed fish could become an even larger mainstay on the global market than they are today.
After reading about the two chapters I learned so much about salmon and sea bass. As an Alaskan who is never been out of the state it is interesting to learn more about farmed salmon. I have never eaten salmon in restaurants and often get surprised to see salmon on some menus. Even though the restaurants are in Alaska I don’t order salmon or any species because I don’t know where it came from. I want to learn more about sea bass because I’ve never heard of sea bass until I read this chapter of the book. I never thought that I would learn as much as I am learning in the two chapters we read so far. I am getting more and more excited to finish reading this book and move on to the next book.
I think that you should have wild salmon if they are native to the area you live in. For example my hometown of Bethel should serve wild salmon because they don’t serve any salmon. I am saying this because the Kuskokwim river is just right there. All they serve in the Bethel restaurants is seafood. It would be so cool to see salmon being served in Bethel. But for other places in the world that don’t get salmon it would be fine to have them serve farmed fish but I feel like it wouldn’t be as good as wild salmon.
Jaden,
I like how you brought up eating fish at restaurants or even buying it from the store because I feel like some people don’t always wonder where the fish came from. A lot of employees at stores or restaurants aren’t even sure where they get their seafood sometimes. After watching the documentary Seaspiracy it definitely changed the way I view the fishing industry and the way things are processed. If you haven’t seen it, I recommend it. If you have, did it change your view on the fishing industry at all?
I think that the debate on farmed versus wild fish is not one that has a simple answer of one or the other, but instead has varied answers depending on a variety of factors. I think that first, there is nothing wrong with consuming farmed fish as long as these fish are farmed under ethical practices. The focus for fish farming should not be profits at the cost of the quality of treatment of the fish, but should be focused on providing the best environment that could be created with the health of the fish in mind. I also think that this does not mean the world should solely focus on farming fish. In areas that wild fisheries still exist and are able to produce product without damaging the surrounding ecosystem, these fisheries should still continue to be used. The fish can then be used in the local communities. I believe that sustainability is a combination of things. Sustainability is about creating a system that has the least impact possible, obviously no impact is an unreasonable goal as a change will always have some impact. This includes to the health of the species, as well as the health of the surrounding environment.
Before I read Four Fish I viewed fishing as a matter of wild caught fishing versus farmed fishing. I focused mainly on species sustainability and created a priority for conservation and wild catch sustainability in my head. I feel like it has always been pushed on me that farmed fish is not sustainable and only creates problems and nutrient deficient fish. I view sustainability as reaching a point where the natural world can maintain its natural cycle while we are able to harvest the amount needed and leave opportunities for future species to maintain growth. In Greenberg’s book he made me acknowledge the fact that we really cannot achieve sustainability without the benefits of both wild fishing and farms. It does matter the source of where people derive their fish from, but it all is situation and based on availability. The Sea Bass chapter opened my views to that just because what is known, does not mean it is a sustainable or necessarily even a logical choice in food supply. The salmon chapter brought my attention to the combination of the trades. For certain areas 30 pound of King Salmon can be the equivalent of 30 pounds of frozen chicken parts and ground beef. This need for a variety of items shows the helpful aid of wild caught fishing and how from it there can be a trade created allowing for human sustainability. Although certain areas cannot obtain wild species due to over exploitation of natural resources or simply put the species was never there to begin with. Sending species globally after catch can have many consequences including product quality, economical aspects, and the environmental impact. Farmed fisheries can help to maintain the need without fully depleting the resources from one area. I feel that both wild fishing and farmed fishing can be over exploited and abused and create major negative impacts but when put together and used based on need it can create a sustainable future for fisheries. The only way for fisheries to remain sustainable in the future is that they do not turn into corporations focused on abusing the world’s supply and demand and a respect maintains intact for the fish that feed the world
I enjoy reading your side of maintaining the fish that feed the world but what do you think of the fish that keep the world stable?
I am still on my side as I believe farming should be don on less populated fish so they can bring their numbers up. While economically it is good for well populated fish to be farmed and harvested ecologically it is not a good call as many fish will be over croweded and will lead to a loss of various life. Many fish need a lot of room and other fish don’t have the population to keep up with farmed fish and thus could lead to a more dangerous out come. However I know this is a manner relating to humans I still believe it is better to look at things from a larger area of effect and say that farming should be done to help grow lower populations and raise dwindling numbers compaired to farming large populations of fish and keeping their numbers large while underminding the real problem that overpopulation leads to. It is a dangerous side that isn’t explored to often when it comes to farm fishing and it is mostly used to grow ecnomics and never one to show the growth in ecological growth and dangers farming could face.