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Could it be at some point in the world’s future history that we are simply going to run out of everything? There are some scientists and environmentalist who warn of that danger. One area of concern is the ocean’s fish population. It’s something we’ve always taken for granted. There will always be fish, right? Maybe not so much. Here’s report from the BBC detailing the work of the Marine Stewardship Council and their efforts to bring eco-friendly fish to one of the worlds biggest fish consumer market: Japan.
CAN ECO-FRIENDLY FISH BE BIG IN JAPAN by Jill Martin reporting for the BBC News
A billion people depend on eating fish, while 200 million workers survive by catching it. But the oceans are under extreme pressure and many fear we are running out of fish.
The experience of the Grand Banks Cod Fishery, off the east coast of Canada, serves as a grim warning. It had been landing tens of thousands of tons of cod every year for centuries. But, in the early 1990s, one of the world’s most abundant populations of the fish suddenly collapsed, leading to a total fishing moratorium.
“Forty thousand fishermen lost their livelihoods,” says Rupert Howes, chief executive of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). “This was the wake-up call.”
Over the last 50 years, the amount of fish caught around the world has increased five times. We used to think the oceans were limitless: now we know this isn’t true. The MSC was established 10 years ago to help transform fishing. A partnership of businesses, scientists and environmentalists, it certifies seafood that has been caught in a sustainable way. At the moment, 10% of seafood is certified by the MSC as sustainable. Now it is moving into one of the biggest and most challenging markets – Japan.
Market forces
Although Japan has just 2% of the world’s population, it eats 10% of its fish. It’s a national obsession. In Tokyo’s Tsukiji market – the world’s largest – they trade more than 400 different types of seafood, from wriggling eels to 300kg tuna. Before World War II, the vast majority of Japan’s fish came from local waters. But now, because of depleted stocks, 40% of this fish is actually imported. If this market is to have a future, it is essential that all these fish are caught using sustainable methods. This will not happen unless customers understand the importance of sustainability and demand MSC-certified fish.
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