Some scientists have forecast the end of seafood
as we know it by the middle of the century. Yet we continue to
invest in wasteful and shortsighted fishing techniques.
From the whales, to coral reefs overwhelmed by coastal runoff,
to tiny but ecologically vital plankton that are suffering due to
climate change, our oceans are in peril.
Just as nutritionists are starting to really push the health
benefits of seafood, we face a growing shortage of it. Some
scientists have forecast the end of seafood as we know it by the
middle of the century. Yet we continue to invest in wasteful and
shortsighted fishing techniques.
The good news is that there is a way out of this predicament.
What we need is a global network of marine reserves covering 40 per
cent of the oceans, and now. These zones (effectively national
parks at sea) would offer the most comprehensive insurance policy
against overfishing and the impacts of climate change on the marine
environment. Couple them with effective rules to regulate fishing
in all areas outside the reserves, and you have a comprehensive
roadmap to recovery for the world's oceans. To do this requires
political will and clear action.
One important sign came when the United Nations passed a
resolution last year demanding governments take urgent action to
end the wholesale destruction of fragile deep-sea environments in
international waters by bottom trawl fishing. In response, New
Zealand and more than two dozen other countries agreed to strong
measures to ensure that bottom trawl fishing in the South Pacific
region will be effectively controlled, so that sensitive deep sea
habitats are protected. Similar action has been or is being taken
in other regions of the world.
These are also signs in the marketplace that we're starting to
understand that feeding ourselves from the sea should not come at
the expense of a healthy marine environment. Pushed by Greenpeace,
some supermarkets in the UK and Europe have adopted sustainable
seafood purchasing policies and removed from sale some fish species
that are endangered by overfishing. For example, UK supermarket
chains Marks & Spencer, Waitrose, Sainsburys and Tesco refuse
to sell orange roughy to their customers. Here in New Zealand,
supermarkets could adopt the same sustainable seafood purchasing
policies and remove from sale fish and other seafood species that
are being unsustainably fished.
Greenpeace is working to see that this happens and has already
begun talking to local supermarket owners. In the meantime,
consumers should talk to their supermarket managers and enquire
what they're doing to ensure that the seafood they're selling comes
from sustainable sources.
New Zealand's clean green image is vital and extremely valuable,
but it's slipping. We've been complacent for too long, resting on
the assumption the "clean green" catchphrase will see us through.
It won't. The time is now to start walking the walk.
Sustainability is not just an environmental imperative; it's a
moral, social and economic one as well. And it should be at the
heart of every political administration, of every business, of
every home.