Eating Fish: Good for Heart, Bad for Environment?
This Environmental News Network story points out that while the American Heart Association may be preaching the benefits of fish for low blood pressure and other positive health issues, the population of fish like salmon and tuna might be in trouble as a result.
Americans have more than doubled their consumption of salmon in the past 14 years (from 0.87 pounds per year in 1992 to 2.026 pounds in 2006), and the concern is this will lead to over-fishing.
“Conservationists point out that while global fish stocks were getting hammered long before sushi became chic, health trends could add pressure to already vulnerable fisheries.”
Some fisheries impose limits on the amount of fish that can be caught, and the increase in demand for fish like salmon has led to more protection of their habitat from logging and mining.
Still, the article does say that fish consumption is expected to increase by 3.4 pounds per year worldwide by 2030. Can the fish population keep up with that?
