Seafood Watch Updates Its Recommendations

by: Jill Richardson

Thu Jan 14, 2010 at 22:44:28 PM PST

Albacore Tuna (Troll or pole-caught)
Mussels (farmed)
Oysters (farmed)
Pacific sardines (wild-caught)
Pink shrimp (wild caught from Oregon)
Salmon (wild-caught from Alaska)
Spot Prawns (wild-caught from British Columbia)
Rainbow Trout (farmed)

As you can tell, even when you're buying the right species, it's also important to know where your fish was caught or raised, and whether it was farmed or not.  

Massive Farmed Salmon Jailbreak In British Columbia

by: JayinPortland

Mon Oct 26, 2009 at 17:35:27 PM PDT

As if that wasn't enough of a problem, it seems that the company may have taken their emergency response procedures directly from FEMA's playbook, circa 2005 -

But the recapture vessel was not able to start fishing until Thursday and by that time, gillnetters in areas such as Sointula, about 40 kilometres from the Broughton Archipelago, were reporting catches of Atlantic salmon.

"The response time really troubles me," said Chief Bob Chamberlin of the nearby Kwicksutaineuk-Ah-Kwaw-Ah-Mish band.

"One of the only reasons we found out was because a commercial fishery was going on and they were catching Atlantics."

Marine Harvest, the company who runs this particular salmon farm, has also been responsible for other major previous escapes.  Escaped farm fish have been found in 80 rivers in the province, and over 100,000 farmed salmon escaped into British Columbia's waters in 2008.  Gilford Island, where the escape occurred, is also home to a large First Nations population, many of whom rely upon subsistence fishing in the area.

Chamberlin, who is also secretary-treasurer of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, an organization that's pushing for more First Nations involvement as regulation of fish farms passes from the provincial to the federal government in February, said assurances from the industry that Atlantic salmon won't affect Pacific salmon have been proved wrong.

Sampler Platter 09.25.09

by: JayinPortland

Fri Sep 25, 2009 at 13:00:00 PM PDT

• The State of Oklahoma's lawsuit against the poultry industry for fouling (easy pun passed over, heh) the Illinois River watershed got underway in a Tulsa federal courthouse yesterday.  Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson is suing Tyson, Cargill and nine other companies for violation of numerous state and federal laws.

• Jim Hightower takes on local-washing and corporate-speak.  "Such 'down-home' companies as Unilever and HSBC"... lol!

• The Humboldt jumbo squid that have been swarming the San Diego coastline all summer are now beginning to wash up as far north as the central Oregon Coast; a sardine mystery is being investigated on Oregon's North Coast; and US Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco publish an Op-Ed on the government's Northwest salmon plan.

• Here's another piece on the culture clash between the old and the new in New York City street food.

• The City of San Jose, California has just passed what is called the nation's strictest bag ban. The ordinance will prohibit all retailers except for restaurants and nonprofits from giving out single-use plastic bags, and will only allow them to give out paper bags (which must be at least 40% recycled) for a fee.

• Sustainable transportation news roundup: a census survey released today ranks Portland as #1 of America's 30 largest cities in terms of bicycle commuting, with 6.4% of Portlanders getting to work via bike, a jump of more than 50% since 2007; Streetsblog NYC makes the case for openness in MTA data to improve riders' transit experience; and the feasability study on reinstatement of Amtrak's old Pioneer Route (Seattle & Portland to Salt Lake City & Denver via Eastern Oregon and Idaho) has just been released.  Why is it that highways and airports are never expected to be self-sustaining, while rail transit always is?  It's long past time that we stopped leaving most of the West to the tyranny of compulsory private automobile travel.

• The Bend-La Pine School District in Central Oregon is seeking to make its new elementary school one of the greenest public schools in the nation.

From New Zealand Hoki to Peruvian Anchovy

by: JayinPortland

Tue Sep 15, 2009 at 20:00:00 PM PDT

Each year 30 million tonnes of small wild-caught fish -- one third of the global declared catch -- are ground up to feed industrially farmed fish, chicken, and pigs. In light of widespread overfishing and malnutrition, is it ethical to turn one out of every three marine fish into powdered pig feed?

We were dismayed when we heard that the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) announced recently that the process has begun which could lead to the certification of Peruvian anchovies -- a fish which contributes to about a third of the world's fishmeal production.

The Tyee piece is really worth a read, as it sums up quickly and concisely exactly what the problems are with letting the commercial fishing industry regulate itself, and define what is "sustainable" through the Marine Stewardship Council, a creation of the World Wildlife Fund and Unilever, which just so happens to be one of the world's largest seafood retailers.  The reasoning for Unilever's participation in the creation of the MSC was that...

[Unilever] wanted to source all of their fish from sustainable sources by 2005.

...and since nations are hesitant to get into defining 'sustainable' fisheries, what better way to accomplish that goal than to create an industry certification scheme with a little bit of environmental credibility (teaming up with WWF) to do your bidding?  WalMart, btw, is also currently basking in the MSC's "green showers" for much of the fish that they sell.

At first, MSC was only able to certify small, actual sustainable fisheries using real science.  Of course, that didn't aid in reaching industry's goals (which are unsustainable by definition - there is simply no possible way for corporations whose only concern (by law) is profit, to be able to work with the earth at the expense of a few pennies for shareholders)... so MSC has lately been acting as a Rubber Greenwashing Stamp for Big (Sea)Food.

There's nothing at all "sustainable" about grinding up millions of tons of fish for animal feed, when such fish could of course just be used to feed people in the first place.  Especially in Peru, where the anchovy caught just off their coast could go quite a way towards eradicating hunger and malnutrition amongst the Peruvian people themselves, in a much more efficient manner than turning the fish into pellets or powder for industrial pig and salmon farms thousands of miles away ever could.

"Maybe if we run into the wall from this angle..."

by: JayinPortland

Thu Sep 10, 2009 at 14:56:22 PM PDT

The world's insatiable appetite for fish, with its disastrous effects on populations of favorites like red snapper, monkfish and tuna, has driven commercial fleets to deeper waters in search of creatures unlikely to star on the Food Network.

One of the most popular is the hoki, or whiptail, a bug-eyed specimen found far down in the waters around New Zealand and transformed into a major export. McDonald's alone at one time used roughly 15 million pounds of it each year.

[...]

The problems, [Peter Trott, the fisheries program manager in Australia for the World Wildlife Fund] said, include population declines, ecosystem damage and the accidental killing of skates and sharks. He added that New Zealand hoki managers let industry "get as much as it can from the resource without alarm bells ringing."

The hoki is used to make the Filet-o-Fish sandwich at McDonald's (there is actually some fish in there, I guess!), as well as being a regular 'guest' on menus at Long John Silver's, Denny's restaurants in New Zealand (Denny's is in New Zealand?  Sorry, mates...), amongst others.  

Another part of the story here is the recertification of the fishery as sustainable in 2007 by the MSC, over the objections of the World Wildlife Fund, one of the council's initial founders -

Without formally acknowledging that hoki are being overfished, New Zealand has slashed the allowable catch in steps, from about 275,000 tons in 2000 and 2001 to about 100,000 tons in 2007 and 2008 - a decline of nearly two-thirds.

Wouldn't such drastic cuts seem to indicate that the fishery was never managed as responsibly as thought in the first place?  It's all about the McMoney, isn't it?  You'd have thought they would have learned their lesson from orange roughy, but I guess not.  Another interesting fact: Yum Brands, the parent corporation of Long John Silver's, included purchase of New Zealand hoki on its corporate responsibility report as an example of their 'sustainability' just last year.  This year, according to the article, the fish is no longer "on the menu".  What a difference a year makes when it comes to industry-defined "sustainability", eh?

Global Illegal Fishing Treaty Agreed Upon

by: JayinPortland

Tue Sep 01, 2009 at 20:00:00 PM PDT

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, which brokered the talks, said the treaty will make it harder for illicit catches to be brought ashore and sold on the market.

This should reduce the incentive for activities such as fishing without a license, using banned gear, disregarding fishing seasons and making catches that are illegal or undersized. Such behavior can threaten endangered species and damage the legitimate fisheries industry.

More below the fold...

Balancing Fisheries on the Backs of Workers

by: JayinPortland

Mon Aug 03, 2009 at 09:07:30 AM PDT

With too many boats chasing too few crab, fishermen started going broke. They also -- literally -- started going under. In the scramble to catch as much of the quota as possible, boats frequently sailed into fierce Bering Sea storms, and some never returned. Between 1989 and 2005, 10 crab boats sank in the Sea, taking 51 men with them. Another 34 men were lost overboard or killed.

Let's talk about this below the fold...

Pew Report on Overfishing Released Today

by: Jill Richardson

Thu Jul 23, 2009 at 09:19:08 AM PDT

From their press release:

Delays in rebuilding translate to lost opportunities for commercial and recreational fishermen to catch the maximum amount of fish that can sustainably be taken from a population.  Failing to quickly address overfishing and allow populations to rebuild as quickly as possible forgoes current financial benefits and may result in more costly regulations in the long-term.

Key findings from the report show that:

• Commercial landings would have increased by 48%, if the four populations had been rebuilt by 2007.  The financial value would be approximately $33.6 million per year in perpetuity.
• Rebuilding would bring an increase in recreational landings of 24% more per year than the status quo management.  The economic value would be approximately $536 million per year in perpetuity.
• These direct economic benefits would also likely generate secondary financial benefits in the Mid-Atlantic region through increased income, sales and jobs from businesses associated with commercial and recreational fishing, including bait and tackle shops.

While this report concludes that we need to take action, it seems that Congress has already done so. In 2006, Congress reauthorized the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, strengthening it to hopefully rebuild fish populations within 10 years. So, in other words, what we've done is too little, too late.

Sampler Platter 06.17.09

by: JayinPortland

Wed Jun 17, 2009 at 10:53:29 AM PDT

• At the Ethicurean, Janet takes us on a tour of Missouri's Heartland Harvest Garden, 12 acres of edible landscaping which officials claim is the biggest such garden in the country.

• A couple of years ago, New Jersey attempted to eliminate its State Department of Agriculture in a shortsighted cost-cutting move.  Terrible idea, and fortunately protests and public opposition ensured that it never happened.  Although New Jersey did eventually lose a great advocate in the process.  Now, California is considering eliminating their Department of Food and Agriculture.  Rose Hayden-Smith believes it's a bad idea.

• A federal prosecutor in Brazil is seeking to ban fast-food toy promotions in the country.

• Since taking office in 2006, Governor Jon Corzine's (D-NJ) Hunger Initiative has meant millions of dollars for state food banks, and fresh healthy local produce for New Jersey's poor.  The program requires food banks receiving funds to prioritize local growers and producers.  The governor was at the Food Bank of South Jersey yesterday, continuing to promote partnerships between food banks and local farmers.

• Despite being sued by two coal companies over municipal ordinances banning coal mining and requiring corporations to disclose their activities to local officials, a tiny Pennsylvania town is refusing to back down.  Its lawyer is predicting this case will eventually make it up to the US Supreme Court in a challenge to corporate "personhood".  In 2006 the town passed an ordinance that reads, in part: "This illegitimate bestowal of civil and political rights upon corporations prevents the administration of laws within Blaine Township and usurps basic human and constitutional rights guaranteed to the people of Blaine Township".  Go Blaine!  (h/t to Anonymous Bosch)

• Here's another great piece on the growing trend of bringing better food to hospitals.  The article goes on to mention that one hospital cafeteria in Burlington, Vermont, which focuses on local seasonal organic produce, has even become a destination for downtown lunch crowds!

• As the old saying goes, denial ain't just a river in Egypt.  Hard to deny these days, though, the drastic changes occurring in the Pacific, much sooner than researchers had expected.

Update: Check this out - seed industry structure charts and graphics

Sampler Platter 06.14.09

by: JayinPortland

Sun Jun 14, 2009 at 17:37:07 PM PDT

• Farmers' markets in Oregon have been affected by the Bush Depression...in a good way.  Record crowds have been counted at markets here in Portland this year, and purchases are up over 20 percent from last year.  Also, people on food assistance have spent almost 3 times as much at some markets as compared to last year, and markets are receiving many more vendor booth applications than they have space for.

• David Suzuki and SeaChoice have teamed up with a regional chain of supermarkets, who will no longer carry yellowfin tuna, Chilean sea bass, orange roughy and other non-sustainable seafood at their 117 locations throughout British Columbia and Alberta, Canada.

• Should the Washington Farmers Market Association allow nuts from around the world to be sold at farmers' market booths?  One local hazelnut grower thinks not.

• "They've survived ice ages, asteroids colliding. They've seen the dinosaurs come and go. And now they're going extinct in unprecedented numbers." - that's Kerry Kriger, founder of Save the Frogs.  They may have met their match in us.  Native amphibians in Oregon are disappearing at an alarming rate.

• The (Vancouver / Victoria, BC) Tyee takes a look at the ongoing battle between two rival forestry certification non profits who certify eco-friendly wood products - the industry-created "Sustainable Forestry Initiative", and the "Forest Stewardship Council", a group formed by environmental activists.

• Nevin Cohen takes a look at New York City's recently unveiled "Food Retail Expansion to Support Health" (FRESH) plan to bring more supermarkets into low-income sections of the South Bronx, Upper Manhattan, Central Brooklyn, and Downtown Jamaica (Queens).

• Big Ag's gonna hate this!  Food, Inc. was the top-grossing independent film at the box office this weekend, finishing ahead of even Francis Ford Coppola's (director of the Godfather trilogy) new film.  Reviews of the film can be found here from Jill and from me.  See it!

Sampler Platter 06.09.09

by: JayinPortland

Tue Jun 09, 2009 at 14:40:54 PM PDT

• Over at Grist, Ken Ward looks at Waxman-Markey, and wonders why American environmentalists "remain irrationally committed to a losing strategy".

• Also from Grist, Sara Barz reviews the new film "The End of the Line", a documentary which takes a look at the impact of overfishing on our oceans.  Looking forward to seeing the film, but unfortunately I don't think I'll be able to make it to the Netherlands or San Diego (or to Seattle, ummm, yesterday...) to catch an upcoming screening...

• A piece from last year from Culinate, but certainly relevant as I sit here sweating buckets while typing - it's time again for cool summer cocktails!  I prefer cold (good!) beer on a hot day for the most part, but a few of those drinks look great.  Matter of fact, I think I could use a Pyramid Apricot Hef.  Or if I was back in Jersey, maybe a Raspberry Wheat Ale from JJ Bitting's.  Also, I just found a cool beer blog that may come in handy on an (eventual) upcoming trip to Vancouver and BC...

• Lol, yeah - I definitely don't want to be known as a "drinkie".  So there's gotta be a better term than "foodie", right?

• I passed on fennel at the market last week, mainly because I don't usually know what to do with it.  Here's a really great-looking parmesan fennel gratin recipe.  (drooling...)  Maybe next week!  

• From Civil Eats, Paula Crossfield and Friends build raised beds on the roof of their 6-story Manhattan walkup.

• Wolves are re-establishing themselves in Washington State for the first time in 70 years, and now environmentalists, government agencies and ranchers are working together to promote peaceful coexistence between livestock producers and the wolves.

Taxpayers To Pay For Cleanup At Criminal CAFO

by: JayinPortland

Fri May 22, 2009 at 12:54:25 PM PDT

A state agency is having 4.5 million gallons of manure removed from an eastern Indiana hog farm that went out of business after being prosecuted for violating environmental laws.

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management faces a possible $400,000 bill to have the manure shipped and treated at an Indianapolis sewage plant, although an agency spokesman said it is seeking payment from the current property owners.

More below the fold...

Sampler Platter 05.21.09

by: JayinPortland

Thu May 21, 2009 at 06:00:00 AM PDT

• Surprise!  A plastics industry-funded study claims that reuseable cloth grocery bags are a threat to their bottom line your health.  The gist of their study?  You can get really sick if you don't occasionally clean them, or if you also use them to carry dirty diapers and gym clothes.  (Note to self: keep soiled diapers separate from strawberries.)  Also, it's dangerous to use them for unwrapped raw meat.  (Btw - you can buy unwrapped raw meat at the grocery store?  Never knew that...)  They also point out that their brand new, single-use plastic bags are sterile and safe.  Natch.  In other news, the fossil fuel industry is going to soon claim that solar power is bad because if you sit in the sun and don't move for hours at a time, you could get a really bad burn.  And wind is just terrible because it can knock things over, and steal children's balloons and stuff...

• Action Alert: Let's ask Congress to put the "health" into health care reform, and increase funding for CDC's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity (DNPAO).  This currently underfunded program provides funding to states for programs like building bike paths, starting up farmers' markets and initiating worksite wellness programs, in order to help prevent many of our diet-related diseases from ever becoming problems in the first place.

• California and Massachusetts have already passed statewide menu labeling legislation, Oregon is just about there, and now New York may become the next state to require chain restaurants (and convenience stores) to post calorie counts on their menus.

• Scientists and recreational divers are teaming up once again to conduct a fish census in the Puget Sound.

• U.S. District Judge James Redden has again told the federal government that their restoration plans for Columbia Basin salmon are too weak.

• A researcher in the Skagit River Delta has just come across a rare find, tidal beavers.  He also found that the beavers build prime habitat for threatened young salmon.

• Curtis Abbey mentioned this the other day, and in case you missed it - video of The Simpsons' take on fast food greenwashing is up at Grist.

Monday Morning Water Cooler

by: JayinPortland

Mon May 18, 2009 at 04:44:46 AM PDT

• India can coordinate a nationwide election for over 700 million eligible voters, yet "the world's largest democracy" doesn't seem to be too concerned with the fact that it still can't ensure access to clean water for its rural poor -

  That incredible coordination doesn't translate to the treatment of water. India still lacks sanitation facilities for about 700 million people. On top of that, 200 million don't have access to drinking water. Those that do have no guarantee it is actually safe.

• Great piece from my old hometown paper, The Newark (NJ) Star-Ledger, on the federal crackdown on oceangoing cargo and cruise ships that use our oceans (because they do belong to all of us...) as their illegal waste dumping grounds.

• The Center for Biological Diversity has filed suit against US EPA under the Clean Water Act for failing to recognize the impacts of ocean acidification.

• A "voluntary" (uh-oh...) plan has been struck amongst six Asia-Pacific nations to protect the threatened Coral Triangle.

• The more things 'change', the more they stay the same.  EPA has just signed off on 42 of 48 new "mountaintop removal" mining permits.  Appalachian Voices provides us a tour of just one such site in West Virginia.

Sampler Platter: "Don't Know What You've Got Til It's Gone" Edition

by: JayinPortland

Fri May 15, 2009 at 05:30:00 AM PDT

• Scientists with kitchen utensils and model-train glue represent the last hope for the Puget Sound's pinto abalone.

• We ain't gonna bring back paradise to the parking lots, but maybe we can make something out of them after all.  I remain a Kunstlerian skeptic about those places; but at least our thinking is on the right track these days...

• The online link is subscription-only, but if you have one Harper's has a great piece this month on Alaska's disappearing salmon.

• The birds and the bees still can't catch a break from DDT.

• Speaking of which, almost one in eight bird species worldwide currently face extinction.

• Yeah, when you're resorting to having to catch, sell and eat the babies of a popular fish species, that probably does not bode well for the future of said species...

• The number of eels in European waters are down by 95% over the last 25 years.

• The oldest surviving human culture in the Andes, who've been around for over 4,000 years, may soon become the latest victims of climate change.

• Let's close this out with a bit of good news - this piece of Ancient Oregon is now owned by all of us, and will be preserved forever.