Is Fish Farming Our Future?

Sustainability. Isn't that what we're all shooting for? Defined as a process or state that can be maintained at a certain level indefinitely. Indefinitely means forever or for a long time, no end defined. In advocating sustainable food we are attempting to create and support environmental stewardship, farm profitability, and prosperous farming communities. In doing so we are ensuring the future of our healthy food will be there when we need it. Sounds logical, right? But for some reason, not everyone is catching on.

So what do we do about the sustainability of our oceans and it’s living organisms? I mean, we continue to pollute it with oil spills, trash, toxic waste, etc, let alone over fishing it to the point that we are actually running out of fish! A 2003 study in the journal, Nature, reported that up to 90 percent of the stocks of the ocean’s major predators (Atlantic cod and blue fin tuna) have been wiped out. NYTimes


How has it gotten to this point? Tuna fish was once considered “Chicken of the Sea” because it was so plentiful and in high demand as the chickens running amuck our dry land today. Oh, how these days have passed. If the whole world stopped eating fish for two years, maybe even just one, there would be a chance our fish populations could possibly bounce back. The chances of that happening? Slim to none. Instead of fisheries slowing down their production, they’re going to whatever extremes necessary to make their money now, before there’s nothing left at all.

Commercial fishing, once viewed as a proud job, was passed along family businesses from generation to generation. Those days are coming to an end because of the bad rap the fishing industry has created from pollution and bycatch (unwanted fish and animals caught). Let's look at some of the more well-known techniques; “trolling”, “longlining”, “hook and line caught”, and of course the now taboo method of “dredging”. The latter, dredging, is when farmers drag a heavy frame with an attached mesh bag (the dredge) along the seafloor to catch bottom-dwelling shellfish. Some dredges have metal “teeth” along the base of the frame that act like a rake. Dredges cause significant habitat damage as they destroy all flora and fauna in its path and smooth out sandy and muddy bottom habitats, as well as catching bycatch. If you want to learn more about these issues, visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium site.

Longlining sometimes gets confused with “Hook and Line Caught”. But don’t be fooled by their similar names. Hook and Line is the old-fashioned and trusty way of using a single line with one or two hooks and bait. As each caught is made, its wound in where the fisherman can quickly release unwanted catch from their hooks, keeping what they’re after. There is no habitat damage and the possible bycatch are released. The other technique, longlining, is a fish line that can be 1 mile to 50 miles long and is pulled alongside the boat for hours. Sea turtles, birds, sharks, and other fish are accidentally caught, killed unnecessarily, and end up being pulled along side for hours at a time.

Farming, another taboo word could possibly be our temporary answer. If we can learn to harvest wild fish sustainably then we will have succeeded in something we have failed at on land: finding a balance with a naturally productive ecosystem. We first need to be able to differentiate salmon farming and it’s foul history from the new possible standards. Salmon farming has given rise to numerous controversial issues including what is being fed to these fish, how it’s transmitted to our bodies, what it’s doing to our economy, and how it’s polluting our natural waters. PCB (polychlorinated biphenyls, a toxin) is found in all fish, but when the farmed salmon are fed fish pellets (ground fish meal and oils made from fish) their whole life, their numbers of PCBs are much higher than wild salmon which only start to feed on other fish with PCB as they are mature adults. Before the wild salmon have grown large enough to feed on small fish, they feed on tiny crustaceans called krill. These crustaceans have naturally occurring pigments that give salmon their beautiful orange color. Farmed salmon never have the opportunity to feed on krill, only being fed fish meal their whole lives, so their natural color is an unattractive gray color. Who wants to eat gray salmon?? They are in turn fed artificial pigments inside their meal in order to turn their flesh orange. Kinda gross, no?


In What to Eat, author Marion Nestle goes into great detail about our fish farming problems. She explains that along with the pollution from the waste of the farmed salmon spilling into our waters and harming the wild life, the salmon often escape their pins entering the natural waters. They can then mate with other types of salmon, spawning mutant species. If their levels of PCBs are higher than normal already, then they're introducing more toxins into the waters to be eaten by other fish. And, in case you're curious, just a few of the terrible health conditions that result from extreme exposure to PCBs include skin problems, reproduction difficulty, mental and physical developmental delays, and behavior problems. Scientists are still uncertain to what the small amounts of PCB found in wild fish will do. Hmm.



There are fish farms out there that are attempting to make a difference in the farming industry. Kona Kampachi of Kona Blue for example, a cousin of the Japanese Hamachi, similar to Hawaii’s Amberjack, has been farmed a half mile off the coast of Hawaii for a few years now. Cages that are 200-250 feet under the water hold fish that are kept and fed until they're mature enough, and in high enough demand, to sell. Hatching actually begins on land from a stock of fish caught off the coast and brought into holding tanks until they’ve become acclimated enough to start spawning. The eggs are then carefully transferred to the on-land hatchery until hatched where they are fed plankton for three weeks. Then the fish are weaned on to pellet-feed, made from vegetable-based proteins, PCB and hormone-free fishmeal, and fish oil. They are then transferred to the open waters where strong currents keep the fish moving and happy with minimal environmental issues. If any fish do escape during the exchanges, there is no risk in harming other wild fish in the open waters because they are not genetically modified and these are their natural waters.

Offshore fish farming is still really new so there’s no track record yet on the environmental issues. Up to this point fish farming has been done incorrectly and created more harm than good. But there is such a thing as sustainable farming and I think it can be pulled off in the fish industry, as well. At this point I believe we should be open to this idea as our oceans are in critical times and in danger of being wiped clean. At least until our wildlife can make a come back. If we can farm turkeys on land for our massive consumptions during the silly holiday, "Thanksgiving", then we should be able to consider fish farming a safe means, as well.

Top 11 Reasons to Buy Local

Everywhere we go food shopping these days we keep hearing about the importance of buying local foods. There are some obvious reasons an average everyday shopper can speculate to why, but what are really some of the reasons? I came across a cool site, Local Foods SF, where they stated their top reasons along with other important terms about farming.


1. Locally grown food tastes better. Food grown in your own community was probably picked within the past day or two. Produce flown or trucked in from other locations are quite understandably, much older. Several studies have shown that the average distance food travels from farm to plate is 1,500 miles.

2. Local produce is better for you. A recent study showed that fresh produce loses nutrients quickly. Food that is frozen or canned soon after harvest is actually more nutritious than some "fresh" produce that has been on the truck or supermarket shelf for a week. Locally grown food, purchased soon after harvest, retains its nutrients.


3. Local food does not require excessive use of our fossil fuels. Something as simple as buying tomatoes off season from Mexico is requiring an absurd amount of gasoline just to get it here. Shipping food across the country uses 17 times as much fossil fuel and emits 5 to 17 times as much carbon dioxide (the major greenhouse gas causing global warming) as distributing food within a local system.

4. Local food preserves genetic diversity. In the modern industrial agricultural system, varieties are chosen for their ability to ripen simultaneously and withstand harvesting equipment; for a tough skin that can survive packing and shipping; and for an ability to have a long shelf life in the store. Only a handful of hybrid varieties of each fruit and vegetable meet those rigorous demands, so there is little genetic diversity in the plants grown. Local farms, in contrast, grow a huge number of varieties to provide a long season of harvest, an array of eye-catching colors, and the best flavors. Many varieties are heirlooms, passed down from generation to generation, because they taste good. These old varieties contain genetic material from hundreds or even thousands of years of human selection; they may someday provide the genes needed to create varieties that will thrive in a changing climate.
This is Broccoli Romanesco grown on our farm in Hollister, CA.

5. Local food is GMO-free. Although biotechnology companies have been trying to commercialize genetically modified fruits and vegetables, they are currently licensing them only to large factory-style farms. Local farmers don't have access to genetically modified seed, and most of them wouldn't use it even if they could. A June 2001 survey by ABC News showed that 93% of Americans want labels on genetically modified food - most so that they can avoid it. If you are opposed to eating bioengineered food, you can rest assured that locally grown produce was bred the old-fashioned way, as nature intended.

6. Local food supports local farm families. With fewer than 1 million Americans now claiming farming as their primary occupation, farmers are a vanishing breed. And no wonder - commodity prices are at historic lows, often below the cost of production. The farmer now gets less than 10 cents of the retail food dollar. Local farmers who sell direct to consumers cut out the middleman and get full retail price for their food - which means farm families can afford to stay on the farm, doing the work they love.

7. Local food builds community. When you buy direct from the farmer, you are re-establishing a time-honored connection between the eater and the grower. Knowing the farmers gives you insight into the seasons, the weather, and the miracle of raising food.

8. Local food preserves open space. As the value of direct-marketed fruits and vegetables increases, selling farmland for development becomes less likely. You have probably enjoyed driving out into the country and appreciated the lush fields of crops, the meadows full of wildflowers, the picturesque red barns. That landscape will survive only as long as farms are financially viable. When you buy locally grown food, you are doing something proactive about preserving the agricultural landscape.

9. Local food keeps your taxes in check. Farms contribute more in taxes than they require in services, whereas suburban development costs more than it generates in taxes, according to several studies. On average, for every $1 in revenue raised by residential development, governments must spend $1.17 on services, thus requiring higher taxes of all taxpayers. For each dollar of revenue raised by farm, forest, or open space, governments spend 34 cents on services.

10. Local food supports a clean environment and benefits wildlife. A well-managed family farm is a place where the resources of fertile soil and clean water are valued. Good stewards of the land grow cover crops to prevent erosion and replace nutrients used by their crops. Cover crops also capture carbon emissions and help combat global warming. According to some estimates, farmers who practice conservation tillage could sequester 12-14% of the carbon emitted by vehicles and industry.

11. Local food is about the future. By supporting local farmers today, you can help ensure that there will be farms in your community tomorrow, and that future generations will have access to nourishing, flavorful, and abundant food. Buy local food. Sustain local farms.