I was talking to a friend the other day when I mentioned that I had just purchased sea bass to cook for dinner. She told me that sea bass was endangered and that I shouldn’t be buying it. I purchased the fish in a large supermarket chain, not off the back of a truck, so I didn’t see how that could be true. It never occurred to me that we would be allowed to purchase fish that were endangered. But, we are. This is what I have since found out.

•    commercial fisheries have drastically reduced fish populations and as a result altered the world’s marine ecosystems
•    most fisheries are poorly managed
•    fish stocks have been fully exploited (52%), over-exploited (16%), or depleted (7%)

What this all means is that we are taking more out of the ocean than what the ocean can provide, while sustaining itself. If we continue along this course the ocean will no long be a viable sustainable food source and we will destroy the marine ecosystems. In order to stop this progression we will have to change our approach to seafood. Of course this will require a concerted, cooperative effort involving governments, retailers, and individuals. However, the only control that we really have is our own behavior. We need to start making conscious choices when we shop for fish and seafood. Before we make changes we need to have the tools to make those changes.

Here is a list of endangered fish.

Instead of buying an endangered fish switch to these environmentally fish

If we all do our part we can preserve the ocean’s ecological balance and enjoy eating sustainable fish or shellfish instead of endangered species.