Two days shy of the summer solstice, Balboa Bay gleams in endless variations of silver and gray.
“We’ve seen whales swim right up to the side of the boat.
We know we are blessed.”
Nearby, sea hawks circle and dive.
“That means the fish are here,” Rotter says as we maneuver toward a smaller three-man boat.
The Rotters will bring the salmon to the docks.
Although the family has a license to catch salmon, their boat isn’t licensed for cod.
What would happen if fishermen were free to grab up whatever they liked, whenever they liked?
Even if you’re not a seafood fan, you have reason to worry.
Fish are more than food, Palumbi explains; they are a key player in the delicate marine ecosystem.
On both U.S. coasts, bacteria-laden water has forced beach closures.
Despite the stakes, the fishing industry is emptying our oceans.
But what can one health-conscious, green-loving person do about it?
I went 4,000 miles, boarding biplane and boat, to find out.
Halfway up the hill is a small white cottage with a falling-down sign: alaska sh and game.
Inside, I meet Aaron Poetter, area management biologist for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
Poetter’s job is to count not only what fish are caught but also those that get away.
Only if escapement goals are being met does Poetter give the green light to fishermen to drop their nets.
Aleutia puts all the profits back into the community to support programs that protect coastal resources.
Not every corner of the Alaskan fishing industry is so idyllic.
At a different processing plant, I saw giant tanks of dead pollack sitting in refrigerated seawater for days.
Americans gorge on importsincluding shrimp, eel and many kinds of tunathat are endangered species in the wild.
An all-you-can-eat seafood menu is as much of a horror to Pauly as serving up panda paws.
Salmon is a case in point.
Farming, or aquaculture, would in theory seem a way to protect ocean life.
But that’s not how it works in practice.
In close quarters, the fish often become infested with bacteria and parasitic sea lice.
Farmed salmon eat pellets made from fish further up the food chain that have more PCBs and other chemicals.
I’m tempted to decide that no farmed fish will cross my lips.
But of course, the issue is complicated.
Salmon farmers stand by the safety and healthfulness of their product and practices.
Yet Chinese-farmed tilapia earns an “avoid” rating from Seafood Watch.
But which other fish?
The choices are overwhelming and the labeling inconsistent and even outright fraudulent.
“The fish sections of supermarkets are the Wild West, where anything goes,” Nestle says.
This is one place where you better find a seller you trust."
“What really works is shaming the big wholesalers,” Pauly says.
“Then those companies influence the producers.”
Its system isn’t perfect, it seems, but it’s also not nothing.
When the big fish bounce back, it can be a tipping point that restores the entire ecosystem.
It blooms with productivity and life."
It’s impossible to make the ideal choice every time.
But we can attempt to make better choices.
None of us should.
Photo Credit: William Curtsinger/National GeographicStock
