With world populations rising, the pressure on our planet, specifically our ocean, is at an all-time high. Billions of humans across the globe depend on sustenance from the ocean for their survival. The ocean could, and should, be a renewable source of food if we harvested the appropriate amount. Instead, humans have produced corrupt corporations, unregulated fisheries, pirates of the high seas, endless kinds of pollution, climate change, and uninhabitable habitat, and dumped them right into the ocean. We need to do something now if we want the ocean to provide for future generations.
I have two kids, and I want them to experience the same joy and bounty of the ocean that I have in my lifetime on Planet Earth. I also want to impart to them that each of us individually can make a difference for the collective betterment of the only planet we have. In the spirit of Earth Day, I want to share some of the steps I personally take, and around which I’ve tried to build my family’s business.
First: Read the labels on your food. Take note of ingredients, where the product is from, its nutritional value, and whether the ingredients are good for your health and for the health of the planet.
Second: Buy from smaller businesses closer to home. Large corporations with big box stores built on convenience create the demand that creates slave labor and other inhumane practices. And they’re often the same brands whose “sustainability” stickers serve up a false narrative. Supporting local businesses helps the local economy, and the smaller network of vendors ensures transparency and the confidence in your food sources.
Third: Take a stand where you can — against companies who support illegal fishing, shark finning, and the continued killing of whales and dolphins. Lots of great organizations lead efforts to stop these practices, such as Greenpeace, Patagonia, and Ocean Conservancy.
Fourth: Reach out to your politicians and make sure they know your position on important social and environmental topics. Political offices keep a record of their constituents’ calls and how they’ve voiced their opinions on one side or the other. You can enter your address at OregonLegislature.org to find your state and federal elected officials and their contact info. If you’re like me and demand that companies be denied political entrenchment and insulation from democratic principles in favor of harmful policies, let your officials know.
Fifth: Be conscious to use less plastic overall, and to wash and reuse plastic that you do have: plastic bags, food containers, etc. It’s well established that plastic ends up in the ocean and basically never goes away. It only breaks down into smaller and smaller particles, particles that are ingested from the smallest members of the food chain, all the way to us. The oil industry exploits the cheap cost of manufacturing plastic but completely ignores its immeasurable cost in the long run. They’ve even tried to convince us that it’s recyclable. When NPR and PBS Frontline investigated what they found to be a propagandist lie, they began their story here in Oregon. The trouble with plastic is not in some mythical distant time or place, it’s right here all around us.
Sixth, about seafood specifically: Learn who is doing what with farm-raised seafood. It’s true that many aquaculture operations practice the same environmentally degrading commodity production as land-based operations: cheap ingredients with little nutritional value, the addition of hormones and antibiotics, products with toxic residues and environmental pollutants. Gross, right? However, some companies make the effort to do the right thing, to produce fish humanely and operate responsibly with consideration for their impact on Mother Earth. Of course wild fish is always better, but there aren’t enough wild fish to feed the world. It’s imperative that we ensure farm-raised fish operations operate in a manner that can both feed people healthy nutritious protein and respect the planet.
Seventh, and lastly: Consider climate change in your everyday life. We all have small everyday conveniences that add to the large human impact on climate change. Try to ride a bike once per week (or more), take a cool shower once per week, don’t eat meat once per week, reuse and recycle whenever possible. Every little effort counts.
We can do this, and now is the time to do it. We must find the inspiration, the motivation, the activation. If not now, then when? Climate change is real, human pressure on our planet is serious, and we have the ability to join together, dig deep, and make grassroots efforts to be better for our bodies and better for our planet. Let’s all take steps in the right direction, it feels right, it’s better for the planet and better for our bodies. Onward and upward! Cheers, lyf
Sustainable Fishmonger 
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