Fish

[S]

I never imagined that my first post to this board could possibly get me banished forever, but I feel very passionate about this and will suffer the consequences. Before I begin I feel that I should first give you my credentials for the following statement. In a few months I will have my doctoral degree in Marine Science. Also, I teach Oceanography at the local college. Therefore, I am up to my nose in the current literature pertaining to the marine environment.
Here is my point...
I read a post earlier stating that "there are currently no species of swordfish or sharks on the threatened or endangered list."
These lists do not apply to marine species because it is hard to know the baseline data.
Functionally, all commercial marine fishes are threatened- I know of no sustainable fishery at present harvest levels. ALL BILL FISHES ARE EXTREMELY OVERFISHED AND SHOULD NOT BE PURCHASED. There is only 1 species of swordfish (Xiphias gladius) and it too is highly overfished. The average size of the swordfish has decreased to the point that we are now consuming juveniles that have never spawned. Next in line as far as endangered goes: orange roughy, cod, all deep-water flatfishes, all but the small coastal sharks, and bluefin tuna. Last
year was the first record of a marine fish extinction - the barndoor skate of the North Atlantic. I saw 6 of them in a fish market in
Scotland 4 years ago. Now they are gone. Boy, this is depressing. On the lighter side, striped bass, red drum, and snook have made nice recoveries in their respective environments. In my opinion, the only fish that is PC to eat are catfish and Tilapia grown in landlocked aquaculture facilities. If you are interested, the NY Times has a website containing a "red list" of threatened
marine fishes.
Thank you for listening to this and please take it to heart. Each individual can make a difference
Anyway, FOOD FOR THOUGHT!

[Vanessa]

Thank you S. I found your post very informative and I was not aware of this going on. Maybe you could contact someone in the news that woould bring to light this story. I know that 20/20, 60 mins and even newscenters are watched by many and reach many so this information can come across.
Thank you

[MrsReber]

S, thank you for your post. I myself don't eat fish at all (any kind, except minced clams in clam sauce or canned tuna), but I am well aware of the situation as my husband and I love to fish. I know you are right about the billfish. I have been hearing about the swordfish for some time now and I am surprised that they still offer it in restaurants. It is a shame to read about the marlin being killed in certain countries, too. I was under the impression it was all tag and release and then we started getting a sport fishing magazine. They encourage people, when taking out a charter boat off of certain islands in South America and maybe the Caribbean as well, to make sure that the crew is going to release the fish before getting on the boat. Many times they keep the fish in order to make more money. The current restrictions on fish size should be an indication to people that there is a problem. The size limits keep increasing each year for fluke and flounder along with other fish. Yes, due to certain restrictions on sizes and number of fish you can keep, the striped bass have made an incredible comeback and there is an abundance of them in the northeast. Thanks for bringing an important issue to the BB.

[Jeanne G]

S,
WOW!
Thank you for the informative update. I'm surprised more people have not replied ? When you talk about 'fish' does that also include 'shellfish'? As in shrimp or scallops? This is depressing but worth knowing!!
Jeanne