As you all know, Jason is not telling the world to boycott fish. For those of us who like to eat fish two days out of the week, we should be looking for sustainable fish at the grocery store and restaurants.
What is sustainable fish? The Seafood Watch from the Monterrey Bay Aquarium (www.http://www.mbayaq.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch ) defines sustainable seafood as "seafood from sources, either fished or farmed, that can exist over the long-term without compromising species' survival or the health of the surrounding ecosystem is sustainable."
So, Now that you know what type of fish to eat, the second question is WHERE DO I FIND IT?
Look for the fish with the ecolabel! The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC, www.msc.org) is an independent, non-profit organisation that provides a solution to the problem of overfishing. Its blue eco-label can only be used on products from fisheries that have been independently assessed and meet the MSC’s standard for a sustainable fishery. If you are concerned about overfishing and its environmental consequences, choose seafood with the MSC eco-label when you are shopping. The eco-label provides assurance that the product originated from a well-managed fishery and has not contributed to the environmental problem of overfishing.
In February 2007 nearly 500 sustainable seafood products bearing the blue MSC eco-label were on sale in 25 countries around the world. See http://eng.msc.org/html/content_531.htm for stockists of MSC labelled fish.
Check out www.msc.org. If you don't find your favorite grocery store on their list of "Where To Buy", write a letter to the CEO. Tell them you want them to stock the GOOD FISH!
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Thursday, February 22, 2007
OVERFISHING NEWS
Overfishing is a catastrophic problem that few people know about. It's hard to find a villain to blame. Fishermen have fished for thousands of years. They're doing what their fathers and grandfathers did. A mom going to the grocery store to buy a can of tuna to make sandwiches for her children is not out to destroy tuna. Yet, millions of fishermen and billions of moms are permanently eliminating our ocean's fish.
The BBC ran an excellent story last November in which it looked at a report from Dalhousie University in Canada concluding that there will be "virtually nothing left to fish from the seas by the middle of the century if current trends continue." Pause, and imagine what that would be like.
Steve Palumbi of Stanford University said, "This century is the last century of wild seafood." Read the whole sad story, and then read CNN's summary by numbers of the report.
Yes, the report from Dalhousie sure was a doozy. So much so that Dr. Simon Cripps, Director of the World Wildlife Fund's Global Marine Program said, "For centuries people have regarded the ocean as an inexhaustible supply of food, but in recent years human actions have finally pushed oceans to their limit. This study confirms the scale of the oceans crisis. Governments and industry must act or we'll reach the point of no return for fisheries and the marine environment."
Read the WWF's urgent update.
I'm afraid that Dr. Cripps and the rest of us are doomed to disappointment in governments and industry. One reason Jason wrote No Fish In My Dish is that he lost faith in the world's policy makers to act in time. They will continue doing the wrong thing until it's too late. That's why we need to focus on the consumer side of the problem. Eat fewer fish! That's the answer.
The latest evidence of policy makers letting fish down comes from Brussels, where the EU Fisheries Ministers just set 2007 quotas that are "worse than ever," in the words of Oceana. Ricardo Aguilar, the Research Director of Oceana Europe said, "It's incredible and incomprehensible how Ministers continue to play politics when our fish stocks are in serious trouble."
Folks, it's no joke. The ocean's fish are disappearing. Mr. Aguilar referred to the Dalhousie report when he said, "Only last month an important scientific study outlined how fish stocks risk global collapse if fisheries continue to be managed as they are now. How can Ministers continue to ignore this -- do they really want to be responsible for future generations living in a world of empty oceans?"
Read Oceana's brief on this disaster.
If you're still up for it, there's a lot more. Fill your mind and raise your consciousness by reading: Overfishing facts from Greenpeace About how even fish themselves are already starving, What the National Coalition for Marine Conservation is doing, The Marine Conservation Network's report on bycatch and its elegant 16-page look at the state of America's oceans
Like to eat fish? Don't we all. Luckily, with my solution, you still can. No Fish In My Dish urges you to refrain from eating fish for just five days per week. That leaves two guilt-free fish-eating days on the calendar.
On those other two days, though, you should still be careful about what goes down the hatch.
To help you make gracious decisions, here's Seafood WATCH from the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Do your part. Read the book. For five days a week, don't eat fish. Tell others about this site. Join the no fish list.
The BBC ran an excellent story last November in which it looked at a report from Dalhousie University in Canada concluding that there will be "virtually nothing left to fish from the seas by the middle of the century if current trends continue." Pause, and imagine what that would be like.
Steve Palumbi of Stanford University said, "This century is the last century of wild seafood." Read the whole sad story, and then read CNN's summary by numbers of the report.
Yes, the report from Dalhousie sure was a doozy. So much so that Dr. Simon Cripps, Director of the World Wildlife Fund's Global Marine Program said, "For centuries people have regarded the ocean as an inexhaustible supply of food, but in recent years human actions have finally pushed oceans to their limit. This study confirms the scale of the oceans crisis. Governments and industry must act or we'll reach the point of no return for fisheries and the marine environment."
Read the WWF's urgent update.
I'm afraid that Dr. Cripps and the rest of us are doomed to disappointment in governments and industry. One reason Jason wrote No Fish In My Dish is that he lost faith in the world's policy makers to act in time. They will continue doing the wrong thing until it's too late. That's why we need to focus on the consumer side of the problem. Eat fewer fish! That's the answer.
The latest evidence of policy makers letting fish down comes from Brussels, where the EU Fisheries Ministers just set 2007 quotas that are "worse than ever," in the words of Oceana. Ricardo Aguilar, the Research Director of Oceana Europe said, "It's incredible and incomprehensible how Ministers continue to play politics when our fish stocks are in serious trouble."
Folks, it's no joke. The ocean's fish are disappearing. Mr. Aguilar referred to the Dalhousie report when he said, "Only last month an important scientific study outlined how fish stocks risk global collapse if fisheries continue to be managed as they are now. How can Ministers continue to ignore this -- do they really want to be responsible for future generations living in a world of empty oceans?"
Read Oceana's brief on this disaster.
If you're still up for it, there's a lot more. Fill your mind and raise your consciousness by reading: Overfishing facts from Greenpeace About how even fish themselves are already starving, What the National Coalition for Marine Conservation is doing, The Marine Conservation Network's report on bycatch and its elegant 16-page look at the state of America's oceans
Like to eat fish? Don't we all. Luckily, with my solution, you still can. No Fish In My Dish urges you to refrain from eating fish for just five days per week. That leaves two guilt-free fish-eating days on the calendar.
On those other two days, though, you should still be careful about what goes down the hatch.
To help you make gracious decisions, here's Seafood WATCH from the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Do your part. Read the book. For five days a week, don't eat fish. Tell others about this site. Join the no fish list.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
ANNOUNCING NEW PARTNERS
Things are really moving here at No Fish. The support that we have been receiving is mind blowing. It is wonderful to see so many people from so many parts of the world to come together to support one cause: SAVING THE WORLD'S OCEANS, ONE FISH AT A TIME!!
REEF RELIEF is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to Preserve and Protect Living Coral Reef Ecosystems through local, regional and global efforts. Reef Relief's mission is to:
OCEAN Magazine is a celebration of our earth's water - its beauty, resources, wildlife - where treasures of the sea exist bountifully but not infinitely.
I would like to announce our new partners:
and
REEF RELIEF is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to Preserve and Protect Living Coral Reef Ecosystems through local, regional and global efforts. Reef Relief's mission is to:- Increase public awareness of the importance and value of living coral reef ecosystems
- Increase scientific understanding and knowledge of living coral reef ecosystems
- Strengthen grassroots community-based efforts to protect coral reef ecosystems
- Design, develop, and help implement marine protected areas associated with coral reef ecosystem
- Encourage and support eco-tourism as part of sustainable community development that protects and preserves coral reef ecosystems
- Strengthen our organizational capacity to carry out our mission
Check out their website at http://www.reefrelief.org/
OCEAN Magazine is a celebration of our earth's water - its beauty, resources, wildlife - where treasures of the sea exist bountifully but not infinitely. The ocean, despite its vast power, is fragile. OCEAN is also about protection of the earth's water - its environment, ecology, health, and conservation. Oceanic resources are intrinsically linked to our continued existence.
OCEAN Magazine publishes articles, stories, essays, poems, and photography about and of the ocean - observations, experiences, scientific and environmental discussions - written with fact and feeling.
Please visit OCEAN Magazine at http://www.oceanmag.org/
Please extend a warm welcome to our new partners and visit their websites!
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
NEW FISH WELCOMES WILDCOAST
Jason and I would like to welcome the folks at Wildcoast, www.wildcoast.net . WiLDCOAST has partnered up with No Fish to help save the world, one fish at a time.
WiLDCOAST protects and preserves coastal ecosystems and wildlife in the Californias and Latin America by building grassroots support, conducting media campaigns and establishing protected areas.
Some of their programs are:
Clean Water Now
Clean Water Now! is the rally cry for thousands of coastal residents in south San Diego County and Tijuana who are demanding an end to the ocean pollution threatening their way of life. It is time for our elected officials and policy makers to support a real comprehensive solution to this pollution. Clean Water Now! is the rally cry for thousands of coastal residents in south San Diego County and Tijuana who are demanding an end to the ocean pollution threatening their way of life. It is time for our elected officials and policy makers to support a real comprehensive solution to this pollution.
Laguna San Ignacio
Laguna San Ignacio, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is home to sea turtles, peregrine falcons, ospreys, and hundreds of thousands of migratory waterfowls and shorebirds, and is the last undeveloped gray whale birthing lagoon on the planet. Laguna San Ignacio is part of a 248-mile-coastline wetland complex that includes intertidal mudflats, salt flats, sandy beaches, and mangroves. This wetland complex is a global treasure and one of the world’s most biologically significant coastal sites.
Sea Turtles
Sea turtles have existed on Earth for more than 150 million years, meaning that they co-existed with dinosaurs. There are seven species of sea turtles, five of which spend long periods on Mexican coasts, especially on the coasts of the Baja California peninsula.
They come from places as far as Japan, southern Mexico and Hawaii. Sea turtles symbolize SURVIVAL, if they survive our destructive and ethnocentric civilization, all other species can survive as well.
Defiende el Mar
Defiende el Mar (Defend the Sea) is a movement in which all individuals, organizations and communities play a very important role. Everyone should be a part of it. We all need to have a basic knowledge of what is happening in our oceans, so we can take action and defend the sea
Check out thier blog at:
http://www.wildcoast.net/site/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=135
WiLDCOAST protects and preserves coastal ecosystems and wildlife in the Californias and Latin America by building grassroots support, conducting media campaigns and establishing protected areas.
Some of their programs are:
Clean Water Now
Clean Water Now! is the rally cry for thousands of coastal residents in south San Diego County and Tijuana who are demanding an end to the ocean pollution threatening their way of life. It is time for our elected officials and policy makers to support a real comprehensive solution to this pollution. Clean Water Now! is the rally cry for thousands of coastal residents in south San Diego County and Tijuana who are demanding an end to the ocean pollution threatening their way of life. It is time for our elected officials and policy makers to support a real comprehensive solution to this pollution.
Laguna San Ignacio
Laguna San Ignacio, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is home to sea turtles, peregrine falcons, ospreys, and hundreds of thousands of migratory waterfowls and shorebirds, and is the last undeveloped gray whale birthing lagoon on the planet. Laguna San Ignacio is part of a 248-mile-coastline wetland complex that includes intertidal mudflats, salt flats, sandy beaches, and mangroves. This wetland complex is a global treasure and one of the world’s most biologically significant coastal sites.
Sea Turtles
Sea turtles have existed on Earth for more than 150 million years, meaning that they co-existed with dinosaurs. There are seven species of sea turtles, five of which spend long periods on Mexican coasts, especially on the coasts of the Baja California peninsula.
They come from places as far as Japan, southern Mexico and Hawaii. Sea turtles symbolize SURVIVAL, if they survive our destructive and ethnocentric civilization, all other species can survive as well.
Defiende el Mar
Defiende el Mar (Defend the Sea) is a movement in which all individuals, organizations and communities play a very important role. Everyone should be a part of it. We all need to have a basic knowledge of what is happening in our oceans, so we can take action and defend the sea
Check out thier blog at:
http://www.wildcoast.net/site/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=135
NO FISH TO TRANSLATED
Hi All,
I have exciting news. No Fish In My Dish (www.nofishinmydish.com) is being translated from English to Japanese. This is almost finished and will be available on the website in a matter of days!
Also, we are planning on translating the book into Spanish, French, German, and Chinese.
If you want to see it in another language, other than what is listed above, just contact me at darci@nofishinmydish.com and I will get started on it.
Thank you all for your continued support!
Darci Escandon
Publicist
"No Fish In My Dish"
www.nofishinmydish.com
darci@nofishinmydish.com
I have exciting news. No Fish In My Dish (www.nofishinmydish.com) is being translated from English to Japanese. This is almost finished and will be available on the website in a matter of days!
Also, we are planning on translating the book into Spanish, French, German, and Chinese.
If you want to see it in another language, other than what is listed above, just contact me at darci@nofishinmydish.com and I will get started on it.
Thank you all for your continued support!
Darci Escandon
Publicist
"No Fish In My Dish"
www.nofishinmydish.com
darci@nofishinmydish.com
Monday, February 19, 2007
"No Fish" Update
This past week was a great one for "No Fish". Our email list is growing and we have a partner in Shark Trust.
Established in 1997, the Shark Trust is a UK registered marine conservation charity dedicated to promoting the study, management, and conservation of sharks, skates and rays (elasmobranchs) in the UK and internationally. The Shark Trust is led by a Board of Trustees, who oversee a small but dedicated Conservation and administration team, a voluntary Scientific Committee and a growing number of committed supporters.
Their website is cool, with excellent photos, tons of information, games, and an innovative Adopt a Shark program. Visit the home page at www.sharktrust.org.
We look forward to a long and prosperous partnership with Shark Trust.
Also, we are pleased to have an agreement in place with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (www.aza.com) that will enable us to use their logo on the book, donate a percentage of the profits to their cause, and display the book in gift centers at member zoos and aquariums.
The PDF Version of the book is now available online. Just go to www.nofishinmydish.com and select the option, "Read the Book". Click on the "See it in Adobe PDF" and Voila! Now you can download the book via Adobe Acrobat and read it to your children, grandchildren, friends, co-workers, boss, doctor, lawyer, congressman, publisher, etc...
Stay tuned for more "No Fish" Updates.
Darci Escandon
Publicist
"No Fish In My Dish"
www.nofishinmydish.com
darci@nofishinmydish.com
Established in 1997, the Shark Trust is a UK registered marine conservation charity dedicated to promoting the study, management, and conservation of sharks, skates and rays (elasmobranchs) in the UK and internationally. The Shark Trust is led by a Board of Trustees, who oversee a small but dedicated Conservation and administration team, a voluntary Scientific Committee and a growing number of committed supporters.
Their website is cool, with excellent photos, tons of information, games, and an innovative Adopt a Shark program. Visit the home page at www.sharktrust.org.
We look forward to a long and prosperous partnership with Shark Trust.
Also, we are pleased to have an agreement in place with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (www.aza.com) that will enable us to use their logo on the book, donate a percentage of the profits to their cause, and display the book in gift centers at member zoos and aquariums.
The PDF Version of the book is now available online. Just go to www.nofishinmydish.com and select the option, "Read the Book". Click on the "See it in Adobe PDF" and Voila! Now you can download the book via Adobe Acrobat and read it to your children, grandchildren, friends, co-workers, boss, doctor, lawyer, congressman, publisher, etc...
Stay tuned for more "No Fish" Updates.
Darci Escandon
Publicist
"No Fish In My Dish"
www.nofishinmydish.com
darci@nofishinmydish.com
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Is This The Last Century For Fish?
I visited the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo a few years back and was amazed at how many fish it processed in a single day. I asked myself, "How many fish can there be in the ocean?" I decided to check.
Not enough, it turns out. With the people population growing every year and the fish population declining every year and our ways of catching fish improving all the time, it was obvious that the fish couldn't last forever. In fact, that's true.
I discovered that a number of excellent books have been written on the subject of overfishing. Studies have been commissioned. Speeches have been spoken. Laws have been passed. Yet, the fish population keeps declining.
Existing material isn't working. As long as there's a market for fish, the fish will be caught. The only way to stop the depletion is to slow the buying of fish. My target became not the supply side of the problem, but the demand side. If people slow their buying, the industry will slow its catching.
Next, I had to come up with a solution. Just telling people to stop eating fish entirely wasn't reasonable. Fish are too much a part of human culture. I decided that eating fewer fish was the answer.
If we refrain from eating fish for five days a week, that'll be enough to let the populations catch up to healthy levels again. At the very least, they'll stop swimming toward decimation.
Finally, how to get that message to a world unaware of the problem? A simple book that rhymes, I decided. Another in-depth book wouldn't work. They hadn't before, why would mine be any different? I needed an entertaining book, with cute illustrations, and a story simple enough that a child could understand it. It would need to be short to get the message across quickly. Also, it should not target any specific country or culture. It should be universal.
That's the book I wrote and illustrated, and made available to you on this site. The characters have no names. They are not Chinese, American, or Japanese. They are all of us, because all of us together are causing the problem. My hope is that you:
* WILL take the book's message to heart
* WON'T eat fish for five days a week
* WILL join the no fish list
* WILL tell Darci your publicity ideas
* WILL spread the word to others about this powerful little book and its message
One day, when the book is picked up by a major publisher and featured on prime time television (thanks to Darci), you can say you saw it here first.
Why is that cool?
Because I'm still looking for a publisher and it's going to take a massive interest from good folks like you to convince a marketing department somewhere that this book is a good investment. Thanks to the internet -- and good people like you -- we have the power to make this important message known and to save the world's fish before it's too late.
Thank you for your interest!
Not enough, it turns out. With the people population growing every year and the fish population declining every year and our ways of catching fish improving all the time, it was obvious that the fish couldn't last forever. In fact, that's true.
I discovered that a number of excellent books have been written on the subject of overfishing. Studies have been commissioned. Speeches have been spoken. Laws have been passed. Yet, the fish population keeps declining.
Existing material isn't working. As long as there's a market for fish, the fish will be caught. The only way to stop the depletion is to slow the buying of fish. My target became not the supply side of the problem, but the demand side. If people slow their buying, the industry will slow its catching.
Next, I had to come up with a solution. Just telling people to stop eating fish entirely wasn't reasonable. Fish are too much a part of human culture. I decided that eating fewer fish was the answer.
If we refrain from eating fish for five days a week, that'll be enough to let the populations catch up to healthy levels again. At the very least, they'll stop swimming toward decimation.
Finally, how to get that message to a world unaware of the problem? A simple book that rhymes, I decided. Another in-depth book wouldn't work. They hadn't before, why would mine be any different? I needed an entertaining book, with cute illustrations, and a story simple enough that a child could understand it. It would need to be short to get the message across quickly. Also, it should not target any specific country or culture. It should be universal.
That's the book I wrote and illustrated, and made available to you on this site. The characters have no names. They are not Chinese, American, or Japanese. They are all of us, because all of us together are causing the problem. My hope is that you:
* WILL take the book's message to heart
* WON'T eat fish for five days a week
* WILL join the no fish list
* WILL tell Darci your publicity ideas
* WILL spread the word to others about this powerful little book and its message
One day, when the book is picked up by a major publisher and featured on prime time television (thanks to Darci), you can say you saw it here first.
Why is that cool?
Because I'm still looking for a publisher and it's going to take a massive interest from good folks like you to convince a marketing department somewhere that this book is a good investment. Thanks to the internet -- and good people like you -- we have the power to make this important message known and to save the world's fish before it's too late.
Thank you for your interest!
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