Families enjoy looking at jellyfish, which are abundant, during their visit to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. (Gabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty Images)
The aquarium has for years been researching the oceans and how they can be improved. The Oct. 21 report, “Turning the Tide: The State of Seafood,” says that the ocean’s ecosystems are improving and that it’s likely there will be more fish swimming around.
This is a result of both better fish farm management and consumer commitments, the report says.
There are also countertrends which threaten fish numbers, however, including climate change. Commercial fishing and fish farm mismanagement will also pose major risks if they become widespread.
Over the last century industrial-scale fishing has caused many species to dwindle, including whales, manatees, sharks and turtles. Wildlife unintentionally caught in the nets of fishing boats is also a significant problem, the report says, citing 250 threatened species.
Other more novel initiatives are meant to further the aims of the report, too.
These include a “Save Our Seafood” program, which asks top chefs to pledge avoiding certain endangered species to protect the oceans.
A Super Green list of fish was also introduced, supposed to include those farmed with the ecoysystem in mind, and which are also healthful. The Super Green list was developed by the Harvard School of Public Health and the Environmental Defense Fund and will be updated every two weeks.
The list includes Albacore tuna from British Columbia, farmed mussels, pink shrimp from Oregon, and wild-caught salmon in Alaska.
Demand for seafood is constantly growing, the report says, with supply from fish farms not able to meet demand. In 2009 farmed fish for the first time became a larger source of food than that caught in the wild.
"Our Seafood Watch initiatives address the most critical issues raised in 'The State of Seafood' report," the aquarium's Executive Director Julie Packard said to reporters at the California Science Center. "They give everyone—from consumers to chefs to major seafood buyers—an opportunity to be part of the solution."
The report “will contribute to this movement as a benchmark of where we are, and a roadmap of where we're going,” she said.
