Finally MSC certified shrimp/prawn fisheries

Guess I took my eye off this for a while. There are now three certified sustainable shrimp fisheries in the world.

http://www.msc.org/cook-eat-enjoy/fish-to-eat/msc-pink-shrimp/?searchterm=shrimp

Good news, shrimp without the guilt.

Now I just need to find where I can buy them in Hong Kong

The end of the Atlantic Bluefin tuna in sight?

ICCAT, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, is a group responsible for the management of fisheries for tuna and related species in the atlantic ocean. The group has enraged conservationists by setting a bluefin tuna fisheries quota for 2009 of 22,000 tonnes, this is 7,000 tonnes higher than scientific advice. Reports are mentioning that the EU skuppered plans by the US to impose the correct limit.


This is really a horrible situation, the death of a magnificent species is at hand.

My suggestion. Write to Joe Borg, EU Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries and/or ICCAT. Contact details as follows:

Joe Borg email Cabinet-Borg@ec.europa.eu

ICCAT at email info@iccat.int or to the following address

ICCAT SECRETARIAT

Corazón de María, 8.

28002 Madrid,

SPAIN

Interesting articles on this subject at the following URL's
Telegraph newspaper
Treehugger.com

European commission news release. Noticable for not mentioning the scientific advice.

Bluefin tuna in trouble

This is an excellent post from the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Have a look at the video as well:

http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/sfw_sushi_tuna.aspx


I'm sure we all know what a magnificent animal the bluefin tuna is, however it isn't soft and cuddly like a giant panda and doesn't necessarily get the public attention it deserves, but that doesn't mean that they should not be preserved. From an ecological perspective they are an alpha predator and we don't fully understand what effect removing this animal has on the marine environment that we are dependent on.

We need to stop eating endangered species. The Monteray Bay aquarium does a great job of highlighting the seafood to eat and the seafood to avoid.

I have blogged previously about other regional seafood guides. Have a look.

11 pelagic sharks listed as endangered

The IUCN has listed 11 pelagic sharks and rays as threatened with extinction. Pelagic species are traditionally seen as resilient, this study shatters this illusion

Grey reef shark. Not part of this study but also increasingly under pressure from overfishing

Fuller story can be found
Click HERE

We should all reduce waste

This video clip, about reducing our individual wasteful habits, will at first sight seem not related to marine conservation issues. However the huge amounts of plastics and waste thrown into the worlds oceans has a direct and catastrophic effect on the worlds oceans. Plastics are consumed in error and kill multitudes of wild animals. Watch out for the horrific image of the dead bird with its stomach full of discarded cigarette lighters.

Reduction of waste is vital, and not just for reducing the number and size of landfills..

now and then - fishy business

Interesting article in the SCMP last Sunday about the fishing industry in Hong Kong. Details can be found on the livingseas website. by clicking here:

Click here

WWF SOS video

This is worth a watch

Use of Shark products in cosmetics

In an article titled "Unilever ends the use of shark products in its cosmetics" Oceana also point the way to consumers needing to be better informed of what osmetic firms are using in their cosmetics.

Quotation from Oceana
“Oceana is satisfied to see that some of the biggest names in the cosmetics industry are recognizing their corporate social responsibilities and choosing not to contribute to the extinction of these important animals,” said Rebecca Greenberg, a marine scientist with Oceana and coordinator of the shark campaign. “We encourage people to become educated and responsible consumers by asking cosmetic retailers about squalene sources and directing their purchases towards companies that have never used this animal-based product in cosmetics or that have made the decision to replace it.”

Actually I was completely ignorant of this use. But not anymore.

Full article can be found here.
http://www.oceana.org/europe/media/press-releases/press_release/0/746/