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Pastimes : FISH FARMS NEED TO BE THE SIZE OF COUNTRIES -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Elmer Flugum who wrote (10)	1/13/2004 4:05:10 PM
From: maceng2	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 405

Illegal and banned, I like that sentiment. That sentiment stems from the fact that the British Government just love making things illegal and banning them, especially recreational activities. I may not really agree, just think the environment does need as much protection as reasonably possible. Regarding the Hydroelectric powerhouses, if a strong consensus is to be found, we would need an alternate source of electricity. I think few people would want to live with out electricity. The choice is limited. Nukes, Fossil fuels, Wind energy.. Message 19685955 Anyway, back on topic. Numpty news from the Financial Times... Like yeah why not feed the people the farking sardine, anchovy and mackerel instead of wasting 2/3rd of them and boosting the sorry resulting mess with chemicals and anti biotics? There is lots of sea and lakes out there. Much more then arable land. Why not try and get some sustainable natural populations going? Great way to reduce Greenhouse gases. news.ft.com =========================================================== How fish farming could feed the world Published: January 13 2004 4:00 \| Last Updated: January 13 2004 4:00 The latest food scare - about chemical contaminants in farmed salmon - has given shoppers yet another puzzle as they try to buy healthy and nutritious meals for themselves and their families. Early signs are that consumers are taking a sensibly robust attitude, at least in the UK where supermarkets say there has been no decline in salmon sales since Friday, when US scientists warned that farmed fish contain potentially hazardous levels of dioxins and PCBs. Although this newspaper is not qualified to give health advice, it would do most people no harm to take food scares with a big pinch of salt and to eat a varied diet with lots of fruit and vegetables. However, the report from environmental researchers at Indiana University does not deserve to be dismissed entirely as bad science, in the way that producers would like. Beyond the alarmist headlines, the study should focus attention on fish farming, which has become the fastest-growing sector of the world food economy - with production increasing by 11 per cent a year - while attracting surprisingly little public scrutiny. In principle aquaculture sounds like a wonderful way to satisfy the growing global demand for fish while relieving the pressure on wild stocks, which are collapsing in many parts of the world. The fundamental problem is feeding all those captive fish. Carnivorous species such as salmon, trout, turbot, sea bass and cod require a high-protein diet. Today this is supplied mainly by feeding them fish meal made from cheap wild fish including sardine, anchovy and mackerel, which can still be caught in huge numbers near the ocean surface. Each kilo of farmed salmon is estimated to take three kilos of wild fish for feed. This food chain has the unfortunate effect, from the viewpoint of human health, of concentrating dioxins and other cancer-causing pollutants consumed by surface-dwelling fish. Whether the contaminants identified in farmed salmon are hazardous enough to outweigh the benefits of eating fish is doubtful. Even so, salmon would be a healthier meal without them. A more fundamental reason that fish meal should not drive the expansion in aquaculture is that it is ultimately unsustainable. Marine wildlife will suffer terribly if fish such as anchovy become uncommon. Although aquaculture faces many environmental problems, such as the spread of pollution and disease to wild fish, the need to wean itself on to a vegetarian diet is paramount. A priority is to develop more vegetable sources of high-protein feed that can replace the fish meal used for carnivorous species. A more straightforward course is to grow more fish that are natural herbivores or omnivores, such as tilapia, catfish and carp. Governments should find ways of encouraging a sustainable system of aquaculture that can feed the world with fish while safeguarding the marine environment.