Many species of fish spawn in the Gulf of Mexico in early summer, and the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster threatens to decimate already vulnerable populations of Atlantic fish.
Female bluefin tuna instinctively return to areas of the gulf to lay their eggs every year. Yet these breeding grounds have been fouled by oil, and any oiled fish eggs or larvae have little or no chance of survival. The bluefin has already been severely overfished, but international efforts of protection have been stymied by high demand. Bluefin tuna are prized for their meat, and an individual fish can fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars in Japanese fish markets.
And the bluefin is not the only fish threatened by the April 20 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon rig. It’s more important than ever for seafood lovers to think carefully about where their fish are coming from in the wake of the spill.
Consumers first have to answer the basic question of whether a fish in the supermarket comes from a farm or whether it was caught in the wild. Although whether domesticated or wild fish are better for the environment depends on the species, and both sources of seafood can have serious ecological implications.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: The Center For American Progress.
Photo by Chris Park, Associated Press