In the icy silence of the ocean, in the sea of Bering, off the Alaska, huge industrial ships such as theArctic Storm and theArctic Fjord Networks fall into the sea that extend up to 500 meters in length. Their size is impressive, as well as the amount of fish they manage to capture.
Their goal is in fact precisely to capture the Alaska codone of the most requested fish in the world, which in our part we find in many frozentes, in the famous sticks and in fillets packaged in supermarkets.
The images of the collection that run on the web, however, make you think: while the industry celebrates this fishing as one of the most “efficient” in the world, The environmental reality is much more dramatic.
Networks that touch the bottom: invisible but permanent damage
Although the law requires the use of devices to avoid accidental capture of protected species, such as the Salmon Chinookthe nets often end up for crawl on the seabed. This direct contact causes:
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The “sustainable” fishing paradox
Many labels in supermarkets define this fishing as “managed in a sustainable way“But what does it really mean? Sustainability cannot be reduced to the amount caught: it must also take into account the overall ecological impact.
A goal as long as five football fields that scrapes the seabed, even if “regulated”, remains a gigantic ecological problem. Especially if we think we are plundering the oceans for a product often intended for fast food.
To protect the sea of Bering-one of the most productive and delicate ecosystems on the planet-it is not enough to talk about quotas and anti-bycatch devices. A paradigm change is needed, such as rethinking industrial fishing techniques, favoring low impact methods; Investing in truly sustainable food alternatives and also demanding transparency on what ends up in our dishes.
Because every time we choose a fillet of fish, we are also deciding what kind of ocean we want to leave to future generations.
