Sophie Paridon
Blog 2C

 Unaddressed Ethical Issues Could Destroy Our Ecosystem

Within the food industry, fish are a common choice among consumers due both to their health benefits as well as their high availability. Stores commonly carry fish, ranging from fresh salmon to canned anchovies. Similarly, most menus in restaurants now make fish options available. However, there is a list of sustainable fish that affects fishing in the fish industry. If specific seafood is rare and their species is in danger of going extinct, they will not be placed on this list, but rather placed on the “fish to avoid” list. However, if a certain type of seafood is plentiful and sustainable, they are added to the list of sustainable fish, which make them openly available for fishing and selling to customers for food. In addition, the Marine Conservation Society publishes seafood advice, advising customers which seafood they can eat regularly, on occasion, or rarely at all based on their availability.

The ethical dilemmas that people in the food industry must face are whether or not they follow these guidelines, as well as how to fish in a way that will not destroy the ecosystem. There are some fish that are recommended not to overfish in fear that they will soon be added to the list of “fish to avoid because of the pressure on stocks and threats to other species in the food chain such as marine birds” (Smithers). This is important since the Food and Agriculture Organization reports “that nearly 70 per cent of the world’s fish stocks are now fully fished, over-fished, or depleted”. However, it is thought that if supermarkets start to only demand sustainable fish that “the fishing industry and politicians will rapidly act to ensure that fishing practices are improved (“Catching”). There is also an ethical dilemma in the way that fisheries are fishing. It is important to fish in ways that protects the environment and the fish and avoiding fishing methods that cause pollution, which is common in fish farms. Fisheries should never dump their gasoline, oil, or trash in the water. However, this is a common issue and the ethical debate within the fish industry has been gaining popularity. With the issue of overfishing and pollution, this is not only an issue for fisheries, but for customers as well. The ecosystem may take a deep spiral downwards if these ethical dilemmas are not addressed.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/feb/08/farmed-oysters-menu

http://www.fintalk.com/resources/general/etiquette.html