P.N.ZOYTLOW

Special to P.N. Zoytlow’s Blog extraordinaire

A Word or Two from the SAB

[Sardine Advisory Board]

THE SAB, meeting in bloated plenary session in May, 2021 at an undisclosed location, voted 17-3 to include information on threats to sardines due to whatever causes could be blamed as long as the SAB itself remained innocent. Please recall: the SAB encourages appreciation of sardines, but not wanton gorging. However, mindful of awareness of human depredations on the planet, the SAB agreed to look into the matter of:

SARDINE  SUSTAINABILITY

As long as people have celebrated sardines, there have been few worries about demand outstripping supply. We consume them with impunity in much the same way as we consume many natural products. Since they are inexpensive, this supports the impression of plentyBut is this a responsible attitude to take? Are we exempting sardines from our concerns over many other edible species? 

A recent documentary, Seaspiracy, available on Netflix, was suggested to the Sardine Advisory Board member (M). Well worth watching. This 90-minute film will have you questioning the health of fish stocks in the world’s oceans. And the larger question is: can we continue to consume fish at the rate we are doing so now? Or is it time to declare a moratorium on all fishing until adequate stocks reappear and can be carefully managed?

A widely-available brand of sardines, Seasons, places the word sustainable on every package:Seasons elaborates on the meaning of sustainability on its website.

http://www.seasonproducts.com/sustainability/

NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency, has a role to play in monitoring the health of fisheries, though these are probably most focused on American waters. 

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/topic/sustainable-fisheries

While both commercial sardine fisheries and government give the impression that we can manage fish stocks, other sources are less reassuring:

Science Line, https://scienceline.org/2019/11/no-such-thing-as-sustainable-fish/

Oceanic Society  https://www.oceanicsociety.org/resources/what-is-sustainable-seafood-and-how-do-i-choose-it- 

Mother Jones  https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/04/sardines-overfishing/ 

Have you narrowed the problem down to you and the sardine? We humans too often ignore that the smaller fish are part of a food chain, i.e., other species are involved. The entire ocean should be viewed as a network of dependency. Overfish, and you distress that network. 

All of which may be leading to a word that you may not have seen since Economics 101: TANSTAAFL. Meaning: “There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.” Ignore the cost of that can of sardines; we are talking about global costs here. And TANSTAAFL.