Food for Thought - Is your fish or shrimp going to give you long life or end it? 3 comments

3 Sep 2007 @ 15:29, by Ned Hamson The global market for fish now means that the shrimp, salmon, sea bass, or cat fish could have begun life on in an Indian, European, or Chinese "farm." Since seafood farming is actually farming of both fresh and salt water species, it's referred to as aquaculture. How much seafood is produced by aquaculture? < http://www.aquaculture.co.il/Markets/world_output.html> In 2003, World aquaculture seafood production contributed about 40 million tons, or about 30% of total World fisheries production of about 130 million tons. A decade ago, aquaculture contributed merely 17 million tons, making it the fastest growing food production branch Worldwide. Where is aquaculture conducted? Almost everywhere, in cold climate developed countries, as well as in tropical climate less-developed countries, over all continents: Asia 37.0 million tons, mostly in China Europe 2.0 million tons Americas 1.2 million tons Africa 0.28 million tons, mostly in Egypt. Fresh water aquaculture: contributes about 58% of World aquaculture output. Marine aquaculture: contributes about 42% of World aquaculture output. What is produced in aquaculture? In developed countries: Salmon, Sea bream, Sea bass, Catfish, etc. In less-developed countries: Marine aquatic plant Kelp, various Carps, Nile Tilapia, oysters various Shrimp species, mostly produced in extensive, low grade systems. OK - sounds good - so what's the problem? 1. Remember the recent rounds of problems with Chinese exports to the US? Now, the Chinese are just as good a people as any other... but just as bad too. 2. Raw and greed-based capitalism could well lead Chinese producers of much of the shrimp now being sold in the US to be as unethical as those who poisened pet foods and slipped lead into the paint of children's toys. 3. Seemingly beneficial traditional integrated farming methods of the Chinese may become the source of mutating a new flu pandemic or other animal to human pandemic disease transfer. Integrated farming of fish and livestock: [link] Integrated farming of fish and livestock is an old practice consisting of the culture of fish (or shrimp) associated with the husbandry of domesticated animals such as pigs, ducks, chicken, etc. The aim of integrated farming is the recycling of animal wastes (faeces, urine and spoiled feeds) to serve as fertilizers, and sometimes as food for fish raised in ponds, enclosures and cages. Food for thought eh?

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