From various food sources to beautiful views, our oceans have always provided us with a bounty of resources that we need to survive. So it’s imperative for us to start treating this remarkable aspect of our planet with a kinder, more balanced approach. Being selective about the source of our seafood is an excellent place to start. Take a moment to read about the top benefits of eating sustainable seafood to understand why caring about where your food comes from is so crucial.
Contributes to the Ocean’s Health
One of the top benefits of eating sustainable seafood is that, in doing so, you’re improving the health of our oceans. The idea that buying one type of fish over another can positively affect marine life and its ecosystem might seem far-fetched. However, when you choose to purchase seafood that’s sustainably caught or farmed with balance in mind, you refuse to contribute to the gross overfishing problem plaguing the current seafood market. Instead, you’re providing support to those whose mission revolves around the health of the ocean.
For instance, when you purchase sustainable seafood such as stone crabs, you’re choosing to support a fishing method that keeps the crab population alive by only taking what’s needed: the claws. Supporting this kind of thing ensures that, in the long run, more sustainable fisheries have what they need to continue fighting to make our planet’s oceans a little better.
Increases Global Food Security
Eating sustainably sourced seafood can also contribute to an increase in global food security. It’s widely known that over three billion people worldwide depend on seafood of some kind to get the amount of protein and other nutrients they need for a healthy diet. So when you buy sustainable seafood, you’re supporting fisheries and other organizations that work hard to protect future marine life populations.
By doing this, you’re also inherently protecting billions of people’s access to the food they need to be healthy and to avoid hunger. Experts believe that prioritizing sustainable seafood can help us move exponentially closer to eradicating world hunger.
Protects the Planet
Sustainably sourced seafood isn’t just good for us and the ocean; it’s also beneficial to the health of our planet as a whole. To start, most sustainable fisheries and farms use healthier techniques for the animals they harvest. Doing this produces cleaner, more nutrient-rich foods that don’t cultivate as much waste. Just as well, seafood farms generally produce far fewer greenhouse emissions—which are significant contributors to climate change—than land-based farms do.
Furthermore, whether seafood is farmed or caught in the wild, it doesn’t have the same biodiversity risks as agricultural farming. Instead, seafood farming closely aligns with biodiversity and the ongoing health of the oceans and our planet.
So the next time you purchase salmon or lobster, consider where the animal came from and how it was harvested. Taking this extra step can contribute to healthier oceans, less hunger, and a cleaner planet overall.
