“Emptied by 2048”: Saving marine and fish resources takes center stage this World Fisheries Day

21 Nov 2023 --- Today marks World Fisheries Day, created to reflect global seafood dependency and human reliance on healthy oceans. Experts hold that understanding humanity’s relationship with the current marine situation is key, noting that the world has moved far from the pre-industrialization era when people believed ocean resources were inexhaustible.

“The world’s oceanic fisheries are predicted to be emptied by 2048, if not sooner, credited largely to overfishing,” Wikus Engelbrecht, communications manager at ProVeg South Africa, tells Nutrition Insight.

“We’re eating more seafood than ever before, and the oceans can only sustain the human population up to a certain point. Commercial fishing also damages the oceanic ecosystem — which acts as a carbon sink and a significant oxygen producer — and threatens rare and endangered species that are often discarded as bycatch that happen to be netted along with target populations.”

According to the organization, unless humans change course, they enter the last generation of major fishing practices and advocate for a plant-based dietary lifestyle, including seafood analogs. 

Nutrition myths about fish
Fish is the most widely consumed source of protein in many regions of the world, particularly in Asia. The demand for fish has increased exponentially because of population growth, while the resource is in decline and intricately tied to environmental degradation.

According to a UN study, more than two-thirds of the world’s fisheries have been overfished or are fully harvested, and more than one-third are in a state of decline because of fish habitat loss, pollution, chemical and waste contamination and global warming.World Fisheries Day turns the spotlight on the state of marine systems every year.

ProVeg advocates for plant-based fish alternatives, disputing popular beliefs that fish is a great source of unsaturated and anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats, beneficial to cardiovascular and cognitive health.

The dietary myth that fish is a healthier protein source than meat has also been disputed and described as a “leading dietary source of dangerous contaminants,” pointing to mercury contamination in many fish sources. For example, a study by the Biodiversity Research Institute in Maine found that 84% of global fish contain unsafe levels of mercury.

“Given that the nutrients offered by eating fish can be obtained from other food sources, it might be time to question whether fish should be considered a healthy food source at all,” Engelbrecht explains.

“High levels of fat and cholesterol and a lack of fiber make fish a poor dietary choice. Obtaining omega-3s from algae or seaweed might be a healthier option, and so too is eating chia seeds, flax seeds and walnuts, among other plant-based examples.” 

Another example cited was the controversy in Japan between the 1930s and 1960s, where large populations of people contracted Minamata Disease, a form of mercury poisoning causing severe nervous system damage. The incident represents a landmark case of industrial contaminants released into the oceans due to poor regulation and monitoring.

ProVeg advocates that algae and seaweed are good alternative sources of omega-3, along with chia seeds, flax seeds, walnuts and supplementation. 

Sustaining the oceans
World Fisheries Day, celebrated globally every November 21, highlights the critical importance of sustaining marine life. Scientists worldwide have raised alarms about the rate at which fish are currently being harvested and unlikely to replenish itself.

The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization’s calculations show that 90% of the global fish population is fully fished, overfished, or in crisis, with these stocks in sharp decline and already maximally exploited. 

Protected species, such as turtles, dolphins and sharks, that are needlessly caught as “bycatch” when trawling for tuna or sardines are a crucial consideration, along with those species on the verge of extinction because of commercial fishing. 

About 96 million metric tonnes of marine life is pulled from the ocean annually, and the global demand is only rising. According to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, fish consumption per capita was about 20 kg in 2017. The main reasons for increased fish consumption are technological developments, rising income and a cost-effective protein source. 

“In the South African context, there has been a further controversy over the past decade with coastal fishing towns losing their inherited territories due to the licenses granted to big commercial fishing corporations that now fully dominate those waters,” says Engelbrecht.

ProVeg recommends exploring plant-based African traditional recipes through The Green Dietitian, for example, where intricate recipes are detailed and codified using local ingredients.ProVeg advocates the plant-based diet in light of global marine degradation which includes bycatch such as jellyfish. 

“Meat alternatives in Africa have been around for centuries and are not a new or Western idea. It’s a long-established reality — not a futuristic hypothetical. As these alternatives largely exist as oral traditions, they are not typically well-known in the mainstream.” 

Support for plant-based fish alternatives
To bolster plant-based lifestyles, ProVeg facilitates a range of vegan events throughout the year, such as VeggieWorld and VegMed and one-off events, such as CEVA training and several symposiums.

In addition, the ProVeg Incubator supports innovative companies in the plant-based space by mentoring early-stage start-ups, consulting for major international supermarket brands and administering the V-Label, which guarantees that a product is vegan or vegetarian. 

“Traditional small-scale fishing as a basic sustenance has always been more sustainable than modern methods, and its role in sustaining rural populations has been historically noteworthy. While the oceans are being hollowed out, fish populations on rivers and lakes may linger, except if you grant the additional global impact of chemical and other pollutants,” notes Engelbrecht.

“The clock is ticking down rapidly, and we’re merely drawing attention to it. Whole food plant-based sources are cheap and easily cultivated. Poorer areas are no strangers to subsistence farming, and in fact, they tend to grow many plant varietals that you are unlikely to find in commercial retail.”

Meanwhile, a study by the University of California shows that many of the world’s largest aquatic food producers are vulnerable to human-induced environmental change, with some of the highest-risk countries in Asia, Latin America and Africa demonstrating the lowest capacity for adaptation. A separate study revealed that climate change-induced loss of fisheries could greatly reduce the availability of all forms of omega-3s.

By Inga de Jong