The world’s first major documentary about the devastating effect of overfishing premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.

“Overfishing is the great environmental disaster that people haven’t heard about”
– producer George Duffield.

In the film we see firsthand the effects of our global love affair with seafood – from right here on Shem Creek, all the way to the world’s biggest consumers of seafood: Asians, Japan specifically.

The documentary examines the imminent extinction of bluefin tuna, brought on by increasing western demand for sushi; the impact on marine life resulting in huge overpopulation of jellyfish; and the profound implications of a future world with no fish that would bring certain mass starvation.   Read more...

With the tagline “sustainable seafood”, what is there to dislike?

Surely not being clean, or even sustainable – we all want that – but when I see they have partners all across the country, how can they be living up to staying sustainable at all of them?

More power to them – especially after making Newsweek’s “America’s Most Promising Social Entrepreneurs” article – but how does “four full-time “cleanfish evangelists” among his 30-strong staff” make them stay sustainable at every location?

I just don’t get it…

If they do land business here, all it’s going to do is take away from the S.C. fishing industry here on Shem Creek and beyond, and that’s not good for any of us. No, what we need is a return to the little guy, and not more cookie-cutter corporations that take away the heart and soul of this country!   Read more...

Sure, it’s easy to tell the difference between a tuna steak and a fillet of salmon, and even easier, shark vs. grouper or trout, but what about halibut and turbot?

Turbot? Huh? Exactly. That’s what a fish broker just got arrested for after an investigation by NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement. Turns out he was selling turbot – a flatfish native to marine or brackish waters of the North Atlantic – as halibut.

I haven’t tried turbot myself, but fortunately for us here on the East coast, most of his sales took place in Utah and Texas, so it’s a pretty safe bet you’re getting what you pay for here on Shem Creek – and I’ve never heard otherwise.   Read more...

The 5th World Water Forum opened today in Istanbul, Turkey and will continue through Sunday. This is the main international event as far as freshwater is concerned. The event tries to enable participation and dialogue to influence water policy making at a global level, in the hope of a sustainable development going forward. It is organized every three years by the World Water Council, in collaboration with the host country. The Forum’s main theme this year is called “Bridging divides for water”.

There are opposers to the forum though:   Read more...