{"id":32788,"date":"2019-04-25T12:04:26","date_gmt":"2019-04-25T10:04:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.faithful-to-nature.co.za\/blog\/?p=32788"},"modified":"2019-04-25T12:04:26","modified_gmt":"2019-04-25T10:04:26","slug":"should-we-still-eat-seafood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.faithful-to-nature.co.za\/blog\/should-we-still-eat-seafood\/","title":{"rendered":"Should We still Eat Seafood?"},"content":{"rendered":"

From kicking off the summer holidays enjoying good old fish-and-chips at Cape Town\u2019s <\/span>famous Kalky\u2019s<\/span><\/a> to giggling with the girls while sipping bubbly and snacking on salmon roses, seafood certainly holds a special, somewhat celebratory, place in our culinary culture. <\/span><\/p>\n

Plus, opting for \u2018the fish\u2019 instead of tucking into a juicy steak, eases the conscience of many meat-eaters for both health and ethical reasons. <\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s slowly starting to change, however, as the dire reality of dwindling fish populations, <\/span>plastic pollutio<\/span><\/a>n and <\/span>climate change<\/span><\/a> are pushing us to rethink our fondness for sushi-soaked date nights and the comfort of deep-fried hake. <\/span><\/p>\n

Global demand for seafood in 1960 saw a population of 3 billion consuming an average 10kg of seafood per person per year; and with 2018\u2019s \u00a0global population of 7.4 billion, this stat doubled to an average of 20kg per person per year according to the FAO. Double the demand in only 60 years. <\/span><\/p>\n

According to the <\/span>Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO<\/span><\/a>), fish accounts for 17% of the global population\u2019s intake of animal proteins. While certain coastal communities, who rely on seafood for subsistence, simply don\u2019t have a choice, many of us do\u2026 and it\u2019s our responsibility to make the right one.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGlobally and locally, overfishing and illegal fishing are among our biggest environmental challenges,\u201d says WWF\u2019s Southern African Sustainable Seafood Initiative (WWF-SASSI)<\/span><\/p>\n

Currently, 33.1% of global marine fish stocks are overfished and 59% fished at <\/span>maximum sustainable levels<\/b>, as fisheries aim to satiate the world\u2019s growing appetite for seafood. <\/span><\/p>\n

Perhaps the best way to understand this conundrum we find ourselves in is to delve a bit deeper into a few of the forces driving seafood consumption and explore some counter-arguments. <\/span><\/p>\n

SEAFOOD: ESSENTIAL TO A HEALTH DIET <\/b><\/em><\/h1>\n

While there are many factors that have driven the increase in demand for seafood, one of the most prominent could be the fact that fish is touted as the healthiest choice when it comes to animal protein. <\/span><\/p>\n