World Without Fish

An increase in greenhouse gases since the 1800s has increased the Earth’s surface temperature between 0.6°C and 0.9°C. The primary cause of the increase is the burning of fossil fuels and oil products. Still, the grand scale of deforestation—which usually includes burning to clear an area—also emits large amounts of carbon dioxide.

This increase in temperature has already had an observable impact on animals. Kurlansky suggests that most people are familiar with the plight of polar bears losing their habitat as the ice in the Arctic melts, but he points out that fish are suffering, too. One consequence of warmer waters is that fish are moving north in search of cooler waters. This migration can affect the delicate balance of the ocean’s natural order. Not only do fish need a specific temperature range to survive, but they also need a specific salinity. The melting of the ice caps introduces large amounts of fresh water, which decreases the water’s salinity. Excessive levels of carbon in the water may also suppress the growth rate of fish, and lower growth rates correlate with lower egg production and reproduction. As outlined in previous chapters, changes in population like this can be detrimental to a species and send ripples throughout the food chain.

In “The Story of Kram and Ailat: Part 11,” Ailat takes her husband and daughter to meet Frank and Salvy. They no longer fish together and have their own boats. Frank fishes for jellyfish, which have become a popular dish, and Salvy hunts sea turtles, which had been gone for a long time but have now returned because they feed on jellyfish. Everyone heads to the local restaurant for dinner, and Ailat explains to her daughter that when she was little, the birds would try to steal fish right off the plate. The graphic novel ends with Ailat’s daughter asking, “What’s a fish?” (174).

After summarizing his argument and reiterating how complicated the problem has become, Kurlansky issues a call to action and outlines some steps people can take to combat the disappearance of fish due to overfishing, pollution, and climate change.

One of the most important steps an individual can take is to eat fish responsibly. Kurlansky argues that refusing to eat fish doesn’t help because it provides no reward for people who fish sustainably. Eating fish responsibly involves avoiding cheap fish and avoiding new types of fish. A low price is usually a sign of careless fishing, and the emergence of “new” fish can be a sign that an old fish has been renamed to make it more marketable or to mask unsustainable and undesirable fishing practices.

Knowing which fish are caught using sustainable methods takes a lot of work. Consumers need to understand common species and where and how they are caught. One haddock might be “good” while another is “bad,” depending on how and where they were caught. In addition, fish populations fluctuate. With this in mind, Kurlansky provides a few organizations that work with scientists and fishermen to develop ways of monitoring and communicating sustainable fishing practices, such as the Marine Stewardship Council, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Cape Cod Commercial Hook Fishermen’s Association, and the Nature Conservancy. Organizations like these provide information to the public, hold fisheries accountable, and help ensure that fishermen who are fishing sustainably are rewarded.

While fish populations fluctuate as efforts are made to combat overfishing, Kurlansky argues that some species are so threatened that they should never be fished commercially and eaten: sharks, which have few offspring and mature very slowly, and bluefin tuna, which are highly migratory and difficult to regulate internationally.

Finally, beyond being more conscientious consumers, Kurlansky urges individuals to get involved in civic action to bring more attention to harmful fishing practices. Civic action can include organizing picket lines, writing letters to elected officials, and joining environmental groups. Actions like these increase pressure on those responsible for unsustainable fishing and governments that play a central role in regulation. Kurlansky closes the book with one final call to action and compares this fight to social movements of the past in which people used their voices and votes to fight for workers’ rights, civil rights, women’s rights, and others. In each case, change resulted from long-term, patient planning and commitment from determined and courageous people who decided to act.