Recently I commented that what I miss from my fishing days, was that a the of my working day, I could look down to the fish hold and see food for thousands… now I just click “save” on my computer, and put it to sleep.
This made me realize, again and again, something that is so easy to forget and seems to be mostly missed in the discourse around fisheries that is overwhelmingly focused on the resource, sustainability side with an overreliance to see people in fishing as greedy environmental (and otherwise) criminals or just pure victims.
We don’t fish to pile it somewhere… we fish because people that do not catch fish do like eating fish… and is really good food!
These aspects of fish as good food seem to be particularly blurred in developed nations (that are the buyers of over 80% of the fish produced by developing nations)
Back when fishing, it was an epiphany for me to realise that once the fish is on deck, isn’t just fish anymore… is food, and as such a whole different regulatory, scientific and operational world opens… and one that wasn’t worked out much on fishing vessels since the people in that world tends to be food scientists, veterinarians, microbiologists and so on… not really fisheries people… even if all starts in a fishing boat.
So during my early years as a consultant, as an immigrant, I had to find a work niche that wasn’t taken by many established consultants… and absolutely no one that knew fishing from the inside was working on the “fish as food” area… particularly when it became a market access issue via food safety, country competent authorities and the lot… so besides getting good work I also did my 2nd MSc.
Anyway… my 1st love was always fishing, so once established… I moved away because also during those years I trained and worked a lot of good people that stayed into that area, and are doing a great job.
S when this little paper came to my attention today in a miserable Wellington sunday while i’m at the airport, is juts to good to not write something about it and promote it.
The main author Catherine (Chengchu) Liu, Ph.D. starts from the challenging presmise that "not eating enough seafood" is the leading seafood problem in the USA (And also asume that it would extend to most developed countries) In order to address this issue, she recently wrote a chapter entitled "Seafood and Health: What You Need to Know" for a book "Advances in Food & Nutrition Research". It was just published online by Elsevier. The publisher provides 50 days' free access to this chapter.
Anyone can access it by clicking on the link below before June 25, 2021. https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1d0vi3jGE%7Eq8yo
I personally think that those of us working in the fishing side should actually quote parts of papers like this more often… as it is a fundamental reason of why we fish and we need to get it right.
I just quote the abstract and conclusions, but have a go to the whole paper, even if it is “USA centric”
Abstract
Seafood, including fish and shellfish, provides an ideal package of nutrients and is an important part of a healthy diet. Strong evidence has shown that eating fish and otherseafoods improve brain, eye, and heart health. The new 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) recommend that Americans of all ages should eat more seafood—at least twice a week—particularly pregnant women and young children. However, less than one in five Americans heed that advice. About one-third of Americans eat seafood once a week, while nearly half eat fish only occasionally or not at all. This calls for a drastic shift in the American diet to vary protein sources and include more seafood products in order to receive the most health benefits. This chapter covers (1) seafood nutrition and health benefits, (2) seafood’s protective effects against mercury toxicity, (3) selenium health benefit values (HBVs), and (4) challenges and opportunities for seafood production, demand and sustainability. This chapter aims to convey recent advances in science-based information to increase public awareness of seafood safety, nutrition and health benefits of seafood as part of a healthy diet, and to advocate healthy eating with smart food choices by promoting two servings of seafood per week. This will support the healthy eating patterns and promotes a minimum two to three servings of seafood recommended by the current DGA.
Conclusions
The benefits of seafood consumption are observed in improved neurological health and development, as well as in the protection of cardiovascular and ocular health. Increased seafood intakes are associated with reduced cancer incidence and diminished development of neurodegenerative diseases.
While public awareness has previously focused on Hg exposures, advances in understanding emphasize the need for ensuring adequate intakes of seafoods. (My blog posts on Mercury in tuna, are some of the most visited… with over 25000 visits over the years)
Although fish and shellfish may contain microbial or chemical contaminants, evolving scientific understanding has revealed that far greater health risks accompany the nutritional deficits that arise from the inadequate seafood intakes of U.S. consumers. The adverse effects of seafood deficient diet include diminished child neurodevelopment, increased risk of cardiovascular, ocular, cancers, and neurodegenerative diseases and disorders.
Previous public health campaigns were successful in urging caution but now that the assumed risks have been found to be largely absent while substantial beneficial effects accompany ocean fish consumption, outreach efforts are required to overcome the mistaken ideas developed from decades of largely inaccurate public assumptions.
Comprehensive communication Public health policy makers and regulatory agencies need to become aware of the environmental significance of multiple concomitant exposures to metallic and organic soft electrophiles and the importance of Selenium rich seafoods in providing far-ranging benefits. There is an urgent need to improve seafood consumption during pregnancy and childhood to ensure future generations receive health benefits and enjoy longer, healthier lives.