Programs to bring back populations of large fish, like cod and tuna, often rely on limiting the catch of these species. But restoring large fish also means protecting the smaller fish that they eat.
Herring, menhaden, and sardines are known as forage fish. They feed on ocean plankton and in turn become food for tuna, cod, and other large fish, as well as sea mammals and sea birds. Some small fish are turned into feed for livestock and fish farms. They are also increasingly attractive to people looking for sources of Omega-3 fatty acids in their diet.
A number of health-related websites urge that we eat small fish because they are lower on the food chain than big fish like tuna, therefore less likely to accumulate mercury and other contaminants. These sites also report that small fatty fish are not endangered. But that’s too simple…
A scientific task force recently studied the status of forage fish. They found that they are more valuable as prey for larger fish than as direct catches. When forage fish decline, so do their predators.
The task force determined that we aren’t leaving enough forage fish in the oceans to sustain the sea life that depend on them. They recommend reducing catch rates and limiting fishing near colonies of sea birds and during spawning season, among other things.
It’s challenging to endorse fishing limits when jobs are at stake and it’s hard to find healthy fish to add to our diets. But we should heed the task force’s advice before we face extinctions of both forage fish and their predators.
Web Links
Lenfest Ocean Program’s Forage Fish Task Force Report
http://www.lenfestocean.org/foragefish
Photo, taken on July 12, 2007, courtesy of Jonathan Lundqvist via Flickr.