Ted Danson started the American Oceans Campaign when he felt like he was making too much money working on Cheers and he wanted to give something back. He and his family had always enjoyed spending time at the beach, and now he’s raising awareness to help save our world’s oceans.
Ten years ago, Danson teamed up with ocean advocacy group Oceanea and they recently released a book together that takes a hard look at how overfishing, pollution, and bycatch are destroying our oceans. Here’s a recent MSNBC interview with Danson about the book and his mission:
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The waste related to seafood is pretty appalling, and it makes me wonder if there’s such a thing as sustainable seafood.
What You Can Do
The major force driving the overfishing problem is our increasing taste for seafood. Yes, we need government action, like Ted Danson mentions in the interview above, but individuals can make a difference, too. Consider eating less seafood or even cutting it out all together. Don’t worry, you can still get plenty of those healthy Omega 3 fatty acids from plant-based foods like spirulina and chia seeds.
If you’re not ready for life without seafood, make sure you’re buying sustainable seafood when you hit the store.
h/t to Peter Levine for this tip!
Image Credit: Creative Commons photo by Alan Light
Sustainability is a concern, as is people’s aversion to “fish”. Chia is a commercially produced crop that can provide your daily Omega 3 requirements. It also is a member of the mint family, so use of pesticides is not required to grow the crop.