How Sustainable is Antarctic Krill as a Raw Ingredient?
- Thread starter RD.
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Hello; Not a happy ending seems correct. Apologies to Ulu but I projected dire consequences back when I was in my late teens & early 20's. In the 70's I had a vasectomy when still in my 20's. For sure radical approach. Sadly, most everything I expected has come about. I missed the timeline by quite a large margin as the process is taking much longer than I expected.
Some strange and unexpected things also have happened. It is not like I had a crystal ball. Another thing I did not expect has been the animosity I have been subjected to by a few. I expected most to not much care or simply think I am nuts. But a few have been angry with my decision. I learned to live with all of such without much worry. I was ready to be happy about it if circumstances had proven me wrong.
I agree with the sad conclusion that there is no good ending to the story. The problem is that curtailing or ending one of these horrid practices that is destroying the world...fishing, deforestation, mining, drilling, agriculture, blah, blah, blah...will negatively affect vast numbers of people immediately, right now, today.
Allowing those practices to continue unchecked will have even worse impacts that affect the whole planet...but that won't happen until tomorrow, or next week, or next year, or in 20 or 50 years time.
It's an easy choice to be made by members of a species with a lifespan of just a few brief decades, only a portion of which places them into positions that can actually have any kind of impact on how society is run.
Allowing those practices to continue unchecked will have even worse impacts that affect the whole planet...but that won't happen until tomorrow, or next week, or next year, or in 20 or 50 years time.
It's an easy choice to be made by members of a species with a lifespan of just a few brief decades, only a portion of which places them into positions that can actually have any kind of impact on how society is run.
Hello; if you mean some of us live on the upper decks of the Titanic, then I do agree.
Soldier flies create vast amounts of feces as they develop from egg to larva to adult. In key soldier-fly-producing countries, this accumulates in dump sites, altering the pH of the surrounding soil and creating acidic geochemical shock waves, which can travel hundreds or thousands of miles and create powerful earthquakes and tidal waves in distant regions.
The soldier flies also consume proteins and other nutrients which could be used to feed even more people...because, of course, we never have enough of those...
It's true; I read it on the internet.
That internet has replaced the "window" we once looked through, whether on the top deck of the Titanic or just in our apartments in some metropolis. The window is now a computer screen, and the view we see is carefully controlled and curated to produce the desired response from the viewers.
Today more than ever...we cannot trust our eyes and ears. How can we possibly trust our conclusions?
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Hello; Could this mean the North Koreans are siloed with regard to news and may think they are better off than the rest of the world?
I consider the internet both a gold mine and a minefield. A person can educate themselves on almost any subject and there are endless opportunities to enlighten oneself, to open and expand your mind, or you can molder and self-pollinate...
Hello; For reasons I cannot defend I continue to watch C-SPAN's Washington Journal in the AM. Largely pointless as seldom is anything learned. The professional politicians and NGO folks spew whatever line is popular at the moment. The line can switch 180 degrees from the same group in almost no time.
The views of ordinary folks who call in are generally very disturbing due to getting so many things factually incorrect. Such is a snapshot of what they think is true or at least is something they will support even if they know a thing is false. I may be giving some more credit than deserved.
I forget what the concept is called but there is a popular idea that there is a lot of good knowledge and understanding in a large group of ordinary people than in some self-proclaimed experts. I have seen such happen on sites like this one in the past. Still happens in the mustang site I visit where we are allowed more freedom of discussion.
A trick to master is being able to sift out the BS away from the gems.
I called into Washington Journal one time so far over the years. It was a morning months ago when the woman who runs PBS was on. The screener who answered quizzed me on my comments. I told her i had been a science teacher who used Nature and such programing in my classroom because of favorable copyright allowed usage. I was put on right away. The topic of the moment was the ongoing bias of PBS & NPR. After i told of using nature programming I stated that unfortunately the programing in general was biased and even the science standards had become degraded. I was hung up on quickly.
I still watch NATURE & such programs even tho I am retired. Where I still using the programs with students it would be necessary to pause at places to have the students do some critical thinking about what was being presented. Almost every program lately tries to imply associations/connections which are tenuous at best. As years went by I started most semesters with a lesson plan about pendulums. such was a good way to introduce critical observation and he scientific method.
PS - I am somewhat astonished several responding to this thread share a similar conclusion to my own about the outcomes of things such as overharvesting. I am also saddened my fears are shared by folks I know are not dummies.
Indeed, an increasingly-difficult and ever-more-essential skill in today's world.
To dream...the impossible dream...
In this scenario, Antarctic Krill will be sustainable, as long as consumers are willing to pay the price of the end product.
Ditto to the other sources of quality marine proteins and fatty acids, such as fish meal. As long as there is money to be made, and the market will bear the cost, the show will go on. Perhaps in a more limited capacity, due to regulations etc, but it will go on.
As soon as the average consumer is no longer willing to pay for the more quality ie expensive raw ingredients, one will start seeing more feed ingredients such as soy, corn, and other terrestrial based sources. It doesn’t seem that many years ago when peas were the latest novel form of protein for fish, now we have black fly larvae, and even forms of algae supplying protein. The reality is, nothing will ever beat a quality marine protein, such as fish meal. Certainly there are numerous lower cost ways to get the job done, but nutritionally better? Not even close.
So at the end of the day, the real driving force behind the harvesting of the oceans protein, will be up to us, the consumers. I suspect that for many folks, at some point it will make more $ense, to eat more peanut butter, hot dogs and beans, vs a fillet of fish, or a beef steak. Hell, for many folks this is already a reality. Keeping fish in a glass box, will be an expense that is out of reach for the average person. Owning a pet dog or cat will follow. At that point, which is beginning to seem like it will be in the near future, the over harvesting of krill in the South Antarctic will be the least of everyone’s worry.
Ditto to the other sources of quality marine proteins and fatty acids, such as fish meal. As long as there is money to be made, and the market will bear the cost, the show will go on. Perhaps in a more limited capacity, due to regulations etc, but it will go on.
As soon as the average consumer is no longer willing to pay for the more quality ie expensive raw ingredients, one will start seeing more feed ingredients such as soy, corn, and other terrestrial based sources. It doesn’t seem that many years ago when peas were the latest novel form of protein for fish, now we have black fly larvae, and even forms of algae supplying protein. The reality is, nothing will ever beat a quality marine protein, such as fish meal. Certainly there are numerous lower cost ways to get the job done, but nutritionally better? Not even close.
So at the end of the day, the real driving force behind the harvesting of the oceans protein, will be up to us, the consumers. I suspect that for many folks, at some point it will make more $ense, to eat more peanut butter, hot dogs and beans, vs a fillet of fish, or a beef steak. Hell, for many folks this is already a reality. Keeping fish in a glass box, will be an expense that is out of reach for the average person. Owning a pet dog or cat will follow. At that point, which is beginning to seem like it will be in the near future, the over harvesting of krill in the South Antarctic will be the least of everyone’s worry.
