Brian Halweil's blog
by Brian Halweil on October 17, 2007
I
took particular interest in the recent U.S. scandal involving a seafood industry front group recommending that pregnant women eat
more fish, despite existing concerns about high mercury levels in some species.
by Brian Halweil on September 21, 2007 The most inspiring thing I’ve read lately about the oceans is “10 Solutions to Save the Ocean,” a series of short, upbeat, and to-the-point essays in the latest issue of Conservation magazine.
by Brian Halweil on August 7, 2007 The recent New York Times op-ed suggesting that local food isn’t the be-all and end-all of sustainability generated quite a bit of discussion around the Worldwatch office. Many of us who are committed to eating local food agreed with the author—himself an admitted locavore—on many points.
by Brian Halweil on July 23, 2007 At a potluck dinner last night, in the midst of local skirt steak, Montauk scallops, a frittata made with the year’s first potatoes, and a salad made with the year’s first tomatoes, the conversation naturally turned to the origin of our foods.
by Brian Halweil on April 12, 2007 As the U.S. Congress debates the latest version of the Farm Bill, it can be hard for someone who isn't a farmer or doesn't live in a farm state to understand what's at stake.
by Brian Halweil on April 12, 2007 A couple of recent studies indicate that climate change is already reducing crop yields around the world, and has reduced the global food harvest by about 40 million tons a year over the last 20 years. This is a small fraction of the 2 billion tons harvested in total. But it still represents a few billion dollars and is even more costly to the farmers who are hardest hit by drought, flooding, or extreme heat and cold.
by Brian Halweil on March 15, 2007 A must-read report by Ussif Rashid Sumaila and Daniel Pauly of the University of British Columbia's Fisheries Center, entitled "Catching More Bait: A Bottom-up Re-estimation of Global Fisheries Subsidies," estimated "conservatively" that governments give fishing fleets between US$30–34 billion per year, nearly double the prevailing World Bank estimate of US$14–20 billion.
by Brian Halweil on March 8, 2007 The new issue of Ambio, a journal of the human environment, summarizes findings from scientists around the world showing how widespread mercury contamination is in major fish supplies.
by Brian Halweil on February 27, 2007 Eating right for the oceans isn't always easy. A colleague at the Sea Around Us Project out of the University of British Columbia just wrote an interesting essay on why choosing sustainable seafood isn't enough to save the world's fish.
by Brian Halweil on February 23, 2007 Last year, a team of marine scientists reported that if current fishing practices continue, the world's major fish populations would be effectively extinct by the middle of the century. In light of these challenges, last week the National Fisheries Institute, the leading advocacy group for the U.S. seafood industry, "spun" a panel on fisheries at the AAAS Annual Meeting in San Francisco, pointing to "the enormous potential for sustainable growth of healthy farmed seafood production, notably through advancements in feed efficiency and the ability to expand production in marine environments."
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