At the Intersection of Activism & Commerce

Sometimes I wonder if all the signs I see of increased awareness of ocean-health issues are simply a function of my own interest in the subject. I had an interesting conversation with a young man this week that suggests the subject really is gaining traction.

"And now," this man in his early 20s said, somewhat skeptically, "we're supposed to stop eating fish because the oceans are running out. It's always something."

I contrast this young man's skepticism with a different kind of skepticism from my 75-year-old Dad. After sitting through the film The End of the Line, my Dad - a lifelong fisherman - said, "The problem with this kind of movie is that you're preaching to the choir. The only people watching it are people who already know and care about the problem."

Add to these two different brands of skepticism the fact that this week's Science study on the state of the world's fisheries is being reported on in mainstream news magazine Time (Can the World's Fisheries Survive Their Appetite?).

I don't know what exactly it all says, but I think it says something.

Maybe it says the marine-activist world has begun to make enough of a dent in our collective consciousness -- allowing the idea that the condition of our oceans IS a problem to start to take hold -- to believe we may be on the verge of a shift in values. When a new value emerges, the material expression of that value is: What will I pay for it?

For the activist, the cost of building awareness is time and energy -- the anticipated payoff tends to be far enough off that the activist may never see it in his or her own lifetime. The activist plants seeds for trees whose fruit and shade he or she may never enjoy.

Enter commerce: We are not yet selling social or environmental responsibility, but the IDEA of social or environmental responsibility. We are willing to pay for the belief or the perception that we are being responsible. Witness the oohs and ahhs over putting bamboo floors and hemp throw rugs in a 3,000-square-foot McMansion with two Hummers in the garage. Witness greenwash. Witness "body wash" (ie., liquid soap) in plastic bottles invoking the pure ocean on their labels.

But something is happening. Time finds overfishing worth writing about. The great Pacific garbage patch is becoming part of ordinary conversation. People seem to know about shark finning and the environmental damage it causes.

Concern about sustainability has even reached the sushi world.

Something's happening.

People's values are getting involved. When people value ocean friendliness, their economic behavior will shift. They will buy (or not) differently than they did (or did not) before.

Are you ready for this?

Sustainable Sushi Gains Traction - What's Next?

Excitement throughout the Twittersphere over the decision by West Seattle sushi bar Mashiko to use only sustainably sourced seafood (read article), combined with growing outrage and disgust at Nobu's reiteration of its noxioux bluefin tuna policy ("It can be sourced legally, people want it - so why not sell it?"), bode well for the future of sustainable seafood. If the sushi set can be swayed to sustainability, we're well on our way.

More and more restaurants are following the lead of sustainable seafood champions like Casson Trenor and removing endangered fish from their menus. Still, high-end restaurants like Nobu continue to sell bluefin tuna, Chilean seabass, and other endangered species (basically because they can). Kudos to Casson and to Mashiko's Hajime Sato, not only for behaving responsibly but for recognizing and helping to enlarge the market for sustainable seafood. From where the Sea E O sits, this is a business opportunity that is not going away any time soon.

Do you have a favorite restaurant that sources its seafood responsibly? Help them succeed by letting us spread the word.

Okay, So The Sea Suite Doesn't Suck...

....at least according to the three people who responded to our little survey. Well, our traffic numbers show nice growth in traffic, so I will keep plugging away and hope to stir up interest. In the meantime, please don't hesitate to provide feedback, on or offline.

Thanks to the three who responded (you know who you are) and to all our friends and visitors.

Are You an Ocean-Friendly Entrepreneur?

If so, the Sea E O would like to connect with you and help you tell your story in The Sea Suite. Drop me a note telling me about yourself and your business and let's start a conversation.

And, while we're at it, please let us know what you think of The Sea Suite so far by responding to the little poll thingy on the right-hand side. Only a few days left....

Thanks!

Jeff Dunsavage
The Sea E O

Is Now the Time to Go Long Soybeans?

Aquaculture is no panacea for our race's ocean-killing fishing practices. In fact, it can be a major contributor to the problem when you look at the amount of fishmeal required to generate one pound of farm-raised salmon (oh, how I miss salmon....)

As a rule of thumb, I avoid any of the large, carniverous pelagic species: if they're wild, they are already woefully overfished or on the verge; if they're farmed, they require an unconscionable amount of fishmeal to bring them to my plate. Farmed herbivores and omnivores (say, catfish or tilapia - ahhh.....tilapia.....) are another story.

So, what does this have to do with the price of soybeans? Plenty, it turns out.

According to this article in the Brownfield Ag News (I don't make these things up, really!), Americans are increasing their tilapia consumption by approximately 15% a year. Can you say "business opportunity"? Well, the Mexican government can (although I guess they'd say it in Spanish, right?) and is encouraging a boost in fish farming to meet this growing demand.

And what do you think the heavily subsidized Mexican fish farmers feed their tilapia? You've got it!

Francisco de la Torre, who coordinates aquaculture projects in the Caribbean and Latin America for the U.S. soybean industry, says he expects aquaculture in the region to consume about 200,000 tons of soymeal by the end of this year and for that amount to rise by 100,000 tons within the next three to five years.

That's a lot of soybeans.

The potential business opportunities in this story? Let's see: I'll be looking at soybean futures, shipping and refrigeration (I know, carbon footprint! but that's a topic for another post), soybean substitutes for when soybean prices go through the roof, aquaculture facility components...I'm sure you can think of a few yourself. C'mon, share!