Wild sardine and anchovy fishing also results in very low bycatch.[23] As pelagic fish that swim in dense shoals near the surface, they are caught with purse seine nets rather than bottom trawls, avoiding seabed damage and minimising the risk of plastic pollution through ghost gear.
I would say this is the crux of the issue for me and I appreciate your addressing it directly. Looking at the cited research:
This paper presents a study of the Spanish purse-seine fleet operating in the Bay of Biscay during the years 2016–2019. It considers the species selectivity and the effect of fishing activities on the pelagic community by assessing the interactions with the endangered, threatened and protected (ETP) species and estimating the discard sizes. For the purpose of this study, the metiers were defined by grouping similar catch profiles, using hierarchical agglomerative cluster analysis. This definition of metier goes beyond the Data Collection Framework (DCF) concepts; it includes specific target species, thus increasing the accuracy. Sampling conducted at sea during the four years of the study demonstrated that; 1) the discards were scarce both in terms of overall values and the proportion of the catch (below 1% for almost all metiers and years); 2) The studied purse-seine fishery is one of the most selective among those harvesting the pelagic domain in the Bay of Biscay; 3) The results also showed that the fleet avoided the unwanted catches, mostly by practising slipping;4) The interaction with the ETPs was almost non-existent. Only a single case of a yellow-legged gull entanglement was recorded, and the bird was released alive. Notably, more than 7500 individuals of 16 species of seabirds and marine mammals were recorded in the vicinity of the fishing grounds. Thus, we conclude that this purse-seine fishery has only a slight impact on the main species of the pelagic ecosystem, due to the purse-seine slipping practices.
I don’t know this branch of work well. Do you consider these estimates credible? Generalizable? if I buy anchovies at the grocery store where i live in Brooklyn, will they be caught the way these were, or worse?
My general thought on this is that because I’m not expert in these issues I should err on the side of abstaining. But I am persuadable.
(My other big question for this line of thinking is, why anchovies/​sardines when oysters/​mussels are widely available, provide many of the same nutritional benefits, and are more clearly nonconscious.)
It makes sense to ask whether the points about low bycatch, minimal seabed damage, and reduced plastic pollution from purse seine fishing apply more broadly than just the specific fishery mentioned in the cited study. As far as I can tell, they do. Because of the shoaling behaviour of sardines and anchovies, purse seining is ideal and by far the most cost-effective way to catch them at scale. That’s why the vast majority of the global sardine and anchovy supply appears to be caught this way. There may be rare exceptions, such as small-scale artisanal fisheries using line and hook fishing, which likely has an even lower negative impact, or rare instances of trawling, which may occur when the fish are unusually deep and in regions with weaker regulatory oversight, but these seem to account for only a tiny fraction of the global catch. That said, I’m not an expert on global fisheries and would be very happy to hear from someone who is.
Regarding mussels and oysters: I think many of the arguments here also apply to them, and I see no ethical concerns with their consumption. However, there are some health-related reasons to be cautious about eating them too frequently. As filter feeders, they can accumulate heavy metals and microplastics, especially if sourced from polluted waters. Nutritionally, sardines and anchovies offer even greater benefits, particularly higher levels of EPA/​DHA and calcium, which makes them a better overall choice in that regard. They also tend to be significantly more affordable.
I would say this is the crux of the issue for me and I appreciate your addressing it directly. Looking at the cited research:
I don’t know this branch of work well. Do you consider these estimates credible? Generalizable? if I buy anchovies at the grocery store where i live in Brooklyn, will they be caught the way these were, or worse?
My general thought on this is that because I’m not expert in these issues I should err on the side of abstaining. But I am persuadable.
(My other big question for this line of thinking is, why anchovies/​sardines when oysters/​mussels are widely available, provide many of the same nutritional benefits, and are more clearly nonconscious.)
It makes sense to ask whether the points about low bycatch, minimal seabed damage, and reduced plastic pollution from purse seine fishing apply more broadly than just the specific fishery mentioned in the cited study. As far as I can tell, they do. Because of the shoaling behaviour of sardines and anchovies, purse seining is ideal and by far the most cost-effective way to catch them at scale. That’s why the vast majority of the global sardine and anchovy supply appears to be caught this way. There may be rare exceptions, such as small-scale artisanal fisheries using line and hook fishing, which likely has an even lower negative impact, or rare instances of trawling, which may occur when the fish are unusually deep and in regions with weaker regulatory oversight, but these seem to account for only a tiny fraction of the global catch. That said, I’m not an expert on global fisheries and would be very happy to hear from someone who is.
Regarding mussels and oysters: I think many of the arguments here also apply to them, and I see no ethical concerns with their consumption. However, there are some health-related reasons to be cautious about eating them too frequently. As filter feeders, they can accumulate heavy metals and microplastics, especially if sourced from polluted waters. Nutritionally, sardines and anchovies offer even greater benefits, particularly higher levels of EPA/​DHA and calcium, which makes them a better overall choice in that regard. They also tend to be significantly more affordable.