Yes, there is a connection between fish and agriculture, and not just fish farming. Some of the connection is positive, some negative, but it all proves the inter-connection between most segments of our economy and our lives.
Having lived in Oregon for 15 years, I have grown more and more aware of the ocean fisheries and of the fishers whose livelihood depends on the health and sustainability of that industry. Therefore, when seeing a study done by McKinsey Company management consultants, I read it with keen interest.
McKinsey worked with the Food & Agriculture Organization of the U.N. and with the University of California at Santa Barbara for a long time. Their conclusions were that marine ecosystems around the world are broken, that fish are overexploited, and it probably cannot be stopped because over 180 Million people world-wide derive some or all of their living in an industry producing over $500 Billion in revenue per year. Most of the world’s population lives near the sea, many of them in the developing world where they rely heavily on the consumption of the animal protein for their food supply; without which could mean starvation. While the World Bank estimates that sustainable fishing might increase yields by 10-20%, if done, it would mean reducing catch rates dramatically in the beginning, and carefully controlling output around the globe forever, something improbable, if not impossible to achieve.
If a large source of protein in the human diet is depleted, where will it be made up? Given the critical need of those developing countries, plus growing middle classes around the world demanding more protein, where will it be found?
This is another example of the importance of agriculture today and forever. What is lost from the sea must be replaced from the land. We are thankful to be in the business, and hope to continue contributing to its success.
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