I recently finished watching “Seaspiracy” on Netflix. The documentary features a man on a hunt to reveal the truth behind ocean pollution and what he believes to be the leading cause of climate change. The cause of these problems all stemmed from the fishing industry. Industrial fishing uses large nets that not only begin to destroy the ocean floor, but they kill unintended species besides the fish they are attempting to catch. The fishing industry even owns corporations that fight plastic pollution in the ocean, which explains why we haven’t heard of the fishing industry killing ocean life and resulting in climate change before. After watching this documentary, I had to start questioning the fish that I put on my plate.
From a girl who loves sushi, this was a challenging concept for me to grasp. Should I cut out fish completely? Salmon from my local grocery store or sushi I would sometimes buy from Whole Foods seems off-limits now. According to this documentary, the key to healing and helping the environment is to convert to a plant-based diet.
I wondered if other people had felt the same way about cutting out fish. Friends of mine informed me that the documentary didn’t affect them, and they continued eating fish. The other half of my friends said they aren’t going to watch the documentary, so they don’t have to think about what’s going on in our world at all. I, however, did feel significantly affected by this documentary and the truth of the matter is that I don’t know if everyone should just cut out fish and eat solely plant-based. What I did take away is that where I buy my food matters. I can start by purchasing farm-fresh eggs and shopping at my local farmer’s market rather than buying foods from large factories. I will cut out as much meat and fish as possible, but if I happen to end up at a sushi restaurant for a birthday celebration, I am not going to deprive myself of a few sushi rolls. That being said, when I am at home, eating plant-based will become my top priority.
The end of the documentary revealed plant-based fish, and it surprisingly looked delicious. If I have a sushi-craving, I could always try an avocado and cucumber roll or possibly replace fish with mushrooms since they have a similar consistency. I also saw a recipe online where someone made plant-based ahi tuna out of a watermelon. If everyone got creative and began to eat more plant-based, I think we can make a huge difference and work towards saving the planet.