With the ominous portent of a “Jaws” film, the Orlando Weekly News story starts with calm, and rises to panic. It starts as a simple piece on sushi, but before long, writer Joseph Hayes declares: “By the time the new generation of sushi masters can ply their trade, there may not be any fish left.”
“Pardon the Apocalyptic tone, but we’re already seeing the beginning of the end,” writes Hayes, sprinkling his fish stew of a story with quotable morsels from the National Audubon Society, Greenpeace, SeaWeb, and other leading anti-food-choice notables. What do these objective sources lead Hayes to advise? “Shop in supermarkets, such as Whole Foods, that endorse the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) seal of approval of fish caught in accredited fisheries.”
That’s not too surprising. Seafood Business reported that Whole Foods began to carry “eco-labeled” salmon in June in the first test of the MSC label. Ecofish, a joint effort of Audubon and other groups, is the first approved national distributor of MSC fish — and “prices typically run 10 to 20 percent higher than average seafood prices” according to EcoFish’s founder. And SeaWeb works to influence public opinion to create an artificial demand for “eco-friendly” fish. Thus, another reporter is snared by the anti-choice crowd.
