Sardines, anchovies and herring they are an abundant resource, absolutely healthy and a low environmental impact. Although they are fished commercially around the world, only a fraction of global catch today it is intended for human consumption. And it’s a shame, because according to new research published in BMJ Global Health, replacing red meat with forage fish – a term used to identify all small and abundant marine species, which move in schools and are found at the base of the food chain – up to 750 thousand lives could be saved worldwide every year by preventing the onset of pathologies linked to eating habits, such as coronary heart disease.
I forage fish (a term similar in some way to what we Italians define as blue fish) are small species that almost all larger fish feed on, but also sea birds and mammals. They are present in the oceans all over the world, and are usually species rich in omega 3, calcium and vitamin B12. Therefore excellent for keeping healthy heart and brainand also sustainable, because fishing for these species has a low impact in terms of emissions (even if it can become excessive and put the survival of fish at risk fish stocks and the many animals that rely on it for their survival).
Diet
Small dietary changes can reduce your carbon footprint by 25%
by Green&Blue editorial staff
Forage fish are caught all over the world, but barely a quarter of the global catch is destined for human consumption: in many areas, especially in the poorest regions, they are in fact mainly used to create feed used in the aquaculture of more valuable species. On the opposite side we find red meat. A polluting food, which if consumed in excess can increase the risk of suffering from various serious chronic diseases.
For this reason, the authors of the new study decided to check what could happen if we reversed the current dominant dietary model, replacing red meat with the consumption of forage fish. Their results are clear: the benefits in terms of public health would be substantial.
The interview
“Until the end of the world”, the dark side of the fishing industry. “There is little that is green in fish farms”
by Marino Midena
Projecting their models into the future, researchers predict that by 2050 between 500 and 750 thousand deaths would be avoided every year, and between eight and 15 million years in terms of disability-adjusted life expectancy, a measure that expresses the sum of the years of life lost due to of diseases that cause disability or premature death. All this, thanks to a 2% reduction in deaths from coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes and bowel cancer.
“The theoretical benefits of consuming forage fish are clear,” the study authors write, “but despite this, there are important barriers to achieving them, such as aquaculture feed production, overfishing, climate change, and the cultural acceptability of these foods”.
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– 2024-04-11 21:31:36
