Shark Bite #14

Hope you weren’t planning on eating lobster anytime soon

Seafood Watch recently added American & Canadian lobster fisheries to its “red list” of species to avoid. 

The lobster population is fine, don’t worry. They actually did this because the fishing gear used to catch lobsters is killing North Atlantic Right Whales.

In theory, this leads to a decrease in lobster demand and fewer whales being harmed.

Doesn’t seem like much, does it? Well, check this out – HelloFresh, Blue Apron, and thousands of restaurants around the US pledged to stop selling lobster in response. 

In our opinion, this is a good move by Seafood Watch. But lobster fishing is only a piece of the puzzle. The reality is that commercial fishing is killing species at an alarming rate, even ones that it doesn’t intend to harm. 

Next time you shop for seafood, make sure you choose the right type. 

Doomsday glacier on the verge of collapse

Thought that you only had to worry about zombie ice? Think again. 

Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier, aptly nicknamed the “doomsday” glacier, is “holding on today by its fingernails.” 

Not good. 

Thwaites is massive, about the size of Florida. It’s also melting really quickly – about 45 billion tonnes per year.

If it melts, scientists predict that it could raise sea levels by as much as 10 feet. For reference, the zombie ice will only raise it by 10 inches.  

Not only that, but the doomsday glacier props up other glaciers in the Western Antarctic ice sheet. Once it falls, it’s only a matter of time before the rest of them go too.

I’m fully aware of how catastrophic melting glaciers are for the planet, but I really think scientists could’ve come up with better names. Anyways, I digress.

See you next week. 

Kai

Co-Founder