Sushi’s hearth used to be restricted to
Japan, perceived as bizarre or weird to outsiders. With one of the most
extensive histories of its origin, sushi and sashimi have been traditionally
considered a delicacy. In Japan, where sushi is highly reveled, the best of the
best bluefin tuna can go for up to $400,000 USD per fish. The Tokyo
Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market, or more commonly known as the Tsukiji
fish market, is the largest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world.
Famous sushi masters, such as Jiro from Jiro
Dreams of Sushi, exclusively buys from this fish market.
However, through the process of
globalization, the sheer scale of the market for sushi has exploded in
insurmountable numbers. This industry has dramatically impacted the global
supply and demand of fish, specifically the bluefin tuna. Now spreading to ecumenes
such as Russia, China, and even India, the ecological environment is struggling
to keep up with the expensive palates of its consumers. The documentary, Sushi: The Global Catch, examines in
depth what might just happen once the entire planet catches onto this trend.
Enjoyed in Texas at football matches or at
high-end restaurants in bustling cities, sushi has certainly made its mark in
our modern day culture. What many consumers fail to stop and think about is how
their love for this exquisite dish may impact the future of our oceans. Bluefin
tuna are apex predators, which means that they thrive on the top of their
ecological food chain. They are predators with few to no predators of their
own—except in this case, where their largest predators are humans. Prized for its
fatty consistency, fishermen every day are hauling in tons and tons of Atlantic,
Pacific, and Southern bluefin tuna. The danger that lurks in overfishing this
tuna is that eventually once it’s all gone, we will be left with nothing but
jellyfish and sea urchins. If the predator in a food chain disappears, the
second level of the food chain will begin to overpopulate the high seas. They
will then deplete the third level of the chain, which consequently will lead to
them wiping themselves out due to starvation. So, not only is it detrimental to
the survival of the bluefin tuna, but to its lower counterparts as well. This
is the future that we will face if we don’t start taking responsibility of our
gluttonous sushi habits, or at least find a solution to make it sustainable.
It’s truly terrifying to watch this
documentary and hear that once this trend latches onto China, there’s no other
answer but extinction for the bluefin tuna. At over 1.3 billion people, it’s no
wonder that once sushi takes traction, extinction becomes a very real and scary
possibility. The amount of tuna that swim our oceans now are only 20-30% of
what used to populate the oceans only 50 years ago.
Now, there
have been multiple efforts in trying to make sushi more sustainable. From restaurants
that only serve what is considered sustainable fish to groundbreaking bluefin
tuna hatcheries, hopefully a dent will be made in the journey towards repopulation.
The largest obstacle that this
process will face is changing the opinions of its consumers. While it’s
possible to serve farmed tuna, there will be no doubt that some will still be
willing to seek out wild bluefin tuna, regardless of the price. Humans are
simply too obstinate to want to change their behaviors if it compromises their
wants or needs.
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