COOKING GREEN: Column 15

Plant Based Food to Restore the Oceans:
Bounty on the Brink

by Kay Bushnell

(This is the first installment of a four-part series on plant-based alternatives to seafood.)

A few centuries ago sea creatures were so abundant that they sometimes posed hazards to navigation.  For years the loss of ocean wildlife from overfishing was gradual.  Today marine scientists are issuing alarms with the threat of mass extinction imminent.  Within the lifetime of many [insert name of your newsletter here] readers numerous wild fish stocks have become depleted from overfishing.  According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, nearly every commercial fish species in every ocean is now either fully exploited, overexploited, or depleted.  Cod, pollock, haddock, redfish, and flounder were once abundant and are now considered commercially extinct. 

An extensive investigation of marine ecosystem collapse published in Science (Vol. 293, 27 July 2001)  by Jeremy B.C. Jackson and 18 other scholars documents the  effects of overfishing.  Overfishing accelerated with the widespread use of mechanized fishing technology in the early 20th century. Today’s fishing industry has adapted military technologies to hunt on the high seas.  Electronic navigation aids and satellite positioning systems have organized the trackless sea into a grid.  The use of radar and sonar leave no fish safe from the factory fishing ships that strip-mine the oceans. 

Few creatures can evade the 1.5 mile-long driftnets, 25-50 mile submerged long lines with their thousands of hooks, and enormous trawls that gouge the sea bottom, dislodging  the honeycomb of rock and shells and killing the creatures that live there. 

According to Jackson and his colleagues, the crisis of the seas has occurred partly because “Scientific investigation consistently lagged behind economic realities of [nearby] depleted stocks and inexorable exploitation of more-distant fishing grounds.”

Overfishing any one marine species affects the entire marine ecosystem.  According to Earthjustice, Steller sea lions that depend on pollock and other depleted fish have declined more than 80% in twenty years.    As popular species of seafood  vanish,  previously ignored critters are hunted and given new names on restaurant menus.  Slimehead is reborn as orange roughy, and Patagonian toothfish becomes Chilean sea bass. Now even these fish are on the problem list of the National Audubon Society’s Living Oceans Program. (www.audubon.org/campaign/lo)

Making a commitment to reduce consumption of seafood can lead to exciting new options in food choices.  Those who enjoy a hearty seafood chowder can use nutrient-packed sea vegetables and other plant foods instead of ocean wildlife.  Kelp powder and dulse infuse the chowder with the flavor of the sea.  Oyster mushrooms have a chewy texture similar to that of clams.  Treat yourself and your friends to a steaming bowl of this wonderful sand-free Seafood Chowder.

Seafood Chowder

Sea vegetables such as dulse and kelp are seafood. Sea vegetables are rich in minerals and can be purchased in natural food stores.   Family and friends rave about this chowder.

1             lg. onion, chopped

4             medium red potatoes (1 lb. plus), peeled, in small dice

2             cups vegetarian broth (from mock chicken broth powder)

2             cups oyster mushrooms, coarsely chopped

1             cup frozen corn kernels

1/2          cup each diced red or yellow bell pepper and diced celery

1/2          cup crumbled dry dulse OR 1/4 cup dulse flakes

1/4-1/2   cup minced fresh parsley

1             bay leaf

1             Tbsp. vegetarian (soy) “bacon bits”

1/4          tsp. dried thyme

1/4          tsp. kelp powder

               freshly ground black pepper, to taste

               paprika

 Blended mixture:  Whiz in a blender until very smooth.

1             cup firm tofu OR 1-1/2 cups (1 12.3-oz. package) firm silken tofu

1/2          cup water

2             Tbsp. flour

2             tsp. salt or to taste

1             tsp. sugar (optional)

In a 3 quart saucepan, braise the onions in 1/2 cup water until they become translucent and soft.  Add all the ingredients except pepper, paprika, and Blended Mixture.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for about 12-15  minutes, or until the potatoes are soft.  Remove bay leaf and stir in the Blended Mixture.  Add pepper to taste and adjust salt.  Heat gently until chowder thickens. Sprinkle each serving with paprika.

 Adapted by Kay Bushnell from 20 Minutes to Dinner  by Bryanna Clark Grogan.

— Our Food Choices Can Make A Difference —