Tag: Overfishing

Over 100 million sharks are killed annually, yet the question remains: is shark good for humans to eat? As apex predators, sharks accumulate high levels of heavy metals like mercury, presenting significant health dangers to anyone who consumes them.

According to a 2025 study, the global abundance of oceanic sharks and rays has declined by nearly three-quarters over the last 50 years, largely due to overfishing. Given this alarming statistic, and the inherent health dangers, a growing number of people are questioning who should not eat sharks and why.

According to the World Health Organization, exposure to mercury—a contaminant often found in seafood—may cause serious health problems. Exploring the benefits of not eating seafood offers a clear path to reducing exposure to toxins while also addressing significant ethical and environmental concerns.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), over 34% of the world's fish stocks are harvested unsustainably, underscoring significant environmental drawbacks to fish consumption. While celebrated for its nutritional benefits, it's crucial to understand the disadvantages of fish, including potential health risks and broader ecological impacts.

According to a 2024 UN report, over a third of global fish stocks are fished beyond sustainable limits, an issue compounded by contamination risks. Despite being widely touted for its health benefits, eating fish comes with several important downsides that consumers need to understand to make informed choices.

According to the Environmental Defense Fund, adults should eat no more than two portions of Chilean sea bass per month due to its high mercury content. This popular, buttery fish, also known as Patagonian toothfish, carries significant health and environmental risks that make it an unhealthy choice for regular consumption.

The Mediterranean Sea is considered a biodiversity hotspot and contains approximately 7% of the total global marine fish species, an unusually high diversity for a temperate sea. The question, 'Does the Mediterranean have fish?' therefore reveals a vibrant, complex aquatic ecosystem with both abundance and considerable conservation challenges.

According to a 2013 study published in the journal PNAS, the average human trophic level is only 2.21, putting us on par with creatures like pigs and anchovies, far from the top of the food chain. While our technological prowess allows us to harvest marine life, our biological position is surprisingly low compared to the ocean's true apex predators. This article explores why humans are not at the top of the ocean's food chain, contrasting our ecological role with the animals who truly dominate the marine ecosystem.

According to the UN, over 90 million tonnes of fish were caught from the ocean in 2018, contributing to severe environmental consequences. Many people are curious why do some vegans avoid fish, often mistakenly believing that veganism only excludes land animals.

According to a 2023 study, one sample of wild-caught tuna contained nearly the maximum permissible limit of mercury, demonstrating that heavy metal contamination is one reason that wild caught fish can be bad too. While wild fish are often lauded for being more natural than farmed varieties, they are not immune to the environmental pollutants that plague our oceans. The accumulation of toxins like mercury can pose a significant health risk to consumers, particularly when consuming large, long-lived predatory fish.