Industry Leaders Speak Out About the Seaspiracy Documentary – Is a Shift to Plant-Based Enough? – vegconomist – the vegan business magazine -…

Image: seaspiracy.orgFollowing this weeks Netflix release of the documentary Seaspiracy, industry figures from Greenpeace, Earth Warriors, Roots & Hoots, and plant-based seafood producer Loma Linda, share opinions on the issues raised and the conclusions reached in the film. Veganism is one answer, but the planets overpopulation is another issue which needs to be addressed, as is education and a lack thereof, say these plantbased leaders.Greenpeace respondsA blog post from Will McCallum, head of oceans at Greenpeace UK, posits that a shift to plant-based is crucial but not enough. Seeing the destruction of the natural world, both on land and at sea, has moved more and more people to become vegan. This is a hugely positive thing: the more people that turn to a plant-based diet, the better it will be for the planet. But although it might be part of the puzzle, veganism isnt the silver bullet for our oceans. A campaign that focuses only on veganism ignores the billions of people that depend on the oceans for survival.

Clearly there is a bigger picture here which demands involvement from governmental bodies and the addressing of wider issues; McCallum notes that Greenpeace has joined with scientists, civil society and many governments around the world to propose that at least 30% of the worlds oceans are protected by 2030 and the remainder is managed sustainably and in the public interest.

Douglas Hines, chairman of Atlantic Natural Foods, of which vegan tuna producer Loma Linda is a subsidiary, said to vegconomist: As leaders in all areas of the seafood industry for more than 40 years, along with veteran Mike Easterbrook, our partner in UK and EU, we have witnessed more than most in todays seafood world.

Watching Seaspiracy was a timely reminder not just for our world governments and legislative bodies, but for us as individuals about the impact that our day to day lives and mindless consumption of animal protein can have on our oceans and human life. Over the decades oceans have been abused by rampant fishing practices, misrepresentation of vessel catches, trash piles in the high seas, harmful bycatches, plastic pollution, human trafficking and on occasion corruption.

Social and environmental responsibilities are ignored in favour of the gains to be made in big money catches like Pacific Blue Fin Tuna and Yellowfin in the Indian Ocean.

Our growing population and growing demand for protein-rich food sources, is only going to swell the burgeoning strain that our oceans are under as humans we have caused this, and it is now our responsibility to do what we can to help reverse our harmful impacts.

Yes this needs to be driven by world governments, who have a responsibility to drive forward international industry-wide reform and guidance to manage and protect our oceans resources, address climate impacts, stop polluting our oceans with plastic and eliminate widespread abuse of human lives.

As consumers, making conscious choices to switch out our protein sources from animal to plant-based could help save thousands of fish a year from being killed in our oceans. As a food manufacturer and retailer, its our responsibility to empower consumers to make this choice, by providing a range of sustainable, nutritional, versatile, and tasty plant-based seafood products.

Related

More here:

Industry Leaders Speak Out About the Seaspiracy Documentary - Is a Shift to Plant-Based Enough? - vegconomist - the vegan business magazine -...