That's why eating fish is so harmful to the climate

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As you have already read in our blog article on 4 reasons to eat fish substitutes , industrial fishing has many disadvantages. Now several studies have identified another dark side: fishing massively promotes climate change. In the following blog article we want to explain to you exactly why this is and which fish set means you don't have to go without anything .

The ocean as a huge carbon store

The burning of fossil fuels causes more and more CO2 to enter our atmosphere. So far, our (rain)forests have been the focus of carbon dioxide storage.

However, in recent years it has become clear that our oceans are a much larger carbon sink. Around 40,000 gigatons (billion tons) of carbon are stored in them - around 45 times more than in the atmosphere and around ten times as much as in the plant cover including soil and permafrost.

According to a study in the journal Science, around 34 gigatons (billion tons) of carbon dioxide were absorbed by the oceans between 1994 and 2007 - equivalent to over 30% of total man-made emissions during that period. Since 2009 , around 2 gigatons of carbon dioxide have been released into the sea every year - more than Russia's annual emissions.

There are two main processes responsible for storing carbon in the oceans :

1) The physical carbon pump : In cold climates, the sea absorbs CO2 and transports it into the depths.

2) The biological carbon pump : Small organisms, such as phytoplankton, absorb the carbon dissolved in the water and - to put it simply - convert it into biomass. When these organisms are eaten, the carbon they contain moves along the food chain.

Many fish have a high proportion of carbon in their biomass. When these fish die, they sink to the ocean floor, where the carbon remains for several centuries due to slow ocean circulation. Some of the carbon absorbed also reaches the depths of the ocean through fish feces.

Bottom trawls release carbon dioxide

Bottom trawling involves dragging heavy nets up to 100 meters wide across the seabed. This fishing method brutally digs through the seabed and leaves behind deep furrows. Entire ecosystems, such as coral reefs, are completely destroyed.

It also changes the biogeochemistry of the oceans, reducing their ability to store carbon over long periods of time. Around 1.5 gigatons of CO2 are released from the sediment every year by industrial trawl nets. This corresponds to twice the amount of carbon dioxide that Germany produced in 2020.

But that's not all: up to 90% of the organisms caught in bottom trawls are unintentional bycatch. According to the WWF, around 300,000 whales, dolphins and porpoises end up in bottom trawling nets every year, even though they shouldn't be fished for in the first place.

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Large fish as floating carbon sinks are at risk from fishing

Due to the principle of the biological carbon pump mentioned above, large fish such as tuna, mackerel, swordfish or sharks consist of around 10-15% carbon. This makes them considerable carbon stores.

However, industrial fishing disrupts this phenomenon : When fish are caught, the CO2 they contain is released into the atmosphere after a few days or weeks and fish stocks are significantly reduced. This means that the biological carbon pump can no longer work efficiently.

Researchers found that since 1950, fishing has emitted more than 730 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere by disrupting the biological carbon pump principle. The following example better illustrates these dimensions: In 2014, industrial fishing emitted at least 20.4 million tons of CO2, which is equivalent to the annual emissions of 4.5 million cars.

Conclusion

As you can see, the carbon footprint of industrial fishing is enormous. Of course, there are also the emissions from fishing ships and those from the fishing industry on land.

So if you want to help ensure that our climate goals are achieved, the first step you can take is to avoid fish. This may sound difficult at first, but with our Easy To Mixes it will be very easy for you. Especially with our Easy To Mix Fish Sticks and Easy To Mix Fish Frika you have 0% sacrifice and 100% enjoyment!

Theresa Aicher

Theresa studied media communication, loves writing and her favorite product are the vegan turmeric balls. With their help you should be able to turn your question marks into inspiration. If you have any comments or requests, please write to her here: online@greenforce.com