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A Mary T. Hoffman Commentary from All-Creatures.org

 

"Joyful Curmudgeon" An oxymoron?
No! I see all the beauty of God's creation and I'm joyful.  At the same time, I see all the suffering and corruption going on in the world, and feel called to help expose and end it so that we may have true peace and compassion.

 


Fish in the News – 4 November 2006
By Mary T. Hoffman

CNN reported yesterday that “Seafood faces collapse by 2048.”

I found it interesting that they used the word “seafood” instead of “fish.” To us, fish are not “seafood.” If I were a fish, I would hope that the species would become extinct. This would once and for all eliminate the pain caused by fish killers, in addition to the suffering caused by other animals who eat fish in the wild. It is bad enough that other creatures eat fish; but humans in this day and age should know better.

Another word that caught my attention was “exploitation” and the convoluted way that the word was used – exploitation from whom? And why should other creatures have to put up with being exploited? It sounds as though “exploitation” is taken for granted. Here is the quotation from the article:

“While seafood forms a crucial concern in their study, the researchers were analyzing overall biodiversity of the oceans. The more species in the oceans, the better each can handle exploitation.”

This quotation also appears in the CNN article:

“Another report mentioned that a disease is attacking many fish, but not humans.”

PCBs that, incidentally, have also been a problem in the Hudson River which is nearby, are mentioned in another article:

“In January 2004, the journal Science warned that farm raised salmon contain 10 times more toxins (PCBs, dioxin, etc.) than wild salmon. The study recommends that farm raised salmon should be eaten once a month, perhaps every two months as they pose cancer risks to the human beings.”

Better yet, don’t eat fish at all!

Under the heading “Testing confirms fish disease in eastern Lake Erie,” a 2 November 2006 article by Danna Avsec of the Associated Press stated:

“ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- Testing in New York is confirming a deadly disease among fish in eastern Lake Erie following an outbreak of the virus in Lake Ontario and the Saint Lawrence River.

New York's Department of Environmental Conservation says viral hemorrhagic septicemia, or VHS, doesn't pose any threat to humans, but has been blamed for killing off large numbers of fish in the Great Lakes region.

The virus has been confirmed in nine species of fish, including rock bass and smallmouth bass.

VHS is considered serious enough that the US Department of Agriculture has prohibited the importation of certain species of live fish from Ontario and Quebec.”

Well, to me all this talk is simply more proof that humans are bound and determined to destroy their environment, other species, and – as a consequence – themselves.

Go on to: An Open Letter to Hunters – 5 November 2006
Return to: Compassion for Sale? – 3 November 2006
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