People should stop eating seafood so the ocean’ s ecosystem can be restored.

W: Barton Seaver is a chef and conservationist who wants our help to save the oceans. He thinks that the choices we make for dinner have a direct impact on the ocean’s health. Seaver, thanks for coming to our programme, so should people stop eating seafood?
M: People should definitely not stop eating seafood altogether. There’re certain species that have been severely overfished and that people should avoid eating for environmental reasons. But I believe we can save the oceans while continuing to enjoy seafood. For example, some types of seafood, such as Alaskan salmon, come from well-managed fisheries. And others, such as farmed mussels and oysters, actually help to restore declining wild populations and clean up polluted waters.
W: What kind of seafood should people eat? And what should they not eat?
M: My general advice is to eat fish and shellfish that are low on the food chain and that can be harvested with minimal impact on the environment. Some examples include farmed mussels, clams and oysters, sardines and herring. People should not eat the bigger fish of the sea, like tuna, shark and swordfish.
W: Why did you choose to dedicate your life to the ocean?
M: I believe the next great advance in human knowledge will come not from new discoveries, but rather from learning how we relate to our natural world. Humans are an essential part of nature, yet they don’t have a very strong relationship with the world around them. I have dedicated myself to helping people understand our place on this planet through the foods we eat.
W: You’re so great. Why do you believe people should care about the health of the oceans?
M: The health of the oceans is directly linked to the health of people. The ocean provides most of the air we breathe. It has a big effect on the weather that we rely on for crops and food production. It also provides a necessary and vital diet for billions of people on the planet. So I don’t usually say I’m trying to save the oceans. I prefer to say I’m trying to save the vital things that we rely on the oceans for.