While the use of formalin to preserve fish is a matter of grave public health concern, it is important to think about the central point of why it happened and may happen again. Assuring fish supply or the debates of ‘permissible formalin levels’ takes away from the central issue of why formalin was there in the first place. It’s time to stop thinking of oceans and fisheries as being limitless. The larger issue of overfishing in Goan waters and the nearby coasts cannot be ignored anymore, and is the very reason why fish is coming from out of Goa and need preservatives for their long journeys to our plates. This is an issue of our fish security but also ties to thinking deeply about the sustainability of our living oceans.Seafood is among the most important sources of protein across the world one in six people rely on fish as their primary source of protein. At the same time, fisheries across the world are literally collapsing. For example, in 1992, Atlantic cod catches fell suddenly to less than 1% of the catch in 1991. This is a larger issue for fishers (and fish-lovers) who are forced to rely on smaller and smaller fish because the larger adults have been obliterated by overfishing. The situation is not much different in Goa — the xinnaneos (mussels) have almost disappeared, and our prawns are becoming smaller and smaller. From 1990 to 2000, prawn catch fell by 80%. In fact, prawn fisheries are one of the most wasteful seafood industries for 1kg of prawn, 12kg of other marine life is caught as bycatch and just discarded.The mechanised fleet in Goa jumped from 10 boats in 1964 to 2,200 in 1998. Over the same time, annual catch increased from 17,000 tonnes to 95,000 tonnes, which is much beyond the maximum sustainable yield. These sorts of practices in Goa have made fisheries unsustainable and vulnerable to collapse.Simple choices of consumers and slight modifications in demand can have great potential in minimising impacts on oceans and food security issues. This is all the more important because we have different standards when we think about marine ecosystems. But some conversations are hopeful. I once heard a restaurateur make a telling point to his son on why they shouldn’t eat sharks. “Would you eat a tiger? If not, why a top predator like a shark?” he had asked.There are ways to make the right choices in our daily life. Farm-to-table is an emerging idea in agriculture, so why not for our oceans? Know Your Fish and InSeason Fish are two initiatives seeking to provide consumers with choices and knowledge that promotes an ocean-friendly lifestyle. Both organisations are open to partnering with restaurants and have done so with a handful of restaurants in Goa, and it’s the right time for other restaurants to reach out to them. A monthly calendar by Know Your Fish, which can be freely downloaded, tells consumers which species can be consumed and which should be avoided for that month. InSeason Fish (www.inseasonfish.com) is another portal which is trying to find ways to marry seafood lovers with environmental conservation.There has never been a better time to think about our choices related to fish and our seas, and it is time to put a little thought for the bounty we get from our oceans.The writer is an Earth Institute Fellow at Columbia University, US. Views expressed are personal.

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