According to the IUCN Red List 32, 000 species are threatened with extinction. Although we might be working hard to help some species come back from the brink (边缘), we might also be eating some threatened species without even realising it.
Searching industrial fishing records, researchers identified almost 100 endangered species being sold as seafood, and this is done legally. When sold, these fish are not required to be labelled according to species, so consumers have no way of knowing what they're eating, let alone whether they're endangered or not.
The team stresses that this is only the tip of the iceberg, as they only looked at a specific section of records and excluded groups of fish such as sharks, which are commonly eaten in Australia, Europe, and some Asian countries.
To solve the mess we're creating in the ocean, the researchers have come up with some ways, one of which is to expand our idea of seafood to include jellyfish (水母). That might sound a little unusual, but it's not the first time scientists have suggested it as a food source. And with jellyfish being one of a minority of wild animals that scientists think might be actually increasing in numbers around the world, it makes a lot of sense. With jellyfish as a food source, other endangered species may be kept in the sea.
Of course, there are other ways to help keep endangered species off the menu. Carissa Klein, University of Queensland (UQ) conservation scientist, thinks that the labelling of seafood needs to be improved, so that people are more aware of what they are eating. Besides, it can be also important if the cooperation between fisheries and conservation policies can be better promoted. "We would never consider eating mountain gorillas or elephants, both of which are endangered," added Klein.
