By the year 2050, Earth will be home to an estimated 9 billion people. Feeding all of those people will stretch our global nutrition system.
“We’re looking at two more Chinas coming to the planet before 2050. And they’re going to want to eat a lot of animal protein,” said Andrew Sharpless, CEO of ocean conservation nonprofit Oceana, who argues that one answer that might address the diminishing worldwide food supply isn't on land, but under our seas. “Wouldn’t it be great if the oceans were feeding as many people as possible?”
On Andrea Mitchell Reports Friday, Sharpless, who has talked about the "crisis of overfishing," pushed eating local fish, an option not necessarily available to many regions of the country. The United States imports about 86% of its seafood from elsewhere in the world.
He also argued that choosing a fish fillet over a hamburger, for example, could have worldwide consequences. “When you make that choice, you’re making a choice for the planet that’s huge,” he said. “And here’s how big it is. When you eat the hamburger, there is enough corn in that hamburger that was feeding that cow… to make 200 tacos. And there’s enough fresh water that was used to irrigate the corn field to fill 10,000 fresh water glasses. When you eat that fish sandwich, you’re not."
Convinced? Considering switching around your diet? Watch Peter Alexander's full interview with Sharpless in the player above.