Subject: Don't Eat Orange Roughy (fwd)

From: HARTER <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 2 May 1998 12:58:26 -0500 (CDT)

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 01 May 1998 00:32:35 -0700
From: Keith Johnson <[email-masked]>
Subject: Don't Eat Orange Roughy

Hi, I'm sending this note to everyone on my mailing list. I was stunned
when I read it. I got the news from SANET,  the Sustainable Ag Mailing
list. Their address for subscribing follows this article.
Keith Johnson

Saturday night, April 25, 1998, while attending the National Ocean
Sciences Bowl (see http://core.cast.msstate.edu/NOSBtop.html
)  I heard
Dr. Clyde Roper, world famous oceanographer (you may have seen him on
National Geographic - Search for Giant Squid).  He told of something
that was blood-freezing.  If you have ever eaten the fish called Orange
Roughy, READ THIS.
  Orange Roughy are found in very pure populations within forests of
certain types of tree coral.  The exact age of the coral isn't known,
but comparisons with related species of similar size put the ages of the

coral where the orange roughy dwell at around 1,200 to 2,000 years.  In
order to catch the fish, fishermen first have to drag the nets through
to clear-cut the coral trees.  Once done, nearly pure catches of orange
roughy can be taken - THE FIRST YEAR.  The second year, the catch is
smaller, but still cost-effective.  After that, there aren't enough
Roughy left to be worth catching and the process has to be repeated
elsewhere.
  Oh yes, it is believed that the Roughy are a very slow maturing,
long-lived fish and may take 100 to 130 YEARS to reach REPRODUCTIVE
age!!!!.

PLEASE PASS THIS INFORMATION ALONG TO ANY PLACE THAT MIGHT BUY OR USE
ORANGE ROUGHY, AND TO ANY POSTING SITE THAT WILL HELP ALERT MORE PEOPLE.

If EVER there was a case of NON-sustainable agriculture (aquaculture, in

this case), This is IT.

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In addition:

I confirmed this information with Dr. Daphne Fautine, marine biologist at
KU.  Orange Roughy are deep sea and like many deep sea animals,
reproductive maturity is not reached untill an average of 30 years, making
them extemely vulnerable and sensitive to commercial fishing.  In addition
the size difference between a fish of reproductive and non-reproductive
age is so small that there is no means of distinquishing between the two
when net fishing.  

Carly