Giving Up Tuna

The world's overall population of large "food" fish has dwindled tremendously over the past 50 years.

As just one example (per the website of the ICCAT, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna), the seafood-loving country of Spain's trolling catch of albacore tuna has dropped from approximately 25,000 tons in 1950 to approximately 5,000 tons in 2008, a decrease of 80%! And that's just one, rather small country in a world of fish-hungry human beings.

But chickens certainly aren't endangered (although there may be questions about "factory farming" of them). And canned chicken tastes much like canned tuna.

So why not eat canned chicken instead of tuna? It may not be as high in omega-3 fatty acids, but it also lacks the mercury often found in large ocean fishes.

In short, it seems to me that if the price of canned chicken is acceptable to you, you can be eco-affluent by choosing to eat chicken rather than tuna. It seems to be a fairly painless way to be eco-conscious.