Fish.

This is a difficult subject for me to blog about for two reasons: there is a significant amount of debate about the numbers of fish left in our oceans and I don't believe either side of the debate, and I really love eating fish.  So I am having a bit of internal conflict.  I know what I needs to said, but I'm not all that excited to say it.

On the bright side, there really is a lot that can be done, if the wider public just educates itself about sustainable fishing.  Unfortunately, the debate is making it hard for people to understand the issues and the solutions.  This issue has been debated to death, and yet fish stocks continue to decline.  I don't think that it's because people don't care.  If you are interested in watching an excellent, if not a bit one-sided, movie about the issue, "The End of the Line" really covers it well.  I don't think anyone knows exactly what is happening with our oceans' fish stocks, however, even if only 1/10th of the depletion that is discussed in the movie has actually occured or is going to occur, that's sufficient reason for me to cut way back on my consumption of fish.

I believe that the public's awareness of overfishing may have only gained widespread notoriety as a result of the "dolphin-unfriendly" campaign around tuna fishing.  I think it's sad that we need something to happen to a likable animal before we, as a group, decide we care enough to do something about it.  Well, despite the awareness of how tuna fishing affects dolphins, and in spite of the fact that our society has decided we care, dolphin numbers are still suffering.  The scariest part is that tuna, marlin and other fish whose stocks are either declining or have collapsed completely, are not cute enough to build a motivating logo about.  They're scary, they're ugly, and people love to eat them.  Realistically, with the way things are going, in fifty years all the types of fish that we most love to eat are no longer going to be available, and all we're going to have is pollock. 

Bamboo products.

Something that I have decided to incorporate more of into my life is bamboo products.  Not solely for the sake of having them, but as my existing bedding, towels and clothing (where possible) wear out, I've tried to incorporate more bamboo.  I'm not sure when I'll ever get to the point where I actually need more clothing, I think I have enough to probably last me the rest of my life, but maybe I'll get some bamboo underwear.  I've never bought any, but have seen them, and have thought that they may be very comfortable, based on their feel and my previous experiences with other bamboo products.


My absolute favourite sheets ever are bamboo sheets.  I can't remember when I first came across them, but it was probably relatively recently because it hasn't been that long since bamboo has become a bit more mainstream.  Tim and I got a king sized bed when we moved in together last year, and since neither of us had a king sized bed before, we had to get new sheets.  We got our sheets from Quilts, Etc. as I had been eying them for months (I very rarely ever buy anything on the spur of the moment and usually think about things for months before I buy them).  We only bought one set of sheets for our bed and have been using them since. They are still in perfect condition a year later.  They are also softer than any sheets that I have owned previously, almost like sateen, but without the static.  They are as soft today as they were they day we got them.

My mother actually got some very nice bamboo towels a while ago, which I have used when I've visited and they seem to be very good quality, quite soft, no strange shrinking problems like you sometimes have with cotton.  I always have to wonder about the quality of things at my parents house because my parents take very good care of their possessions, so it's hard to say if they would survive under more strenuous testing.