A few thoughts about donating

Nonprofits don't particularly enjoy the fact that they don't raise revenue.  This means they have to aggressively campaign for donations.  Sometimes it feels like begging.  This has never been more true than now.  Our economic climate has left the majority of us with very little disposable income.  And because of this donations to charities have suffered a huge setback. The lack of fundraising has placed tremendous pressure on charities' balance sheets and skyrocketed blood pressures.

Even in good times charities continually struggle to remain well-capitalized, well enough to continue very important operations.  Oftentimes we opt out of supporting because we are suspicious of the mission or the use of our funds.  That's what organizations like Charity Navigator are for.  The site, as well as a few others, vet the nonprofits/NGOs for you so you can make a better investment choice. If fish were able to, they'd go out and conserve their species and preserve their environments.  But since they can't, it leaves us to be the responsible ones.

We'd like to put in our $0.02 and ask that you consider making a donation once a year.  We're big fans of organizations like Sea Shepherd, Surfrider, and Oceana. Even if it's just your loose change it'll result in a quieter pocket, a tax deduction, and a happier heart.

Did you know I can go to Japan...and back?

An ode to: the Salmon.

This species of fish is just bursting with "did you knows".  Like what?  Glad you asked!

• Salmon are diadromous, which means they travel between fresh and salt water, and are anadromous which means they live primarily in salt water but breed in fresh.  The distinction isn't all that important, other than it's cool it does both.
• Because the species is primarily a salt-dependent one, they rarely if ever survive in fresh water.  So that sad ending of the salmon dying after breeding is true.  
• Salmon have extraordinary memories.  In fact, certain generations of salmon have been tracked and traced to reveal they return to the same spot in which they've been spawned.
• Salmon are very sensitive to its environment, including water temperature differences, gravitational pulls, and current changes.  
• Salmon appears in a variety of species, including Atlantic, Pacific (chinook, pink, and sockeye), and of course Steelhead...or "true" salmon.  Most folks know it as "rainbow trout".  Anyway you call it, it's a beautiful and endearing fish.

Because salmon is considered a popular "oily" fish, it's unfortunately up there with its cousin the tuna on menus of every restaurant variety.  To counter the rapidly increasing consumption, like its cousin, salmon is being farmed with mediocre results.  What exactly are the problems to aquaculture?  Glad you asked!

• Disease, people, disease.  Fish that are caged farmed are high susceptible to illnesses and parasites than their natural, wild counterparts.  And once the farmed product is released into the wild, well...there goes the neighborhood.  Rates of infection are incredibly high for wild stocks, which only adds to the depletion of its stock.  Not to mention it's a counterproductive element to stock sustainability.
• "Wild" cage farming not in highly controlled fish farms skirt/cheat certain QC requirements, this only aggravates the disease issue.  Wild farming only regulates the water with appropriate amount of oxygen for the increasing fish stock, and not with water treatments that regulated fish farms are required to do.
• The main issue with farming, even with the most highly regulated and expertly driven, is that rapid, dense populations throw off the balance of its environment.  Pathogen control is variable, problematic at best and rampant at worst.  Pollutants (read: fish poop) create an ideal breeding ground for parasites, bacteria, worms, and fungi.

We don't really advocate consumption of fish because we'd consider that enabling bad habits.  But, if you are to eat, please consider the environment.  Consuming the real, wild, natural salmon to its farm-raised shadow is a slightly better choice, but really we'd like you to choose the chicken if possible.