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"Global consumption of fish has doubled since 1973, and the developing world has been responsible for nearly all of this growth. Countries with rapid population growth, rapid income growth, and urbanization tend to have the greatest increases in consumption of animal products, including fish products, and the developing world has experienced all three trends. China,
where income growth and urbanization have been major factors, dominates consumption of fish products. It accounted for about 36 percent of global consumption in 1997, compared with only 11 percent in 1973. India and Southeast Asia together accounted for another 17 percent in 1997, with total consumption doubling since 1973" (Ahmed et al., 2003).
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The education aspect of the proposed solution would include informing people of the negative consequences of fish consumption in hopes to reduce it, such as toxic mercury content which can be found in fish species of the oceans.
"For fetuses, infants, and children, the primary health effect of methyl mercury is impaired neurological development.
Methyl mercury exposure in the womb, which can result from a
mother's consumption of fish and shellfish that contain
methyl mercury, can adversely affect a baby's growing brain and nervous system. Impacts on cognitive thinking, memory,
attention, language, and fine motor and visual spatial skills have been seen in children exposed to methyl mercury in the
womb. Recent human biological monitoring by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 1999 and 2000 shows that the
majority of people have blood mercury levels below a level associated with possible health effects. Outbreaks of methyl
mercury poisonings have made it clear that adults, children, and developing fetuses are at risk from ingestion exposure to
methyl mercury. During these poisoning outbreaks some mothers with no symptoms of nervous system damage gave birth to
infants with severe disabilities, it became clear that the developing nervous system of the fetus may be more vulnerable
to methyl mercury than is the adult nervous system." (Health Effects, 2007)
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