In the ocean, little fish play a big role. Small fish like
sardines and anchovies are some of the most important fish in
the sea. Fish such as herring, anchovies, menhaden, and sardines
feed mostly on plankton all their lives. They supply calories
and nourishment (food!) for many top predators including cod,
tuna, salmon, and most other fishes, hundreds of species of
seabirds, seals, sharks, dolphins, and whales. Forage fish are
also heavily fished by humans. These tiny fish currently make up
over a third of the wild marine catch. A whopping ninety percent
of this forage fish catch is processed into feeds for fish
farms, poultry, and livestock as well as nutritional supplements
for people. If you’re eating farmed animals—you’re eating wild
ocean fish. Trawling—dragging a net wider than a football field
between two boats capable of hauling in 500,000 pounds of sea
life in one tow—brings forage fishing to an industrial scale.
Leaving forage fish in the water is also worth twice as much as
taking them out. They