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Dead Fish: A Wakeup Call About our Ecological Habits

If you have already seen news stories about millions of dead fish found in King Harbor in Redondo Beach, CA you may be aware that this event is not unprecedented. For years there have been reports about voluminous amounts of birds and fish deaths all over the world, but those reports are becoming more numerous as time goes on. Bees, frogs, birds, and other types of fish have been on the radar for endangerment of disappearance and death. This should be a wake-up call that our current ways of living are not supporting our ecology, and that we need to make changes or else face the consequences it will have to our health and future.

The explanation authorities are providing is that this has been caused by “nature” and a winter storm, a “chain of events” which caused all the oxygen to be sucked out of the water, thus killing the fish. Somehow though, this just doesn’t make sense.  Eye witnesses say they observed that the birds were not feeding on the fish in the harbor, as is a normal activity, which suggests something was wrong; something very wrong.

So why aren’t scientists looking at all the chemicals and toxins we are continually dumping into our water, air, soil, and other environments as a possible cause for these events? Could it be the case that these events are being dismissed as a natural disaster to keep from having to reveal the potential hazard of the activities of various multi-billion dollar corporations, both food and otherwise, who use unsafe farming methods, chemicals, and toxins to produce their products  – such as genetically-modified organisms, pesticides, petro and other chemicals, and waste or by-products created from industrial and pharmaceutical companies? It’s been well-documented that many big corporations use unsafe and toxic practices in the production, growth, and sales of their products to enable business to continue. So why are we putting so much trust in these entities? And, are we really that naive to think that the thousands of chemicals used by industries which are continually dumped into the environment are not having any effect on us?

It’s absolutely abhorrent that the general consensus is not to investigate possible environmental causes for this and other related scenarios. True, the USDA admitted to poisoning birds in various locations in the southern U.S. as a measure to “protect” dairy farms. And in fact, the USDA has had many programs in place in the past to do this very thing – such as ‘Bye Bye Blackbird’, a little-known program started in the 1960s to eradicate blackbirds so farmers wouldn’t lose profit.  Here’s their tally sheet displaying all the species they’ve killed as of 2009. But is this responsible? USDA agents authorized the euthanizing of more than 4 million red-winged blackbirds, cowbirds, grackles, and starlings in 2009, and used pesticides to get the job done which are claimed by the government to not be harmful to animals or people.

Aren’t there more ecologically friendly ways to remove pests? And doesn’t this occurrence make you wonder what else is being done to “poison” our environment which is touted as safe, natural, or even harmless by authorities? Although I can’t prove these fish deaths are caused by something we’re putting in the environment, I think it begs to ask what exactly might be going on here. When asked about why the birds had to be poisoned, Carol Bannerman of the USDA replied, “We’re doing it to address, in this case, agricultural damage as well as the potential for human health and safety issues.” What health problems, exactly, are being imposed upon us by by birds living their natural lives? The birds were eating feed meal and one farmer stated that they were leaving excrement behind in feed containers. So killing them is really the only option?

Folks, don’t be deceived by these tactics to “save agriculture”. People managed without toxic chemicals, pesticides, and poisons for milennia on this earth and were still able to feed people. Poisoning animals and birds is not the only option, but it’s clearly the most convenient and cost-effective option for the authorities. Problem is, people aren’t ready to face the consequences of unleashing these chemicals into our environment.  And what we’re looking at with the fish in Redondo Beach is, in my opinion, a very suspicious example of what happens when we use toxic chemicals in our environment on the ecological condition of our planet.

Our best defense against toxic pollutants in our environment and food system – which we are seeing has a rippling effect on all aspects of our lives – is to stop buying products from large corporations who have profit and gain at the heart of all their activities. Support your local merchants, sustainable farmers, and food growers to keep our environment safe and clean. If you do support merchants and food producers who aren’t local, take the time to do the research and get to know the practices and ethics of the companies you do purchase from.

More information on what large corporations are up to:
Whole Foods, et al, grant blessing of GMO alfalfa to Monsanto
Supporting ethical, sustainable companies that aren’t local to me:
Nutrient-dense foods I don’t buy local
A visit to Green Pasture Products – home of fermented cod liver oil

4 replies on “Dead Fish: A Wakeup Call About our Ecological Habits”

I find it fascinating that they always provide some “nature did it” excuse whenever a situation like this occurs. They never investigate whether it is caused by toxic chemicals dumped into the ocean. Storms do not “suck” oxygen from water.

Why won’t they investigate and test the fish for toxins? That would be easy enough to do.

And why wouldn’t the birds touch those dead fish?

A few years ago, the California department of agriculture wanted to spray residential areas and cities where millions of people live from the air, to eradicate an insect that was causing no apparent damage. However, the existence of the insect was interfering with the export profits of some corporations. The pesticide was supposed to be harmless, but the government was telling everybody to stay inside during the spraying hours, and to carefully wash with detergent any toys or objects left outside before they were touched by human hands. A huge public outcry stopped this insanity, but it shows the utter contempt these people have for health and human life.

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