The Taiji hunt is not the only hunt of its kind; there is a similar hunt in the Faeroe Islands involving pilot whales, and several others around the world, though of them some have ceased in recent years.

In answer to your question, there are a number of ways in which we could feed the world far less destructively than to continue to biologically strip mine our seas, and aquaponics is one of the best methods currently available, which is gaining many converts individually and commercially.

Put simply, aquaponics is the combination of aquaculture (growing fish and/or other marine life) with hydroponics (growing food-bearing plants without soil.) By combining the culture of fish, vegetables and fruit into a closed-loop system, the plants clean and oxygenate the water for the fish, and the fish waste fertilizes the plants. And, because any chemicals added would be potentially toxic to the fish, aquaponic systems are usually able to be certified organic, thereby increasing the perceived value of the food thus produced.

The best thing about aquaponics is that an amazing amount of food can be produced in a small area, and since all the water is constantly recirculated, it uses as little as 10% of the water used through traditional soil-based farming methods, making it a godsend for arid regions of the world where potable water is increasingly scarce. In addition, both the plants and the fish are healthier – and therefore more nutritious – than those grown in separate culture systems.

The ancient Egyptians and Chinese both farmed fish with vegetables and/or grains, as did the inhabitants of Israel 500 years before Christ; tilapia, which are one of the most commonly farmed fish, are native to the Sea of Galilee, as well as much of the African continent. This may well be where part of the loaves and fishes story comes from – five tilapia, if they were an adult male and four adult females, truly could feed 5,000 and more given as little as eight months to a year, as they are highly prolific breeders and can breed at as little as four or five months of age.

A number of nonprofit organizations went into Haiti, immediately following the earthquake, to set up aquaponic systems to help the local villages. Several of those organizations were based in and around the Tampa Bay area of Florida, including http://www.morningstarfishermen.org. Please make a donation if you are able to help them to continue this and their many other valuable educational programs.

For more information on aquaponics check out my blog at http://www.blog.keyspoet.com (which I will be updating soon.)