Chinaenvfishedit.docx
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Chinaenvfishedit.docx
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Chinaenvfishedit
December15,2007
InChina,FarmingFishinToxicWaters
ByDAVIDBARBOZA
FUQING,China—HereinsouthernChina,beneaththeloomingmountainsofFujianProvince,liedozensofenormouspondsfilledwithmurkybrownwaterandteemingwitheels,shrimpandtilapia,muchofitdestinedformarketsinJapanandtheWest.
Fuqingisoneofthecentersofaboomingindustrythatovertwodecadeshastransformedthiscountryintothebiggestproducerandexporterofseafoodintheworld,andthefastest-growingsuppliertotheUnitedStates.
ButthatgrowthisthreatenedbythetwomostglaringenvironmentalweaknessesinChina:
acutewatershortagesandwatersuppliescontaminatedbysewage,industrialwasteandagriculturalrunoffthatincludespesticides.Thefishfarms,inturn,aredischargingwastewaterthatfurtherpollutesthewatersupply.
“Ourwatersherearefilthy,”saidYeChao,aneelandshrimpfarmerwhohas20giantpondsinwesternFuqing.“Therearesimplytoomanyaquaculturefarmsinthisarea.They’realldischargingwaterhere,foulingupotherfarms.”
Farmershavecopedwiththetoxicwatersbymixingillegalveterinarydrugsandpesticidesintofishfeed,whichhelpskeeptheirstocksaliveyetleavespoisonousandcarcinogenicresiduesinseafood,posinghealththreatstoconsumers.
Environmentaldegradation,inotherwords,hasbecomeafoodsafetyproblem,andscientistssaythelong-termrisksofconsumingcontaminatedseafoodcouldleadtohigherratesofcancerandliverdiseaseandotherafflictions.
NooneismorevulnerabletothesehealthrisksthantheChinese,becausemostoftheseafoodinChinastaysathome.Butforeignimportersarealsoworried.Inrecentyears,theEuropeanUnionandJapanhaveimposedtemporarybansonChineseseafoodbecauseofillegaldrugresidues.TheUnitedStatesblockedimportsofseveraltypesoffishthisyearafterinspectorsdetectedtracesofillegaldrugslinkedtocancer.
Thisweek,officialsfromtheUnitedStatesandChinasignedanagreementinBeijingtoimproveoversightofChinesefishfarmsaspartofalargerdealonfoodanddrugsafety.
Yetregulatorsinbothcountriesarestrugglingtokeepcontaminatedseafoodoutofthemarket.Chinahasshutdownseafoodcompaniesaccusedofviolatingthelawandblacklistedothers,whileUnitedStatesregulatorsareconcentratingonChineseseafoodforspecialinspections.
Fuqing(pronouncedfoo-CHING)isatthetopofthelistthisyearforrefusedshipmentsofseafoodfromChina,with43rejectionsthroughNovember,accordingtorecordskeptbytheUnitedStatesFoodandDrugAdministration.Allofthoserejectionsinvolvedtheuseofillegalveterinarydrugs.
Bycomparison,Thailand,alsoamajorexporterofseafoodtotheUnitedStates,hadonlytworefusalsrelatedtoillegalveterinarydrugs.Chinaasawholehad210refusalsforillegaldrugs.
“For50years,”saidWangWu,aprofessoratShanghaiFisheriesUniversity,“we’veblindlyemphasizedeconomicgrowth.TheonlypursuithasbeenG.D.P.,andnowwecanseethatthewaterturnsdirtyandtheseafoodgetsdangerous.Everyyear,therearefoodsafetyandenvironmentalpollutionaccidents.”
Environmentalproblemsplaguingseafoodwouldappeartobeabadomenfortheindustry.Butwithfishstocksintheoceanssteadilydecliningandglobaldemandforseafoodsoaring,farmedseafood,oraquaculture,isthefuture.AndnocountrydoesmoreofitthanChina,whichproducedabout115billionpoundsofseafoodlastyear.
Chinaproducesabout70percentofthefarmedfishintheworld,harvestedatthousandsofgiantfactory-stylefarmsthatextendalongtheentireeasternseaboardofthecountry.Farmersmass-produceseafoodjustoffshore,butmostlyonland,andinlakes,ponds,riversandreservoirs,orinhugerectangularfishpondsdugintotheearth.
“They’llbeamajorsuppliernotjusttotheU.S.,buttotheworld,”saidRichardStavis,thechairmanofStavisSeafoods,anAmericancompanythatimportsChinesecatfish,tilapiaandfroglegs.
Chinabeganemergingasaseafoodpowerinthe1990sasrapideconomicgrowthbecamethetoppriorityinthecountry.ButenvironmentalexpertssaythatheadlongpursuitofhighergrossdomesticproducthasdevastatedChinesewaterqualityandendangeredthecountry’sfoodsupply.InGuangdongProvinceinsouthernChina,fishcontaminatedwithtoxicchemicalslikeDDTarealreadycreatinghealthproblems.
“Thereareheavymetals,mercuryandflameretardantsinfishsampleswe’vetested,”saidMingHungWong,aprofessorofbiologyatHongKongBaptistUniversity.“We’vegottostopthepollutantsenteringthefoodsystem.”
MorethanhalfoftheriversinChinaaretoopollutedtoserveasasourceofdrinkingwater.Thebiggestlakesinthecountryregularlysuccumbtoharmfulalgalblooms.Seafoodproducersarepartoftheproblem,environmentalexpertssay.Enormousaquaculturefarmsconcentratefishwaste,pesticidesandveterinarydrugsintheirpondsanddischargethecontaminatedwaterintorivers,streamsandcoastalareas,oftenwithnotreatment.
“WateristhebiggestprobleminChina,”saidPeterLeedham,thebusinessmanageratSinoAnalytica,anindependentfoodsafetytestingfirmthatworkswithcompaniesthatbuyfromChina.“ButmyfeelingisChinawilldealwithit,becauseithasto.Itjustwon’tbeaquickprocess.”
FishingforProsperity
Fuqingiscalledqiaoxiang,orhome,forthosewhogooverseas,becausefordecadesthisportcityontheEastChinaSeaiswherethousandsofpeoplefledasstowaways.
Inthe1980s,someemigrantsbegansendinghomemoneyandideasatjustaboutthetimethatinvestorswerearrivingfromJapanandTaiwan,promisingtohelpthecountrybuildfishfarms.
“AquaculturewaspopularinJapan,soIsawthefuture,”saidWangWeifu,alongtimeeelproducer.
Thousandsofpeasantswhohadstruggledtoearnalivingharvestingriceandpotatoesbegancarvinguphugeplots,diggingrectangularpitsandfillingthemwithwatertocreatefishponds.Otherpartsofthecountryfollowed,creatingfishfarmsalongsideroads,nearriversandstreamsandinbiglakes,pondsandreservoirs.
Today,themightyYangtzeRiverislinedwithfishfarms.HistoricLakeTaiisstockedwithcrabpens.NearNingde,90milesnorthofhere,thousandsofpeopleliveinahugebayarea,wheretheyfloatonlargewoodenrafts,feedingandharvestingcagedfish,liketheyellowcroaker.
Thegovernmenthopedthebuildingboomwouldliftmillionsoutofpoverty.Anditdid.Therearenowmorethan4.5millionfishfarmersinChina,accordingtotheFisheryBureau.
LinBingui,50,isoneofthem,aformerbricklayerwithaneasysmilewhonowmanages20enormousshrimpandeelpondsinwesternFuqing,onreclaimedlandwithaccesstoanarrowstraitofseawater.
“Thisdoesn’ttakealotoftechnology,”hesaidwhilewalkingintoanindoorpond,whereheraisesbabyeels.“Youjustlearnitasyougoalong.”
Theboomdidmorethancreatejobs.ItmadeChinatheonlycountrythatproducedmoreseafoodfromfishfarmsthanfromthesea.Italsohelpedfeedanincreasinglyprosperouspopulation,alongstandingchallengeinChina.
Manygrowersherestruckitrichaswell,peoplelikeLinSunbao,whose25-year-oldsonisnowstudyingatCambridgeUniversityinEngland.“Mybestyearswere1992,’93,’94,”hesaid.“Ionlyhadoneaquafarm,andIearnedover$500,000ayear.”
Asearlyasthemid-1990s,though,seriousenvironmentalproblemsbegantoemergeafterelectronicsandtextilemanufacturingplantsmovedintocentralFuqing.Watershortagesappearedinthesoutheasternpartofthecity,andsomefishfarmerssaytheirwaterturnedblack.
Governmentrecordsdocumenttheenvironmentalillsintheregion.ThenearbyDongzhangReservoir,awatersourceforagricultureandmorethan700,000people,wasrecentlyratedlevel5,nearthebottomofthegovernmentscale,unfitforfishfarming,swimmingorevencontactwiththehumanbody.
TheLongRiver,themajorwaterwayinFuqing,hasbeendegradedbywastedumpedbypaperfactoriesandslaughterhouses.Thegovernmentthisyearratedlargesectionsoftheriverbelowlevel5,orsohighlypollutedthatitisunfitforanyuse.Andnearbycoastalwaterswhicharealsoheavilyfishfarmedarepollutedwithoil,lead,mercuryandcopper,accordingtotheStateEnvironmentalProtectionAdministrationinChina.
AswaterqualityinFuqingdeclined,farmerswhooftenfilledtheirpondswithtoomuchseafoodtriedtofightoffdiseaseandcalmstressedfishwithanarrayofpowerful,andoftenillegal,antibioticsandpesticides.
Eelproducers,forexample,oftenusednitrofurantokillbacteria.ButthatantibiotichasbeenbannedforuseinanimalhusbandryintheUnitedStates,Europe,Japan,andevenChina,becauseithascausedcancerinlaboratoryrats.
ImportersofChineseseafoodquicklycaughton.Inrecentyears,eelshipmentstoEurope,JapanandtheUnitedStateshavebeenturnedbackordestroyedbecauseofresiduesofbannedveterinarydrugs.EelshipmentstoJapanhavedropped50percentthroughAugustofthisyear,dealingaheavyblowinFuqing.
Chinesefarmerssaytheyhavestoppedusingthebannedmedicines,andhavesuffereda30percentdeclineinsurvivalratesoftheirfishandotherseafood.
“Before2005,wedidusedrugsblindly.Theywereveryeffectiveinfightingdisease,”saidWangWeifu,chairmanofalocaleelassociation,notingthatdrugresiduesmightstillbeinthewater.“Butnowwedon’tdarebecauseoftheregulations.”
SomegrowershavelashedoutatJapan,arguingthatitkeepsraisingthedrugresiduestandardsimplytoprotectitsowneelfarmsagainstcompetition.Butgrowersheresaybuye
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