>>> TONIGHT, AS PART OF OUR

ONGOING SERIES "PERIL AND

PROMISE," THE CHALLENGE OF

CLIMATE CHANGE, WE'RE TAKING A

LOOK AT ONE OF OUR MOST

IMPORTANT FOOD SOURCES.

FISH.

OFTEN OVERSHADOWED BY TALK OF

SURGING SEAS AND DESTRUCTIVE

SUPER STORMS, STUDIES INDICATE

FISH ARE DYING OUT AT AN

ALARMING RATE AND CLIMATE CHANGE

IS PLAYING A SIGNIFICANT ROLE.

AND THAT'S CONCERNING NEWS,

ESPECIALLY HERE IN THE

METROPOLITAN AREA, WHERE WE RELY

ON THE FISHING INDUSTRY TO KEEP

THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE EMPLOYED AND

MILLIONS MORE FED.

THE MAJORITY OF CLIMATOLOGISTS

WARN CLIMATE CHANGE IS CAUSING

THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE ON EARTH

TO RISE, DECIMATING THE HABITATS

OF MANY MARINE SPECIES IN THE

PROCESS.

SO JUST WHAT EXACTLY IS BEING

DONE TO REVERSE THIS TREND?

OR IS IT ALREADY TOO LATE TO

BRING THE FISH BACK?

FOR ANSWERS I'M JOINED BY DR.

STEPHANIE WEIR, SENIOR SCIENTIST

AND STRATEGY ADVISER TO THE

NATURE CONSERVANCY.

STEPHANIE, WELCOME TO THE SHOW.

>> THANKS, IT'S GREAT TO BE

HERE.

>> FIRST OF ALL, WHERE ARE WE IN

TERMS OF THE FISH SUPPLY FOR THE

OCEANS RIGHT NOW?

>> SO WE'RE NOT IN VERY GOOD

SHAPE RIGHT NOW WHEN IT COMES TO

OUR FISH STOCKS.

90% OF THE GLOBAL FISHERIES ARE

ACTUALLY OVERFISHED.

TAKE CLIMATE CHANGE OUT OF THE

PICTURE ALTOGETHER AND WE'RE GOT

A SERIOUS PROBLEM WITH FIR

STOCKS.

TAKING TOO MANY FISHES AND

FISHING IN DESTRUCTIVE WAYS.

TRAWLING THE OCEAN BOTTOM WHICH

IS LIKE BULLDOZING THE OCEAN

BOTTOM, REMOVING HABITAT THAT

THE FISH WE WANT TOMORROW NEED

TO USE.

WE'RE ALSO BEING VERY CAST

WASTEFUL IN THE WAY WE FISH.

FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU'RE A SHRIMP

LOVER, EVERY POUND OF SHRIMP

THAT IS CAUGHT, THERE ARE NINE

POUNDS OF OTHER FISH THAT ARE

CAUGHT AT THE SAME TIME THAT

JUST GET TOSSED OVERBOARD

INSTEAD OF BEING BROUGHT TO PORT

AND SOLD TO PEOPLE TO EAT.

WE'VE GOT A LOT OF PROBLEMS WITH

THE WAY WE FISH CURRENTLY.

AND THEN WE'RE ADDING THIS WHOLE

OTHER THREAT AND STRESS TO THE

SYSTEM BY HAVING WARMING SEAS

AND CHANGING CHEMISTRY OF THE

SEAS.

>> WELL, USUALLY WHEN THERE'S A

PROBLEM LIKE THIS, A LOT OF

PEOPLE WHO ARE PROPONENTS OF

CAPITALISM WILL SAY, LISTEN,

THIS IS A SITUATION WHERE YOU

LET THE MARKET DECIDE.

SO WHAT IS IT THAT CONSUMERS CAN

DO WHEN THEY'RE OUT IF THEY WANT

TO BUY FISH FOR A MEAL OR

SOMETHING LIKE THAT, WHAT IS IT

THEY SHOULD BE LOOKING FOR?

>> SO THIS IS ABSOLUTELY ONE OF

THOSE PLACES WHERE CONSUMERS CAN

PLAY A REALLY IMPORTANT ROLE.

I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT

THAT YOU GET INFORMED ABOUT YOUR

FISH.

DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK WHERE

YOUR FISH COME FROM, WHO CAUGHT

THEM, HOW ARE THEY CAUGHT?

IF YOU'RE A FISHMONGER OR YOUR

WAITER DOESN'T KNOW, CAN'T

ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS OR WON'T

ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS,

SOMETHING'S FISHY.

>> NO PUN INTENDED.

>> YOU SHOULD MOVE ALONG AND

JUST NOT CHOOSE THOSE FISH.

THERE ARE WONDERFUL RESOURCES

OUT THERE, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE

A MARINE BIOLOGIST TO KNOW HOW

TO EAT FISH RESPONSIBILITY.

THERE'S A GREAT APP FOR THE

MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM CALLED THE

SEA WOOD WATCH APP.

>> THERE'S AN APP FOR THAT?

>> THERE IS AN APP FOR THAT.

>> THAT'S GREAT.

>> THERE'S A NUMBER OF APPS.

A WONDERFUL ONE WITH SEAFOOD

WATCH.

YOU CAN GO IN, IT KNOWS YOUR

LOCATION JUST LIKE EVERYTHING

ELSE ON A SMARTPHONE.

AND IT WILL TELL YOU THE FISH

THAT ARE GOOD TO EAT WHERE YOU

ARE.

AND IT'S NOT JUST WHETHER THE

FISH STOCK IS HEALTHY.

IT'S ALSO TELLING YOU IF THESE

FISH ARE HIGH IN MERCURY, WHICH

IS SOMETHING YOU DON'T WANT TO

EXPOSE YOURSELF TO.

IT ALSO POINTS OUT THE

RESTAURANTS AND MARKETS THAT YOU

CAN BUY SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD AT,

THAT HAVE THE SEAFOOD WATCH SEAL

OF APPROVAL.

IN NEW YORK I JUST CHECKED THIS

MORNING.

THERE ARE 69 DIFFERENT

RESTAURANTS AND MARKETS WHERE

YOU CAN GET SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD.

AS A NEW YORKER IT'S REALLY

EASY.

THERE ARE LOTS OF GOOD OPTIONS.

>> AS YOU KNOW, THE U.S. HAS

DECIDED TO PULL OUT PARIS

CLIMATE ACCORD.

SOME PEOPLE SAY IT'S A GOOD

THING, SOME PEOPLE SAY IT'S A

BAD THING.

WHAT IS THE CONCERN WITH THE

TEMPERATURE OF THE SEA LEVELS?

>> SO I WOULD SAY UNDOUBTEDLY

THE U.S. NOT BEING A PART OF OUR

CLIMATE SOLUTION IS NOT A GOOD

THING FOR OUR PLANET, IT'S

CERTAINLY NOT A GOOD THING FOR

OUR OCEANS.

THE WARMING SEAS ARE AFFECTING

REALLY IMPORTANT HABITATS FOR

FISH.

SO CORAL REEFS ARE

EXTRAORDINARILY SENSITIVE

HABITATS.

THEY LIVE AT A CERTAIN

TEMPERATURE THRESHOLD.

WE'RE ALREADY EXCEEDING THIS ON

A VERY REGULAR BASIS BECAUSE THE

OCEAN IS ABSORBING A LOT OF THAT

HEAT THAT WE HAVE BEEN

PREDICTING WAS GOING TO OCCUR.

SO THIS WILL ACTUALLY KILL OUR

CORAL REEFS, LOSING HABITAT, FOR

25% OF ALL MARINE LIFE.

SO JUST CHANGE IN TEMPERATURE IS

GOING TO HAVE A DRAMATIC EFFECT

ON INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT HABITATS

THAT PROTECT OUR COASTLINES,

FEED OUR CITIZENS, PROVIDE JOBS,

ALL SORTS OF OTHER REALLY

IMPORTANT BENEFITS TO PEOPLE.

THERE ARE A LOT OF OTHER WAYS

THAT THE CHANGING TEMPERATURE

AND CHEMISTRY OF THE OCEAN IS

GOING TO AFFECT OUR SEAFOOD

INDUSTRY.

THE ABILITY FOR SHELLFISH,

LOBSTER, CLAMS, OYSTERS, TO

BUILD THEIR SHELLS IS BEING

DIMINISHED BECAUSE THE PH IS

INCREASING, THE OCEAN'S BECOMING

MORE ACIDIC.

THERE'S NOT A LOT OF

WORK-AROUNDS FOR THAT.

AND THAT'S JUST BECAUSE OF

CARBON BEING DEPOSITED INTO THE

OCEANS.

CO2 BEING ABSORBED BY THE OCEAN

AND CHANGING THE OCEAN

CHEMISTRY.

SO IT'S A LOT OF CRAZY SCIENCE,

IT'S REALLY COMPLEX, WE

UNDERSTAND IT VERY WELL, THOUGH.

AND IT'S VERY CLEAR THAT IT'S

GOING TO HAVE A REALLY BIG

IMPACT.

IT ALREADY IS HAVING AN IMPACT.

>> I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT

THING FOR PEOPLE IS, HAVE WE

CROSSED THE POINT OF NO RETURN?

OR CAN WE STILL TRY TO FIX THIS?

>> WE HAVE ABSOLUTELY NOT

CROSSED THE POINT OF NO RETURN.

TS WHAT VERY SOLVABLE PROBLEM.

THERE ARE VERY SIMPLE SOLUTIONS.

AND COMPLICATED SOLUTIONS.

THAT WE CAN IMPLEMENT TO SOLVE

THIS PROBLEM.

WE JUST HAVE TO PUT OUR HEADS

DOWN AND START DOING THE WORK.

>> LISTEN, STEPHANIE WEIR, THANK

YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME

TO JOIN US AND TELL US ABOUT

FISH AND THE HELPFUL APP, I

THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE GOING

TO DOWNLOAD THAT.

>> GREAT, THANK YOU.

>>> WE OFFER YOU A GIFT.

NOW YOU CAN TAKE "METROFOCUS"

WITH YOU ANYWHERE, ANY TIME.

IT'S SIMPLE AND IT'S FREE.

DOWNLOAD THE "METROFOCUS" APP,

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AND WHEN YOU DO, YOU'LL GET THE

LATEST NEWS, WEATHER, AND

TRAFFIC FOR THE ENTIRE METRO

AREA.

IT'S ALL JUST A CLICK AWAY.

DID WE MENTION THAT IT'S FREE?

WE'LL SEE YOU AGAIN TOMORROW.