Paul Greenberg, “A Fish Oil Story,” The New York Times, December 16, 2009

This op-ed article examines the environmental sustainability of fish oil as more and more consumers are reportedly choosing supplements “as a guilt-free way of getting their omega-3 fatty acids.” According to author Paul Greenberg, most fish oil “comes from a creature upon which the entire Atlantic coastal ecosystem relies, a bigheaded, smelly, foot-long member of the herring family called menhaden,” which
one historian has apparently likened to the passenger pigeon in terms of rapid population decline. Once harvested for fertilizer and lamp oil, “trillions of menhaden were ground into feed for hogs, chicken and pets” after the advent of petroleum-based lamps. “Today,” writes Greenberg, “hundreds of billions of pounds of them are converted into lipstick, salmon feed, paint,‘buttery spread,’ salad dressing and, yes,
some of those omega-3 supplements you have been forcing on your children.”

He argues that menhaden “keep the water clean,” claiming that the “muddy brown color of the Long Island Sound and the growing dead zones in the Chesapeake Bay are the direct result of inadequate water filtration—a job that was once carried out by menhaden.” Greenberg not only urges his readers to avoid fish oil supplements made from menhaden, but also calls on President Barack Obama (D) and congressional leaders “to ban the fishing of menhaden in federal waters.” In addition, he asks the Virginia Legislature to enact “a similar moratorium in the Chesapeake Bay (the largest menhaden nursery in the world).” As Greenberg concludes, “If our government
is serious about standing up for the little guy, it should start by giving a little, but crucial, fish a fair deal.”