Writing for the AFP news service, reporter Lawrence Bartlett recently took a look at Taiwan's regional neighbor Hong Kong and the results were enough of an alarm that everyone who enjoys seafood should be concerned. Owing to pollution and over-fishing, Hong Kong's waters, once home to a stunning amount of high-quality fish and other seafood, are now barren. Hong Kong, once a seafood paradise, now imports 90% of its seafood. In fact, Bartlett points out the amazingly disturbing fact that in Hong Kong there are actually more live fish swimming in the thousands of restaurant seafood tanks than there are in the surrounding waters.

Located just an hour or so by plane away from Taiwan, Hong Kong's experience is an early-warning indicator that — if not heeded — could spell the end of global seafood. Much of Hong Kong's problem is pollution. Eco-tourism group Hong Kong Dolphinwatch claims that as much as 450,000 cubic meters of only semi-processed raw sewage is directly dumped into the Hong Kong harbor on a daily basis. To bring things home, the group says this figure represents the same amount as 200 Olympic-sized swimming pools! Couple this number with sewage and pollution floating down from mainland China and it's clear that Hong Kong's waters are essentially done for.

Geographically, Taiwan is an island but that old adage “No man is an island” remains true for people and nations alike. Taiwan has also poisoned its waters to the degree that formerly rich in sea life areas such as Kenting are now grey-colored ghosts of their former selves. But, despite all of these conditions, you've probably noticed that it's still very easy to get seafood at any local restaurant in China, Hong Kong or Taiwan. This is because as soon as one area of the ocean empties out, advanced fishing fleets simply move on to the next spot. Even a very young child can figure out that this strategy isn't sustainable.

Canada's The Star.com newspaper reported last month that the EU is considering rather sharp cuts of 25% in the quota of cod that fisheries will be allowed to collect next year in a bid to stave of the complete collapse of a centuries-old European industry. Experts claim there were as many as 250,000 tons of codfish in European waters in the 1970s, compared to roughly 50,000 tons today. Environmental activist group Greenpeace tells us that Canada got its first taste of the future in 1992, when 40,000 people lost their jobs after the government was forced to close fisheries in order to allow the cod population to recover. The Canadian government's action was somewhat effective, but it's a far cry from the days of explorer John Cabot who was said to marvel in 1497 that the cod in Canada's Newfoundland were so numerous, they practically blocked his ship from moving.

Quite simply, we've reached a fishing tipping point, and Taiwan — while perhaps not the world's worst offender — is still a part of the problem. Taiwanese fishing vessels trawl waters all over the world and many of them employ advanced radar and other modern fishing technologies that enable fleets to wipe out massive schools of fish.

Many people would probably not eat a fish that was caught in, say, Hong Kong harbor as common sense dictates that these remaining fish would likely be contaminated with toxins, heavy metals — including cadmium and mercury — and other pollutants. Unfortunately, pollutants are as fluid as water and travel the currents far and wide. The head of the WWF's Hong Kong marine program Guillermo Moreno told the AFP news service that bluefin tuna caught in the middle of beautiful waters in the vast Pacific Ocean invariably contain mercury.

Fish are a source of nutrition for a huge percentage of the world's population. As an island nation, Taiwan's residents love seafood, and demand for it has only increased alongside the island's increase in prosperity over the last half-century. At the close of his Hong Kong investigation, reporter Lawrence Bartlett poses a valid question: Seeing as fish are being hunted to extinction and are heavily polluted as well, is it still acceptable — from a health and moral perspective — to eat fish?

Vegetarians would obviously argue that consuming fish is unnecessary and their lifestyle choice is certainly worth pondering. But for most of the carnivores of the world, a total ban on fish isn't going to fly. Luckily, there are some options for fish-lovers including sustainable fish farms, wild stream fish and swapping certain “name-brand” fish for other more plentiful species. These plans however would likely require that the price of fish go up considerably, something many people will find difficult to accept. We are faced with two choices: The first is to selfishly enjoy the last few decades of fish before accepting mass extinctions. The second is to take a long-term view and sacrifice for the good of the future.