every thursday at 6 o’clock, i meet a friend of mine at our favorite local sushi restaurant. and every thursday at 6 o’clock, the two of us share our favorite rolls – spicy scallop, rainbow, salmon and avocado – and stories at a high top table in the small, second-story establishment, a hidden gem situated above a drug store on a quaint neighborhood street. we started this ritual almost six months ago, and we’ve been meeting once a week, every week since.

i never thought about where my seafood was coming from. and i definitely never thought that it might run out.

according to recent reports, overfishing is a big problem, and my sushi might run out before i know it – maybe even before my friend and i can introduce our grandchildren to the traditional dish.

already, 84% of fish stocks in the world are fully exploited, overexploited, or depleted. another 1% is currently recovering from depletion. this is the effect of overfishing – which itself stems from many different causes. if we don’t do something, experts from science believe that all of our fisheries will collapse by 2048– and then what?

forget about my sushi dates; what about the 1 billion people worldwide, primarily living in developing countries, who depend on fish as their main source of protein?

hopefully we never find out.

if we can cut back on overfishing, we might be able to reverse this trend. after all, the atlantic bluefin tuna was projected to disappear by 2012, but two years later, the fish is still found on seafood menus- though it remains on the endangered species list. illegal fishing, the blurry property rights in fisheries, lack of regulation, persisting government subsidies, and other fishing practices all contribute to the problem.

the average consumer doesn’t need to lose sleep over pirates or international maritime law, though. instead, seeking out sustainably fished or farmed seafood in the supermarket and in restaurants is a good place to start.

here are some tools for the sustainable seafood shopper:

• look for the marine stewardship council label. fish with the msc label comes from a certified sustainable fishery.
• consult national geographic’s sustainable seafood guide – which ranks different types of fish by sustainability and health benefits.
• check out seafoodwatch.org, which also has a helpful guide to choosing sustainable seafood. they even have a special section for sushi lovers like me!

as for my weekly sushi ritual? i did my research: my favorite sushi joint serves msc certified sustainable salmon, chooses sustainable seafood “as much as possible,” and has removed bluefin from at least its most recent seasonal menu. looks like i can keep up this tradition – for now.

the bald eagle’s wing kept her from coming entirely through the windshield. the idaho department of fish and game responded to the scene of the accident to care for the eagle, and determined that the eagle was hemorrhaging through her mouth and nostrils. the department of fish and game sent this feisty patient to the nearby teton raptor center; a non-profit organization focused on birds of prey, in wilson, wyoming.

dan foreman of the teton raptor center explained that this particular eagle is an incredibly strong bird. aside from the internal injuries, she had no lacerations or broken bones, amazingly. during her recovery, the staff at the center limited contact with the eagle to reduce her stress. the eagle was willing and able to eat without assistance from the staff at the center, which aided in her recovery. often staff members have to force-feed injured birds in their care.

jason jones, a former attorney and master falconer, patiently nursed the eagle and fed her mostly quail stuffed with antibiotics to aid in her recovery. the teton raptor center cared for two other patients during this eagle’s recovery, another bald eagle, and a golden eagle, both injured from assumed impact with cars. in the case of the miracle eagle, however, the cause of her injuries was well known.

after a month of recovery at the teton raptor center, the eagle had sufficiently recovered to be released into the wild. sometimes birds in captivity gain weight which makes it difficult to fly, but the miracle eagle weighed in at over ten pounds, which gave her enough weight that she would have approximately two weeks to adjust to being in the wild before she would have to resume hunting to feed herself.

the staff at the teton raptor center examined the eagle one final time, and following the exam she was fitted with an id band. jones drove the eagle back to idaho, where local officials had come to see her released into her natural habitat, including sheriff brent bunn, who had responded to the scene of the high impact collision between semi truck and eagle. “it was a miracle that bird survived,” bunn said.

jones threw the eagle into the wind to aid her first flight following her accident and recovery. for those who nursed this eagle back to health following the traumatic accident, they say this is the most remarkable recovery they have ever seen.