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Sayonara, sushi - an environmental problem without a technological fix: Sciam Observations
There is a particularly interesting / compelling / risible / dangerous pick your adjective brand of thinking known as Cornucopianism, which holds that all the solutions to our future problems will be technological.

Running out of Indium? No problem, says the Cornucopianist–those clever engineers will find another way to create the green light-emitting diodes used in flat-panel LCD screens.

But when it comes to depleting the worlds supply of, say, tuna, the fuzzy thinking that surrounds the notion that well never have to curtail our consumption or worry about overpopulation starts to break down.

“When global fishing bodies recently began lowering the limits on catches in the worlds rapidly depleting tuna fisheries, Japan fell into a national panic,” reports the Times.

In this case, it appears that sushi, Japans greatest gift to the culinary universe aside from Top Ramen, is a victim of its own success. The proliferating demand for the stuff is practically taking it from the mouths of its creators:

The problem is the growing appetite for sushi and sashimi outside Japan, not only in the United States but also in countries with new wealth, like Russia, South Korea and China. And the problem will not go away. Fishing experts say that the shortages and rising prices will only become more severe as the population of bluefin tuna — the big, slow-maturing type most favored in sushi — fails to keep up with worldwide demand.

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