Acidic Shrimp: The Unpleasant Future

In other news related to ocean acidification, studies now show a direct correlation between the increasing acidification of our oceans and the seafood derived from those oceans that we use for consumption. The University of Gothenurg study found that shrimp living/growing in acidic waters taste and look less appealing than shrimp that live in higher pH waters.

As explained in my last blog post, carbon dioxide concentration levels increasing correlates directly with ocean acidification--and this article states that the ocean absorbs about 25 percent of the carbon dioxide released into the air via deforestation and burning fossil fuels. As we continue these human activities that affect climate change and increase carbon dioxide levels, the ocean will continue to acidify, to a pH level of 7.5 by the end of the century.

For anyone who loves their shrimp (and any other sensible human being) this is something to note. The article points out how this can be a good way to emphasize the dialogue on climate change, because it relates to something people like: food, consumerism, etc. An experiment was performed to truly test how acidic waters affect the shrimp: two buckets, two pH levels (8.0 and 7.5), three weeks, and a bunch of shrimp. Turns out the acidic shrimp really do taste worse. Time to get our tails into gear!

Source: https://news.vice.com/article/climate-change-is-probably-going-to-make-your-shrimp-cocktail-taste-disgusting