Could eating jellyfish be sustainable? 海蜇：可持續性食物？

人類大量食用海產品使海洋魚類資源面臨枯竭危機。由此，人們開始尋找替代品。一些人認為海蜇是一種可持續的食物來源。本文探究為什麼海蜇可以成為替代傳統魚類的可持續選擇。

詞匯：food 食物

While giant sharks are more common sea monsters in films, jellyfish also pose a major threat in real life – with some able to kill people with their stings. And the potential danger they cause doesn’t stop there, with reports of them attacking salmon farms, shutting down power stations and incapacitating warships. There are even some scientists in Australia researching whether box jellyfish could ultimately destroy our oceans – so could devouring them be a possible solution?

The huge number of jellyfish in our oceans means that if we did start eating them, there is already a large supply of these potential morsels to be dined on. Also, some people argue that due to their reproductive cycle, jellyfish are actually a sustainable food source. Removing a jellyfish from the ocean doesn’t stop new ones being born. This is because they are spawned from polyps on the seabed. In some ways, you can compare them to apples. When you take an apple from a tree, the tree still goes on to produce more apples.

What about their nutritional value? Jellyfish contain 36 calories per ounce, which puts it on a par with iceberg lettuce. However, unlike lettuce, it is full of protein, making it potentially a great diet food. And indeed, in many parts of the world, particularly in Asia, they are already consumed, often raw, fried or chopped up as part of a salad. The demand for these animals, combined with their numbers, means that selling jellyfish is becoming an ever more lucrative business.

But what do they taste like? While some say they are flavourless, others describe them as having a salty taste. This could be due to their absorbent nature, which also leads them to being often served in a sauce. As for the texture, some people negatively compare the experience to eating gristle.

So, the next time you fancy chowing down on some fish, you might look at jellyfish as a sustainable alternative. They might not be the tastiest thing you’ve ever eaten, but it beats fleeing the sea to avoid being stung.

詞匯表

jellyfish 水母，海蜇
salmon 三文魚，鮭魚
devour 吞食
morsel 少量食物
dine on 吃，食用
sustainable food source 可持續的食物來源
nutritional value 營養價值
calorie 卡路裡（熱量單位）
iceberg lettuce 冰山生菜，結球生菜
protein 蛋白質
diet food 減肥食品
consume （大量地）吃，喝
raw 生的（食物）
fried 油炒的
chop up 切成小塊
salad 沙拉
flavourless 無味的
salty 咸的
sauce 調味醬汁
texture 口感
gristle 軟骨
chow down 大快朵頤

測驗與練習

1. 閱讀課文並回答問題。

1. Along with potentially killing humans, what other threats do jellyfish pose?

2. Why are jellyfish potentially sustainable?

3. Why are jellyfish a possible healthy food?

4. True or false? These animals are a popular food all over the world.

5. What are the negative things related to the experience of eating jellyfish mentioned in the article?

2. 選擇意思恰當的單詞或詞組來完成下列句子。

1. You need to _______ the onions before adding them to the curry.

chops up chopped up chop up chopping up

2. Last night, Derek _______ on four pizzas! He needs to cut down.

chowed down chows down chow down chowing down

3. He _______ too many calories for his height, and he is at risk of becoming obese.

consumption consuming consumes consume

4. This tastes amazing but has little _______.

flavourless nutritional value raw devouring

5. We _______ salad for a whole week to lose weight.

diet food dined on devour fried

答案

1. 閱讀課文並回答問題。

1. Along with potentially killing humans, what other threats do jellyfish pose?
They have caused death with their stings, attacked salmon farms, shut down power stations and incapacitated warships

2. Why are jellyfish potentially sustainable?
Because removing a jellyfish from the ocean doesn’t stop new ones being born, as they are spawned from polyps on the seabed.

3. Why are jellyfish a possible healthy food?
They are a possible diet food because they have lots of protein and only 36 calories per ounce.

4. True or false? These animals are a popular food all over the world.
False. At the moment, it seems that only in Asia have some countries fully embraced this food source.

5. What are the negative things related to the experience of eating jellyfish mentioned in the article?
Some people compare them to eating gristle while others say they’re flavourless.

2. 選擇意思恰當的單詞或詞組來完成下列句子。

1. You need to chop up the onions before adding them to the curry.

2. Last night, Derek chowed down on four pizzas! He needs to cut down.

3. He consumes too many calories for his height, and he is at risk of becoming obese.

4. This tastes amazing but has little nutritional value.

5. We dined on salad for a whole week to lose weight.