Sustainable Seafood Guide - Savoring The Seas Responsibly
Discover sustainable seafood choices with our comprehensive sustainable seafood guide. Make eco-friendly dining decisions.
Author:Sanah ConnorReviewer:Karan EmeryJul 16, 202427.7K Shares590.5K Views
The consumption of seafood is a significant part of many diets worldwide, providing essential nutrients and contributing to global food security. However, overfishing, habitat destruction, and unsustainable fishing practices threaten the health of our oceans and marine ecosystems.
To address these challenges, consumers can use sustainable seafood guideto make informed choices that support the long-term health of marine environments.
This sustainable seafood guide explores the importance of sustainable seafood, highlights key factors to consider, and provides guidance on selecting sustainable seafood options.
Why Sustainable Seafood Matters
Sustainable seafood refers to fish and shellfish harvested or farmed using methods that minimize environmental impact, support healthy fish populations, and promote responsible fishing practices. Choosing sustainable seafood helps protect marine biodiversity, maintain fish stocks, and preserve the livelihoods of fishing communities worldwide. Additionally, it supports efforts to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and reduce bycatch of non-target species.
How To Recognize Sustainable Seafood?
When seafood carries the MSC blue fish tick label, it's easy to discover sustainable seafood. But since not all seafood is labeled, it might be difficult to tell if it is sustainable. It's crucial to question your fishmonger, restaurant server, and store if there isn't a reliable label:
- Can you confirm the fish's provenance and where it came from?
- How, if at all, was the fish raised or captured sustainably?
- Does the fish's adult size indicate that juveniles are allowed to mature and procreate?
- Are fish populations in the area where the fish is caught abundant?
- Does the fish's market price remain consistent throughout time, indicating a steady supply?
- Does an impartial organization verify that the fish is harvested in a sustainable manner?
- Make sure the individual selling you the fish is competent and self-assured while responding to your inquiries, and use your own discretion.
Sustainable Seafood Buying Guide
Buy American-caught Seafood To Support Strong Fishery Management
Customers should try their hardest to purchase seafood that has been sustainably harvested in American waters, considering the various dangers facing our oceans. A good place to start is with the Seafood Watch program of the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Why go for seafood that is obtained locally rather than imported? An estimated $2.4 billion worth of imports, or up to 32 percent of all imports sold in the United States in 2019 were obtained through illicit, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. This intricate worldwide issue undermines legal fisheries management, encourages overfishing, and endangers the wellbeing of several fish species.
Additional issues include bottom trawling, which can destroy deep-sea corals, sponge fields, and other special habitats and creatures of the ocean floor, and bycatch, which is the unintended entanglement of other marine species in fishing nets, such as dolphins and sea turtles.
The primary cause of the reduction in marine mammals is the worldwide bycatch of whales, dolphins, and other marine mammals, which results in the death or serious injury of over 650,000 animals annually.
Foreign fisheries are required by the Marine Mammal Protection Act to adhere to strict U.S. bycatch requirements; wildlife advocates believe that our government has to give this requirement more serious consideration, and concerned customers can help by refusing to purchase imported seafood.
Diversify To Prevent Overfishing
The top five seafood choices made by Americans year after year are shrimp, salmon, canned tuna, tilapia, and pollock. While each has its own set of issues, an over reliance on a small number of aquatic species can result in overfishing, unfavorable techniques of capture, habitat degradation, and, in the case of farmed fish, misuse of antibiotics. (Not all farmed fish are at risk; open-ocean farms are typically the worst when it comes to pollution and the usage of antibiotics.)
In the meantime, hundreds of delectable and presently numerous species, including mussels, oysters, rockfish, and scup (aka porgy), abound in the protected ocean waters surrounding the coasts of the United States.
Eating these undervalued species can help reduce harm and support the ongoing recovery of U.S. fisheries. Seafood enthusiasts can get their fix of salty, savory flavor from many edible seaweed species, which are available dried in many stores and have the capacity to absorb carbon dioxide from the ocean.
Think Small To Keep It Clean
Mercury is a hazardous neurotoxin that can damage the neurological system and cause problems with brain function. Consumers are at risk of negative health impacts due to high concentrations of this pollutant, which is linked to emissions from coal-burning power plants, found in both freshwater fish like bass and trout and ocean predators like tuna and swordfish.
It poses a particular risk to young children and expectant mothers. Smaller seafood, such as sardines, scallops, and squid, often has lower mercury content than larger seafood, such as swordfish and tuna.
For what reason is that the case? Similar to other hazardous particles, such as microplastics, mercury pollution finds its way to the seafloor where it is subsequently ingested by creatures that inhabit or consume the sediments at the bottom.
These substances build up inside the animals that consume them rather than being broken down. They get increasingly concentrated as they go up the food chain, a phenomenon called biomagnification. Hence, when a tuna consumes a large number of anchovies, the tuna absorbs the mercury from the anchovies into its own body.
Eat Local Fish And Shellfish
What about boat to table? You may have heard of farm to table. Growing in popularity are community-supported fisheries, which are based on community-supported agricultural programs in which participants pay for a regular share of a farmer's harvest. Getting involved in a community-supported fishery is a great way to find out exactly where, by whom, and how your fish was obtained.
(Small-scale, environmentally conscious fisherman frequently use pots and traps or hook and line, two less damaging means of catching fish.) These initiatives support local fishing industries and raise consumer demand for sustainably produced seafood from the area. Some even contribute to increasing climate resilience in nearby waterways, such as kelp and oyster producers. Go to localcatch.org to locate a CSF nearby.
Be Vigilant About Wild Capture And Fish Farms
If you are unable to participate in a CSF, purchase your seafood from reputable stores and eateries. Some companies have raised the bar for the fish they offer in-store, and a lot of them have promised to develop sustainable seafood programs for the long run.
All it takes to influence consumer demand for fish that has been captured or farmed sustainably is to ask if a store or restaurant serves sustainable seafood.
Better Choices
- Abalone, farmed
- Anchovies
- Arctic Char (farmed)
- Barramundi
- Bluefish
- Catfish (farmed)
- Clams, mussels, oysters
- Cod: Pacific (Alaska)
- Crab: King, Snow, Tanner
- Crawfish
- Dogfish
- Halibut (Pacific)
- Herring (Atlantic)
- Mackerel: Atlantic, Spanish
- Mussels (Black, Green-lipped)
- Octopus (Pacific)
- Oysters (farmed)
- Pacific Black Cod (sablefish)
- Pacific Cod (pot or jig caught)
- Pollack (Alaska)
- Prawns (freshwater, US and Canada)
- Prawns: Spot (Alaska and Canada)
- Rockfish (Canada or US Pacific)
- Sablefish/Black Cod (Canada and Alaska)
- Salmon (Wild Alaskan)
- Sardines (wild, Pacific)
- Scallops (Bay – farmed)
- Shrimp (US farmed)
- Sturgeon (farmed)
- Tilapia (US, Canada, Ecuador farmed)
- Trout: Rainbow (US farmed)
- Tuna: Albacore (troll, pole, and line)
Moderate Risk
- Cod (Atlantic handline)
- Cod (Pacific, North American)
- Crab: Dungeness
- Flounder: “Summer Flounder” Fluke
- Lingcod
- Lobster (Bahamas, North America)
- Octopus (Atlantic)
- Prawns (US farmed or wild
- Rainbow Trout (farmed)
- Salmon, Chinook (wild from WA, OR, BC Canada)
- Scallops (Sea, Bay wild)
- Shrimp (domestic, trawl-caught)
- Sole (Pacific)
- Squid (Atlantic)
- Swordfish (US)
Best To Avoid
- Abalone
- Atlantic Cod
- Caviar (wild sturgeon)
- Catfish (imported)
- Crab (Asia and Russia)
- Grouper
- Halibut (Atlantic)
- Hoki (Atlantic, New Zealand)
- King Crab (Russia)
- Lobster (Central America, Brazil
- Mahi mahi (imported)
- Orange Roughy
- Pollack (Canada trawl)
- Prawns (imported, tiger)
- Salmon (farmed)
- Sardines (Atlantic)
- Scrod
- Seabass: Chilean
- Shark: all species
- Shrimp (imported
- Skate
- Squid (imported longline)
- Sturgeon (wild)
- Swordfish (Atlantic)
- Tilapia (China farmed)
- Tuna: Albacore imported (except troll, pole, and line)
- Tune: Bluefin, Yellowfin (longline except US), and Skipjack
Sustainable Seafood Guide - FAQs
How Can I Use A Sustainable Seafood Guide?
You can use a sustainable seafood guide to identify seafood species that are caught or farmed using sustainable practices, as well as to learn about seafood certification labels and eco-friendly fishing methods.
What Are Some Examples Of Sustainable Seafood Choices?
Examples of sustainable seafood choices include wild-caught Alaskan salmon, US farmed oysters, Pacific sardines, US farmed shrimp, and pole-and-line-caught tuna from the Maldives.
How Can I Tell If Seafood Is Sustainable When Dining Out?
When dining out, you can ask restaurant staff about the origin of their seafood, look for sustainability certifications or labels, and choose menu items featuring seafood species known to be sustainably sourced.
What Are Some Sustainable Seafood Alternatives To Popular But Overfished Species?
Sustainable seafood alternatives to popular but overfished species include swapping out Chilean sea bass for US farmed barramundi, replacing Atlantic cod with US Pacific cod, and choosing US farmed trout instead of imported rainbow trout.
Which Seafoods Are Most Sustainable?
- Wild-Caught Lionfish.
- Wild-Caught Albacore Tuna.
- Wild-Caught Pacific Cod.
- Wild-Caught Rockfish.
- Farmed Whiteleg Shrimp.
- Farmed Tilapia.
- Farmed Arctic Char.
- Farmed Mussels.
How Do You Pick Sustainable Seafood?
A product can be linked to a sustainable fishery if it bears a third-party sustainable seafood certification label, like the MSC blue fish tick. A seafood rating guide assigns a number of categories, such as good choice, avoid, or eat less, based on a variety of species-level considerations.
How Do We Manage Seafood For Long Term Sustainability?
Robust science-based management limits the amount and types of wildlife that fishers can take, protecting wild populations. In a similar vein, aquaculture management controls farm locations, chemical usage, and water quality to protect wildlife and the surrounding ecosystem.
What Is Gold Standard Sustainable Seafood?
It is effectively managed, with a thorough management strategy grounded in recent research. It is gathered in a way that guarantees little bycatch on unintended and vulnerable species. It is gathered in a way that minimizes harm to aquatic or marine environments and unfavorable interactions with other species.
How Do Sustainable Seafood Guides Help Promote Responsible Fishing Practices?
Sustainable seafood guides raise awareness about the importance of responsible fishing practices, encourage seafood retailers and suppliers to source sustainably, and empower consumers to make environmentally conscious seafood choices.
Conclusion
Sustainable seafood guide empowers consumers to make environmentally conscious choices that support the health of our oceans and marine ecosystems. By considering factors such as overfishing, fishing methods, aquaculture practices, and certifications, consumers can select seafood options that align with their values and contribute to a more sustainable seafood industry. By promoting sustainable seafood consumption, individuals can play a vital role in safeguarding marine biodiversity, supporting fishing communities, and preserving ocean health for future generations.
Jump to
Why Sustainable Seafood Matters
How To Recognize Sustainable Seafood?
Sustainable Seafood Buying Guide
Diversify To Prevent Overfishing
Think Small To Keep It Clean
Eat Local Fish And Shellfish
Be Vigilant About Wild Capture And Fish Farms
Better Choices
Moderate Risk
Best To Avoid
Sustainable Seafood Guide - FAQs
Conclusion
Sanah Connor
Author
Sanah Connor is a Yoga Master and expert in Nutrition, holding a Master of Public Health in Nutrition from Harvard University. With over 15 years of experience in the field, Sanah specializes in creating personalized wellness plans that promote balanced nutrition, mindful eating, and physical fitness for optimal well-being.
Beyond her professional work, Sanah is an avid advocate of holistic living and wellness. She finds fulfillment in practicing meditation, cultivating organic gardening, volunteering for community health initiatives, and indulging in creative writing. These diverse interests reflect her commitment to a well-rounded and fulfilling life, enriching both her personal and professional endeavors.
Her mission is to inspire individuals to make informed choices and embrace holistic wellness for a happier, healthier life journey.
Karan Emery
Reviewer
Karan Emery, an accomplished researcher and leader in health sciences, biotechnology, and pharmaceuticals, brings over two decades of experience to the table. Holding a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Stanford University, Karan's credentials underscore her authority in the field.
With a track record of groundbreaking research and numerous peer-reviewed publications in prestigious journals, Karan's expertise is widely recognized in the scientific community.
Her writing style is characterized by its clarity and meticulous attention to detail, making complex scientific concepts accessible to a broad audience. Apart from her professional endeavors, Karan enjoys cooking, learning about different cultures and languages, watching documentaries, and visiting historical landmarks.
Committed to advancing knowledge and improving health outcomes, Karan Emery continues to make significant contributions to the fields of health, biotechnology, and pharmaceuticals.
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