Seafood Choices That Save Fish
Greentips: February 2003
Most of us may never see the world beneath the waves, but visible or not, what happens undersea has potential consequences for the global environment. Recent changes in our oceans are particularly troubling. Habitat destruction and wasteful fishing practices have led to significant declines in wild fish populations. Indeed, it is estimated that some 70 percent of the world's natural fishing grounds have been overfished.
This is no small matter. The collapse of a fish population can alter an entire ecosystem. When predator species disappear, fish lower down the food chain increase in numbers, which affects other species. When prey disappears, predator species die off for lack of food, which can affect marine mammals and seabirds.
Your seafood choices can shift demand from fragile fish populations to robust ones. Tell your fishmonger that you only want fish from healthy populations. Here is a list to help you choose…
BAD CHOICES:
Caviar, beluga/osetra/sevruga
Chilean seabass (aka toothfish)
Cod, Atlantic
Flounder
Grouper
Halibut, Atlantic
Monkfish
Orange roughy
Salmon, farmed and Atlantic
Shark
Shrimp
Snapper
Swordfish
Tuna, Bluefin
GOOD CHOICES:
Catfish, farmed American
Caviar, farmed American
Crab, Dungeness
Halibut, Alaskan
Herring, Atlantic
Mackerel, Spanish and Atlantic
Mahimahi
Salmon, wild Alaskan
Sardines
Striped bass
Tilapia, farmed
Note that farmed fish is sometimes a good alternative, but not always. Farmed salmon, for example, are fed wild fish, resulting in a net loss of fish from the sea. Shrimp farms often damage their surrounding habitat by taking the place of ecologically important mangrove forests.
Point of origin is another important distinction to make when ordering or shopping for fish. Russian caviar may be highly prized, but American farmed caviar is better for sturgeon populations. Alaskan halibut is fine, but not the Atlantic variety. So, remember to ask where the fish was caught. You may not always get the answer, but you've taken the first step toward changing commercial fishing practices.
We offer the above list as a general guideline; however, there are exceptions within categories. For more information and the most up-to-date lists, see the links below.
