Publisher’s Note: As mercury levels in fish rise each year, some concerned consumers opt to avoid consuming fish altogether because of potential health risks. Today, many health practitioners stand behind this choice. We wanted to help New Life Journal readers who do choose to eat fish find the most sustainable options. So, we asked Tobias Aguirre from FishWise to share the ins and outs of sustainable seafood choices.

Between health warnings, environmental issues, mercury scares, mislabeling, and worries over contaminated imports, making a responsible seafood choice has become a difficult task.

In this time, it’s important to ask some particular questions of your restaurants and grocers that can help you identify what you’re eating and understand the impacts of your choices.

1. DO YOU SERVE SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD?
Some restaurants are starting to advertise on their menus that they carry sustainable products. Ask which seafood dishes are prepared with sustainable seafood.

2. WHAT KIND OF FISH IS THIS, REALLY?
When you buy fish, you’re not always getting what you think you’re buying. When you buy red snapper, you could be getting rockfish or actual snapper, two unrelated species. Chilean seabass, black seabass and white seabass are not all seabass; so, be sure to ask your seafood seller or server exactly what kind of fish you’re buying.

3. IS IT FARMED OR WILD?
Many people are surprised when they find out that some of their favorite fish is farmed. Many farmed fish are considered sustainable while some are not. In general, freshwater-farmed fish, like tilapia and catfish, are sustainable, while ocean-farmed fish, like salmon and shrimp, aren’t. Be sure to ask whether the fish is farmed or wild and if it is from freshwater or the ocean.

4. WHERE DID THIS FISH COME FROM?
Most of the time, your fish has traveled farther than you! This question is important because every country has its own laws regulating fishing. In general, the U.S., Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand have the most rules in place to protect fish species.

5. HOW WAS THIS FISH CAUGHT?
If a wild-caught fish is on the menu or available at your store, be sure to ask how it was caught. Some fishing methods are destructive to the environment, like trawling or dredging. Other methods produce high by-catch, like pelagic (open water) long lines. On the other hand, methods like trolling, hook and line, or traps have low impact on the environment. By choosing seafood caught with ocean-friendly gear, you can protect marine animals and their homes.

QUICK TIPS Here’s a rough guide to three of the most popular seafood options in the United States.

Shrimp: Buy U.S. wild and farmed shrimp. Trap-caught shrimp is the best choice, while farmed or trawl-caught shrimp from the U.S. are next best alternatives. Avoid imported farmed shrimp (very polluting) and imported trawl-caught shrimp (destructive to the natural habitat).

Salmon: Choose wild caught salmon and avoid farmed salmon. Here are three problems with farmed salmon: (1) It takes up to five pounds of wild caught fish to feed one pound of farmed salmon. (2) There is a risk of escapes, and escapees compete with native species for spawning grounds and food, potentially weakening the native species population. (3) Pollution from salmon farms negatively affects the local ecosystem.

Tuna: For both fresh and canned tuna, choose tuna that was caught hook-and-line as opposed to long lines that stretch up to 50 miles and that can accidentally catch turtles, dolphins, birds and sharks. Albacore, skipjack and canned “chunk light” tuna have the lowest levels of mercury.
In general, it’s best to eat as low on the food chain as possible, as species such as clams, oysters and crab are best suited to sustain fishing pressure and have the lowest levels of contaminants. They are also caught or farmed in ways that have little impact on ecosystems.

The ocean is one of the last great resources on Earth, and many experts believe there is still time to save it. Each of us can make a difference in the health of our oceans each time we shop for seafood at the grocery store.

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