Nicolas and I really like fish, but we’ve been really confused about which fish to choose. One day we hear that we shouldn’t eat farmed salmon because so many chemicals are added to the hatcheries, then we hear we shouldn’t eat wild caught salmon because the water is polluted and they are being over-fished. How’s a person to choose? Well, luckily for us, many restaurants and other organizations are trying really hard to bring seafood to the consumer’s plate that is sustainably harvested.
Of course, what if you find yourself in a restaurant you’re not sure of or what if you’re trying to find that perfect poaching fish at the grocery store?
Monterey Bay Aquarium offers Seafood Watch pocket cards. This little guide (available for several different regions) is semi-famous for helping people out of a bind when they’re trying to figure out what to order at a restaurant or what to buy at the grocery store. It’s got three categories: Best Choices, Good Alternatives, and Avoid. Some people say it’s not enough, arguing that it hasn’t made a difference. I agree. Of course it’s not enough! When you’re faced with a problem as big as the ocean, a pocket guide is a drop in the bucket, but that’s exactly why I like them; it helps me, one person, make a small difference.
Another crusader in the fight for our oceans is, of course, Greenpeace. They’ve got a “red-fish-list” of endangered or toxic seafood, a “green-fish post” listing all the things sellers of seafood can do to help, and an excellent blog with ways you can get involved, even on a small scale. They are also constantly on the lookout for practices and organizations that are either helping or hurting the cause. For example, Greenpeace surveys found that the giant box store, Costco, the one that all of us including me have shopped in, continues to sell fifteen of the twenty-two red list seafood items. Keep checking their blog for updates.
Believe it or not, there are also government agencies, especially those on the state level who are also working to make a difference. Despite this, fishermen are caught in the middle, feeling like government agencies can’t possibly make fishing environmentally friendly and allow them to continue to make a living.
All the confusion aside, there are always some positive and easy steps you can take to help fisherman and our oceans and fish (and the millions of other organisms) living there:
- Eat less fish. Save seafood dinners for special occasions.
- Get a Seafood Watch guide here.
- Use one of these recipes when planning your seafood meals.
- Ask your local store to stop selling red-listed seafood.
- Take action urging Costco to implement a sustainable seafood policy so we can shop there without worrying.
- Buy fish from The Super Green List, of wild and farmed seafood which are some of the healthiest choices for people and the oceans.
- Check back to read about how we choose to cook the three farmed Rainbow Trout we bought from Whole Foods a couple days ago. They’re on the super green list so I’m excited to make them into something delicious!
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