Are there any fish left in the lakes and oceans that are safe to eat? The media tells you to watch your intake because of high mercury levels, and you also read about oil spills and other sea accidents. When purchasing or catching your own fish, it helps to know what the best option is and what the worst option is so you can try to keep your family as health as possible.
Some things you should know about your fish include where it came from, how it was captured and whether it was farmed or wild-caught. Knowing the answers to these questions can help you make a healthy choice, and you are better equipped to support the more ethical fisheries. So if you don’t know where the fish came from or how it was caught, don’t buy it or eat it! According to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Guide 2006, there are healthy fish choices as well as ones to avoid.
The Best Fish Choices
- Catfish (U.S. farmed)
- Clams (Softshell/Steamers that are wild-caught)
- Clams (farmed)
- Crab (Dungeness and Snow from Canada)
- Halibut (Pacific)
- Herring (Atlantic/Sardines)
- Lobster (Spiny from U.S.)
- Mussels (farmed)
- Oysters (farmed)
- Pollock (wild-caught from Alaska)
- Salmon (wild-caught from Alaska)
- Striped Bass (farmed or wild-caught)
- Sturgeon, Caviar (farmed)
- Tilapia (farmed)
- Trout (Rainbow that is farmed)
- Tuna (Albacore, Bigeye and Yellowfin that is troll/pole-caught)
Fish to Avoid
- Chilean Seabass/Toothfish
- Atlantic Cod
- King Crab
- Atlantic Dogfish
- Flounders/Soles (Atlantic)
- Haddock
- Hake (White)
- Monkfish
- Halibut (Atlantic)
- Monkfish
- Orange Roughy
- Salmon (farmed, including Atlantic)
- Scallops (Mid-Atlantic)
- Sharks and Skates
- Shrimp (imported farmed or wild-caught)
- Snapper (Red)
- Sturgeon, Caviar (imported or wild-caught)
- Swordfish (imported)
- Tilefish (Southeast)
- Bluefin Tuna
Some fish are on both the best choice and ones to avoid list such as the Sturgeon. The reason for this is because it’s important that you limit your consumption of that particular fish. Along with whether the fish was ethically caught, you also have to be concerned about the level of toxins present in the fish. Mercury is the main problem, but other contaminants can be present in the fish too. Supporting ethical and eco-friendly fisheries by buying their products is a way to make a change in this industry. Plus, being more conscious is worthwhile, because you reduce your exposure to contaminants.
