Do you love seafood but worry about the environmental impacts of what you’re eating? There can be a big difference in the ways the same species is caught. A swordfish caught with hook and line, for instance, has less impact than one caught with a longline, which can impact other species caught as bycatch. But it can be difficult to learn about the fish you’re eating, as there is not always information available at stores and restaurants to tell you where a fish was caught and how.
Luckily, several organizations have taken it upon themselves to make us all more informed. Here are some ways you can learn more about seafood choices and what you need to know to ask the right questions when you purchase, whether it’s at the grocery store, a fish market or in a restaurant.
There are many sustainable seafood guides out there, many available both online and in a printable wallet-sized format. Two of the most popular are below.
Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Program:
Monterey Bay Aquarium offers both an online seafood guide and a printable version. Click on a species and you’ll find its rating and the reasoning behind it, different market names, and information on where and how it’s caught.
What I like about this guide is the easy-to-read lists of “Best Choices,” “Good Alternatives,” and fish to avoid, alphabetized and side-by-side so it's easy to see the best choices. For example, for cod, the guide says to stick with Pacific cod caught by longline, jig, or trap. The next best choice is Pacific cod caught by trawl, and the worst choice is the heavily overfished Atlantic cod.
This site is especially helpful because you can also see region-specific guides (great for traveling!), such as guides for the Northeast, West Coast, Southeast, and Hawaii. For those interested in more information on the fishing methods, you can learn about those and see videos of the gear in action in the seafood gear types section of the web site.
There’s also a sushi guide, again organized into user-friendly best-to-worst alternatives.
Another option is to log onto seafoodwatch.org on your mobile phone, and you’ll be taken to a pocket guide automatically.
Blue Ocean Institute’s Seafood Guide:
Blue Ocean Institute also has user-friendly online and printable guides. You can also fill out a form to order a wallet-sized guide to be mailed to you, or visit www.fishphone.org on your PDA or mobile phone to get a cell phone-friendly seafood guide.
The species are color-coded with little red, yellow and green fish icons to guide you in your seafood choice. You can also view a full list of ocean-friendly sushi. There’s also a helpful Seafood FAQ that answers questions about finding the best seafood, and how to approach the waiter at your favorite restaurant.
The popular seafood guides and the electronic age have spawned a phone version that’s as easy as sending a text message.
In 2007, Blue Ocean Institute launched FishPhone, a “sustainable seafood text messaging service that instantly puts sustainable seafood information at your fingertips.” All you need to do is text 30644 with the message FISH and the name of the fish or shellfish you’re wondering about (e.g., FISH LOBSTER). You’ll get a message back with a recommendation and other alternatives if you’ve made a choice on the “red” list. I tried this and it works really quickly and would definitely be helpful in a restaurant or grocery store.
That’s not all. Monterey Bay Aquarium has responded to the popularity of the iPhone and now has a new iPhone/iPod touch application. I haven’t tried this one because I don’t have an iPhone, so if you do, please try it and let me know what you think.
These guides are definitely a big step in the right direction, helping us all to be more informed. Getting answers on where fish is from and how it's caught may take some extra probing, but it's worth it knowing you've made a better, healthier choice.
Can you really make a difference? I think so. What’s on the restaurant menu and at the fish counter in the supermarket is based on consumer preferences. So if you ask for better seafood alternatives and spread the word amongst other seafood lovers, you can make a difference in the health of the oceans, and just might find a new favorite seafood in the process!
If you’ve tried these guides, please let me know what you think. Do you know other guides out there that should be written up here? Feel free to e-mail me or discuss in the marine life forum!
