How to choose eco-friendly seafood

Earlier today we looked at a simple question; Is Eating Seafood More Eco-friendly Than Eating Meat?. The general answer was no. There’s more too it than just yes or no though. It is possible to make smart eco-choices when it comes to the seafood on your plate.

• As noted in the last fish post, don’t buy fish from questionable places like a fish farm.
• Avoid seafood that’s caught with trawling efforts.
• Like most foods, buying local and in-season seafood is eco-friendly, however since we all don’t live on the coast, here’s some extra purchasing help…

The Environmental Defense Fund has a few handy guides that can help you make smarter seafood choices:

• Head to this page; scroll down a little, and you’ll see three cool guides; Eco-Best Fish, Eco-OK Fish, and  Eco-Worst Fish. You can also search by fish type and shellfish choices are included.
• Sushi Selector (blah sushi – if you like it though, this guide is useful).
• Print a Pocket Seafood Selector [PDF] or Pocket Sushi Guide [PDF]. If you have a mobile, you can download info about buying seafood to use on the go.

Organic seafood?

If you live in the UK, you’re in luck because two organizations, the Soil Association and Organic Food Federation, have actually developed aquaculture standards for organically farmed fish in the UK. You’ll need to look for one of the following labels on your seafood…

If you live in the U.S., you’re not so much in luck because we don’t have set organic standards for seafood. The word on the media street is that yes, soon we may have U.S. organic seafood standards. Back in Nov, news came out that the USDA approved the first rules for organic labeling of fish, but among other organic fish arguments, there’s an ongoing debate about farmed fish and organic labels. As noted, farmed fish are not eco-friendly, yet, the debate rages about being able to call these fish organic, which might confuse consumers. Anyway, as of right now, you can’t get organic fish; not certified, no matter what a fish market might tell you.

Other useful tools:

• Here’s a guide to in-season fish if you live in the UK.
• Regional seafood guides (U.S. included).
• Consumer Guide to Mercury in Fish
• Shrimp Eco-Labels: What Do They Mean – here’s a clue, not too much.
• Buying fresh, local and at the right time benefits fish and consumer – great article for seafood lovers; covers questions to ask seafood sellers, how to choose seasonal fish, and more. Since you can’t score organic fish, this article provides some great help for getting the best seafood you can under the circumstances.

What’s your take on seafood vs. meat? Do you think one is the better eco-choice?

[image via stock.xchng]