Sustainable Fish Choices for an Overfished Planet

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Sustainable Fish Choices for an Overfished Planet

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People everywhere are always concerned about mercury levels in fish. What’s safe vs. what’s not safe. The landscape…or should we say seascape… of clean and safe fish, has changed vastly over the last decade and shows signs of further change as we continue to commercialize the production of seafood.

photo by The List

Gigha Island organic halibut farm

Until relatively recently, wild-caught fish was the preferred choice for nutritionist. However, this has resulted in possibly endangering a variety of ocean species. Wild caught salmon, for example, is an excellent nutritional choice but is currently considered illegal. So, it is a good idea to consider some farmed fish as long as the farming procedures are clean and sustainable.

Here are some sustainable choices in fish, given the current situation:

Gigha Island Halibut: A Scottish farm on Gigha Island, named after the Celtic word for ‘God,’ cultivates fresh halibut year-round. This mild, sweet flavored halibut is organically farmed and provides a sustainable alternative to wild Alaskan halibut which is ow a commercially protected species. While the fish is farmed sustainably, an obvious drawback is the carbon footprint created if the the fish is shipped outside of Scotland.
Texas Redfish: Drastically overfished decades ago, redfish is also commercially protected now. CleanFish has found a particular family farm in Texas that cultivates the fish naturally and sustainably. This particular farm is one of the first marine aquaculture operations in Texas permitted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

CleanFish is an organization that takes a new business approach to addressing the seafood crisis. By sourcing and promoting artisan fisheries, both farmed and wild, CleanFish builds a sustainable seafood movement from within the marketplace. For more information please visit www.cleanfish.com.

Posted on Jul 26, 2009

Tags:

CleanFish, Environmental Protection Agency, Gigha Island, Gigha island halibut, nutritionist, overifshing, sustainable fish, Texas Redfish

About the Author

Reenita Malhotra

Reenita Malhotra Hora is an Ayurveda clinician and freelance writer. Native to Mumbai, she resides in San Francisco with her husband and two kids where she helps people to achieve their wellness goals. Reenita writes for a variety of sustainability media including Green Options, Green Living Ideas, National Geographic Kids, SustainLane and more. Check out her wisdom at www.reenita.com.

2 Responses to “Sustainable Fish Choices for an Overfished Planet”

Will

Mar 04, 2010

Need to be careful with farmed fish. There was a Canadian CBC documentary on Chinese fish farming practices (tilapia/shrimp etc.) that detailed the toxic waters and chemicals that were used by the farmers to keep the fish alive. Pretty disgusting… You can read more about it here:

http://greenideastoday.com/2010/02/sustainable-seafood/

thanks,
Will
Edgar Campa-Palafox

Apr 02, 2010

I found this website that supports the fisheries that are leading the way in bringing health back to the oceans and the life they support. They sell sustainable fish choices.

http://ilovebluesea.com/