Sustainable Fish Choices for an Overfished Planet

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.

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.