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Fish is now the world’s most-traded animal commodity, with about 100 million tons of wild and farmed fish sold each year! Without a doubt, for anyone with a conscience or who cares for their health, eating fish is much more complicated than it used to be.  To satisfy growing demand, we are catching fish faster than they can reproduce, pushing their populations lower and lower.  During our generation, we’ve witnessed the obliteration of Atlantic cod, Atlantic salmon, Chilean seabass, Bluefin tuna, sharks and countless other species. Some experts predict that the world’s major commercial stocks will collapse by 2048 if current fishing practices continue.

When we introduced seafood, to say we were confused is an understatement.  So, we defined sustainable seafood and created a three-pronged test to determine if a fish is sustainable.  Sustainable seafood can be defined as seafood (we include saltwater and freshwater fish, as well as shellfish) from either wild or farmed sources that can maintain or increase production in the future without jeopardizing the ecosystems from which it was acquired. Making an informed decision at a seafood counter is accomplished by asking three questions:

First, what is the species of fish? This question should be easy to answer.  The devil is in the details.  Tuna does not equal tuna.  E.g. Bluefin tuna is severely over fished, while Albacore tuna is an excellent choice because stocks are well managed and currently abundant. 

Second, where was the fish caught or raised? This is a medium-difficulty question for most grocery stores. Again, the devil is in the details.  The “Pacific Ocean” is not one place.  There’s a huge difference between fishing practices off of the coast of British Columbia and off of the coast of Thailand.

And finally, how was the fish caught or raised? This is the question that will stump even some of the best fishmongers. There are a lot of variables at play depending on whether the fish was wild or farmed.  If wild, sustainable catching methods include hook-and-line, trolling, traps and pots.  Unsustainable fishing methods include long-lining, seining, gillnetting, trawling and dredging.  If farmed, ask what is the source of the fish food?  Are forage fish being taken from the oceans putting the natural ecosystem at risk?  Are antibiotics and pesticides being used?  Are animal and industry bi-products being fed to the fish to reduce the cost?

Confused?  Don’t worry, there are many organizations that have made it easy.  SeaChoice Canada is one I recommend; they have created a pocket guide to seafood and made it available on their website, www.seachoice.org. To read more about this topic and delve into these questions a little deeper visit Mario's online newsletter here.

 

Mario Fiorucci
 ~ is the Co-Founder of The Healthy Butcher
www.thehealthybutcher.com


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