What fish to eat?

Fisheries are in a state of decline. Plates are getting bigger while fish numbers and sizes are getting smaller. But you have the power to turn this around and save fisheries from extinction. Here is a guide on what fish to eat for the West Coast of the United States as of July 2009:

Best Fish to Eat:
 
•    Abalone (US farmed)
•    Arctic char (farmed)                                                                                        
•    Barramundi (US farmed)
•    Catfish (US farmed)
•    Clams, mussels, and oysters (farmed)
•    Cobia (US farmed)
•    Pacific cod (from Alaska by longline)
•    Dungeness crab
•    Pacific halibut
•    Spiny lobster (from US)
•    Pollock (Alaska wild)
•    Black Rockfish (from CA or OR)
•    Sablefish/Black cod (from Alaska or BC)
•    Salmon (Alaska wild)
•    Pacific sardines (from US)
•    Bay scallops (farmed)
•    Pink shrimp (from OR)
•    Striped bass (farmed of wild)
•    Tilapia (US farmed)
•    Rainbow trout (farmed)
•    Albacore tuna (by troll/pole in US or BC)
•    Skipjack tuna (by troll/pole)
•    White seabass

• By ordering farmed clams, mussels, and oysters, wild stocks are not being depleted. Also, clam, mussel, and oyster aquaculture is among the most environmentally friendly. These mollusks actually improve water quality.   

• Any American wild-caught shrimp such as pink shrimp from Oregon is a good choice. These are free of the contaminants farmed shrimp are full of and American shrimp fishermen are required to reduce by-catch by law. Thus, the trawlers they use to catch shrimp include turtle exclusion devices.

• Wild Alaskan salmon is superior to any other salmon available in stores or restaurants since it is not pumped with antibiotics like farmed salmon, and in Alaska, restrictions are set on fishermen to limit how much they can catch within a certain time slot. This enforcement ensures that the Alaskan salmon fishery is not depleted and remains in a stable state.

• US farmed tilapia is among the best fish to eat because not only does this prevent wild stocks from being depleted, but they are raised in an environmentally safe way. In the US, farmed tilapia are raised in closed tank systems. This greatly reduces the risk of escape and thus ecological damage. These fish are also fed mostly vegetable-based diets, and farming operations produce little water pollution.

Good Alternatives to Eat Occasionally:
 
•    Caviar, Sturgeon (US farmed)
•    Clams and oysters (wild caught)
•    Pacific cod (US caught by trawling)
•    King crab (US)
•    Snow crab
•    Imitation crab
•    Pacific Flounders
•    Pacific Soles
•    Lingcod
•    Lobster (American/Maine)
•    Mahi mahi/Dolphinfish (from US)
•    Rockfish (from Alaska or BC caught by hook & line)
•    Sablefish/Black Cod (CA,OR, WA)
•    Salmon (wild from WA)
•    Pacific sanddabs
•    Sea scallops (wild)
•    Shrimp (US and Canada)
•    Spot prawn (from US)
•    Squid
•    Swai, Basa (farmed)
•    Swordfish (from US)
•    Talapia (Central America farmed)
•    Tuna: Bigeye, Yellowfin (troll/pole)
•    Tuna: Canned Skipjack and Albacore
•    Yellowtail (US farmed)
 

• Bigeye, yellowfin, and albacore tuna are a good alternative because they are able to resist fishing pressure since they have quick growth rates and frequent reproduction. Also, those caught by troll or pole is better environmentally since those methods do not incur the by-catch rates longline fishing does.

• Wild clams have low levels of contaminants, but dredges are used to catch them. Dredges devastate the ocean floor. Wild oyster populations have been significantly affected by nearshore pollution, overharvesting, and dredging. Therefore, these should only be considered as alternatives.

• It is advised to consume US King and Snow crab in moderation since populations are still recovering. Management has only become more proactive recently.

• Mahi mahi or dolphinfish are only proactively managed in the US. They are fast-growing so they easily escape fishing pressure. However, the reason they should only be an alternative is due to the method with which they are caught: longlines, which have a high degree of by-catch.

Worst Fish to Eat:
 
•    Caviar, Sturgeon (imported wild)
•    Chilean Seabass/Toothfish
•    Cod: Atlantic and imported Pacific)
•    Cobia (imported farmed)
•    King crab (imported)
•    Dogfish (from US)
•    Grenadier/Pacific Roughy
•    Spiny lobster (Caribbean)
•    Mahi mahi/dolphinfish (imported)
•    Marlin: blue, striped
•    Monkfish
•    Orange Roughy
•    Rockfish (imported)
•    Salmon (farmed, including Atlantic)
•    Sharks
•    Shrimp (imported)
•    Swordfish (imported)
•    Talapia (Asia farmed)
•    Tuna: Albacore, Bigeye, Yellowfin (caught by longline)
•    Tuna: Bluefin, Tongol, Canned (except for Albacore and Skipjack)
•    Yellowtail (imported, farmed)
 

• Imported farmed shrimp are toxic and the farming methods used are bad for the environment. Disease is highly frequent in shrimp farms so these shrimp are pumped with antibiotics and pesticides. Imported wild shrimp are just as bad due to the amount of by-catch it incurs. The majority of imported wild shrimp are caught by trawlers, which do not include turtle exclusion devices as American ones do.

• The overfishing and damming of rivers along California’s northern coast has led to the salmon’s current critical state. The salmon runs have been closed for two years in order to allow the species to recover. During this time the rate of salmon aquaculture has risen and so have the controversies over it. It takes 3kg of fish feed to produce 1kg of farmed salmon. Also, farmed salmon have proven to be more vulnerable to sea lice infestation. Lice and other diseases that manifest in farmed populations can spread to wild populations. To cure these diseases, farmed salmon are treated with antibiotics. However, this in addition to their waste induces extremely poor water quality. Sometimes, farmed salmon manage to escape to go on to breed with wild salmon, reducing the offsprings’ viability.

• Bluefin tuna is almost on the verge of extinction because it is so overfished. Its extremely high value in the sushi market makes it highly demanded. Bluefin tuna also grow slowly and take a long time to reproduce. Thus, this species is being depleted faster than it is able to recover.

Solutions:

MPAs- Marine Protected Areas

• Marine reserves, or "no take zones" are critical to recovering fish populations by allowing species safe zones for reproduction. 
• 29 Marine Protected Areas on California's Central Coast have been recently implemented and their effectiveness will be highly monitored

Demanding sustainable seafood

• The choices you make as a consumer and where you put your money will place pressure on seafood suppliers to start providing sustainable seafood
• Asking where and how the fish was caught before purchasing it will also pressure providers to learn the origins of their seafood and make informed decisions of what to supply consumers with
• Write to your state representatives to encourage them to consider stricter regulations and enforcement on the various fishing methods and on how much fishermen can take
• Always carry your Seafood Watch guide with you to help you make educated decisions when buying seafood. Download one here:  http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/download.aspx
• Support other organizations trying to make a difference in the seafood industry and improve the health of fisheries such as FishWise! Find out more about FishWise here: www.sustainablefishery.org

Helpful Links:

www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/download.aspx
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/fishwatch/
www.sustainablefishery.org
http://endoftheline.com/
http://www.riversofalostcoast.com/