simple + green

image credit: svenwerk

Wild yellowfin and farm-raised salmon are well-known to seafood consumers.

But what about organic or sustainably-raised fish? Is there really any such thing?

It has been 2 years since the New York Times article nailed this truth about organic labelling for fish:

An organic tomato must flourish without conventional pesticides; an organic chicken cannot be fed antibiotics. Food marketers can use terms like “natural” and “free range” with some wiggle room, but only the Agriculture Department can sanction the “organic” label.

To the dismay of some fishermen — including many in the Alaskan salmon industry — this means that wild fish, whose living conditions are not controlled, are not likely to make the grade. And that has led to a lot of bafflement, since wild fish tend to swim in pristine waters and are favored by fish lovers.

“If you can’t call a wild Alaska salmon true and organic,” asked Senator Lisa Murkowski, a Republican from Alaska, “what can you call organic?”

It doesn’t seem as though anything has changed from an organic certification or labelling standpoint since then. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t viable options.

If you eat fish and want to know the least environmentally-impactful seafood to buy and eat, the very best resource I’ve found is the Seafood Watch Program website.

Developed in partnership with the Monterey Bay Aquarium, this program provides an up-to-date set of resources including:

* A Pocket guide, which allows you to carry the most up to date list of “safe to eat” fish. Split into 3 categories: Red (avoid), Yellow (caution) and Green (best), you can feel safe with your choices by keeping this on hand. Perfect as a restaurant resource. They also make a mobile phone-accessible resource available.

* Online seafood search or browsable guide: detailed, current information on the safety and viability of all commercially available seafood. Again, the point is to demonstrate what is in danger of being overfished, or should be avoided for other reasons.

* Education and action resources: find out what bycatch is and why habitat damage is such an important lesson for us.

Bottom-line: only with resources like this can we expect to make the right choices about what seafood we do and don’t eat. I swear by it.

Again, check out the Seafood Watch Program site for more information.