Mary M., of the fantastic blog Cooking with the Junior League, mentioned in one of her blog posts that the Monterey Bay Aquarium has a handy seafood guide that provides information on how various types are raised/caught, whether it is overfished, and the environmental impact. This page lets you click on different species and get detailed information about it; here’s a screenshot of part of the listing for abalone:
Or you can go to their U.S. map and click on a region to download a pdf guide to buying seafood in your region.
Also see our post on the Consumer Reports eco-labeling website and the interactive map of factory farms.
Comments 8
Vidya — June 2, 2009
It's an *aquarium*, and they're telling people how to *eat* the sorts of animals they house and display? That's all kinds of disturbing.
Anonymous — June 2, 2009
Thank you thank you thank you! This link will be on my iPhone when I go to the store.
Elena — June 2, 2009
It’s an *aquarium*, and they’re telling people how to *eat* the sorts of animals they house and display? That’s all kinds of disturbing.
Why? Most animals in petting zoos are edible, and tiny lambs and fluffy rabbits are a lot cuter than shellfish.
Cycles — June 2, 2009
I know, I think it's strange too. But the aquarium takes an active role in conservation. They have several big displays about harmful fishing practices, and there's a spot where you can send a postcard to your legislators on issues affecting oceans and rivers. I think they figure people are going to eat fish anyway, so they'll help them pick less-damaging choices. With the exception of fish farms, food from the ocean is not managed by humans; there's no animal husbandry for seafood, and the critters are fished from the "wild." Overfishing has taken a toll. The guide is a form of damage control.
It's funny (and perhaps worthy of a Sociological Images post on its own) ... every time I go to that aquarium, I overhear people talking about how all this looking at fish has made them hungry for a nice seafood dinner. The aquarium is in a touristy part of Monterrey that specializes in seafood restaurants and wharf dining. A lot of people go look at the fish and then eat them in a restaurant.
By contrast, I never hear people at a petting zoo, for example, talk about how the calves are making them hungry. It only happens at the aquarium. My theory is that in the U.S. seafood is often served as whole fish/shrimp, or in a manner that makes it clear what the live animal looked like, so when you see the animal in the aquarium you see it as something to eat.
Mary — June 2, 2009
The thing I've noticed since I started using my regional guide is how difficult it is to find seafood from the "Best" or "Good Alternatives" columns at most grocery stores - pretty much limited to catfish or tilapia.
So now, I'm all about the fishmonger.
On the bright side, I do like that even at my local Ralph's everything in the seafood case is labeled with where it came from and how it was caught. Do most grocery stores do this?
Elena — June 3, 2009
With the exception of fish farms, food from the ocean is not managed by humans; there’s no animal husbandry for seafood
Mussels, for example, have been farmed since the Middle Ages, and the Romans already had fish farms. Here in Spain, barnacles (percebes) are also managed carefully (even though they're still in the wild) by the guilds of percebeiros and picked by hand.
On the bright side, I do like that even at my local Ralph’s everything in the seafood case is labeled with where it came from and how it was caught. Do most grocery stores do this?
IIRC this is required by law in the EU.
iz — June 3, 2009
I think this is pure greenwash. Sure, there are fishes that are less bad to eat than others, but ultimately fisheries will never be sustainable because the demand will always be far greater than what the aquatic community can sustain.
And who do you think determines quotas for fisheries? Do you think ecologists have any say in the matter? No, they don't. In fact, a theme repeated by profs in every single one of my ecology courses is that the vast majority of quotas are not based on science. and when organizations DO commission ecologists, who in turn present their findings and suggested quota, they sipmply choose to not follow the scientists' "advice."
So by labeling it sustainable, you're getting people to feel less bad about contributing to the collapse of fisheries and ultimately BUYING more fish. In reality, no one should be eating fish more than once a month.
My take: you should take the sustainability label with a grain of salt. It is not a license to freely consume fish whenever you want, but a very loose guide to help you make less-bad choices.
akvaryum — June 15, 2009
akvaryum