Fish: What You Need to Know

Living on the Gulf Coast, we’re fortunate to have access to fresh seafood. But sustainable seafood is another matter. For example, “grouper”:http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/SeafoodWatch/web/sfw_factsheet.aspx?gid=40, which is ubiquitous in area restaurants as the “catch of the day” is listed in the “Avoid” category by the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch guide. According to their criteria, it is overfished and is also recommended for limited consumption, as there are concerns about mercury or other contaminants.
From the Bloomingfoods coop newsletter:
bq. The Daily Green and San Francisco Chronicle recommend asking “these six questions”:http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/7942?src=nl&mag=tdg&list=dgr when selecting your seafood. And for great information regarding seafood and the industry that produces it, explore these sites: Monterey Bay Aquarium’s “Seafood Watch”:http://www.mbayaq.org/cr/seafoodwatch.asp, the Environmental Defense Council’s “Oceans Alive”:http://www.oceansalive.org/eat.cfm, and “Seafood Choices Alliance”:http://www.seafoodchoices.com/home.php.
Frankly, aside from farmed oysters there aren’t a lot of Gulf species listed as “Best Choices” in the Seafood Watch guide, reflecting the poor management of Gulf Coast fisheries. But some “Good Alternatives” include shrimp; Gray, Lane, Mutton, and Yellowtail Snapper; longline-caught Swordfish; some varieties of tuna; and Wahoo (though some of these species also have contaminant concerns).