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Title: Delicious Fishes
Author: Alison Anton
Article:
<i><b>Sign up for Alison's <a
href="http://www.wholegourmet.com/sign_up.php">Natural Cooking
eLetter</a> - Culinary inspiration, healthy recipes and more!
Once a month FREE!</b></i>
Fishes are indeed delicious, and with all the health research
backing their ability to combat heart disease and cancer, fish
are becoming an increasingly popular staple food for people all
over the globe. Most health experts agree: eating more fish is a
good thing.
But with our world's fish stocks disappearing from our seas
because of over-fishing and the use of damaging fishing
practices, the need to purchase seafood from fisheries that use
ocean-friendly methods is imperative for turning the tides and
keeping our oceans from their current downward spiral.
<b>The Quandary of Farmed Fish</b>
To counteract the depletion of our ocean's food supply and to
eliminate many of the hardships of the fishing industry,
off-shore fish farming (open ocean aquaculture) was implemented.
Open ocean aquaculture refers to offshore fish farms located
anywhere from three to 200 miles off of the coast, where fish
are raised in giant cages or net pens. Hundreds of varieties of
fish are raised in this way, the most common being salmon, red
snapper, cod, tuna and halibut.
The recent upsurge of farmed fish available in food markets
everywhere has put many consumers into a quandary. Which is
better for health and the environment - farmed or fresh? Most of
us want to do the right thing, but we might be confused as to
what the "right thing" actually is.
<b>The Pros and Cons of Farmed Fish</b>
Farmed fish can provide an economical, year-round supply of
seafood that does not deplete the available stock of wild fish.
That's good, but according to <a
href="http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/">Food and Water
Watch</a>, a non-profit organization that supports sustainable
fishing practices, ocean aquaculture poses several problems:
- Waste from thousands of fish in a relatively small area passes
freely into the surrounding environment, polluting the wild
habitat. Pollutants include feces, excess food, antibiotics fed
to the fish and algae-prohibiting chemicals placed into the
cages. These waste products pass on disease, and some of the
chemicals are suspected to cause immune suppression in marine
mammals like dolphins, seals and sea otters.
- Farmed fish can escape from the cages and interbreed with wild
fish of the same species. Many farmed fish are fed hormones and
antibiotics which can jeopardize the health and hardiness of
wild fish. Worse yet, some species of farmed fish have been
genetically modified to conform to certain market traits. If
these GMO fish breed with the natural fish in the wild, the gene
structure in the offspring will in turn be altered, affecting
the constitution of the wild fish population.
- The commercial feed for the farmed fish contains high levels
of chemical pollutants, including PCBs, which are known
carcinogens. Studies indicate that the farmed fish themselves
have higher concentrations of these chemicals within them. Most
of these fish are also fed antibiotics. Since "you are what you
eat", this can pose a health threat to the humans who consume
them.
<b>The Solution: Sustainable Seafood</b>
According to Whole Foods Market, 60 percent of the world's
marine stocks are either depleted, over-exploited or recovering
at a slow rate. With the demand of seafood growing, it is
crucial that sustainable seafood practices are followed to
ensure that our oceans maintain their diversity and that the
waters (and the food, plants and animals that live in them) are
clean, safe and healthy for our future generations.
Whole Foods describes sustainable seafood as "seafood that comes
from fishing practices that allow a depleted or threatened fish
population to recover to healthy levels [and] that prevents
healthy fish populations from becoming depleted."
Sustainable seafood comes from well-managed sources where
fishermen follow specific practices set by <a
href="http://www.msc.org/">The Marine Stewardship Council</a>,
(MSC) an international organization focused on implementing
sustainable fishing standards for fisheries around the globe.
Fisheries certified through MSC ensure that the fish provided by
them were not over-fished or harvested in ways that harm the
ocean's environment. Noted fisheries certified under MSC are the
Alaskan salmon fisheries; in fact, Alaska's state constitution
requires that the salmon habitat be conserved and protected. Way
to go Alaska!
Fish certified by the Marine Stewardship Council will be labeled
and promoted by the store providing them. Look for their white
and blue oval label.
<b>Mercury in Fish</b>
Unfortunately, higher than desired levels of mercury from the
runoff of power plants are increasingly contaminating our
waters. Fish absorb the mercury in the water by feeding off
aquatic organisms. Smaller fish eat plants that are
contaminated, and the larger fish eat the smaller fish that are
contaminated. Since the larger fish live longer lives and feed
on larger amounts of contaminated organisms, they are the fish
that accumulate the highest levels of mercury.
High risk fish: king mackerel, shark, swordfish, tilefish and
tuna (fresh, canned and frozen).
Lower-risk fish: catfish, cod, crab, flounder/sole, grouper,
haddock, herring, lobster, mahi-mahi, ocean perch, oysters,
rainbow trout and farmed trout, salmon, sardines, scallops,
shrimp, spiny lobster, tilapia.
Mercury is most harmful to the developing brain of unborn
children and young children. It may also affect the nervous
system and kidneys. For pregnant women, women who want to become
pregnant, nursing mothers and children, the FDA recommends
avoiding the high-risk fish completely, and to limit the
low-risk fish to one meal per week. All others should
significantly lower their consumption of high-risk fish, and eat
a wide variety of low-risk fish in moderation, no more than two
meals per week.
<b>Buying Fish</b>
Taking all of the above into consideration as we find ourselves
at the fish counter, how do we know which species of fish are
thriving? Which ones are depleted? And how do we know which
seafood was fished with the appropriate ethical and
environmental factors considered?
There are hundreds of varieties of fish out there, and no one
expects anyone to remember every kind of fish that is being
depleted or fished in an indecent manner. To make it easier for
consumers, several environmental agencies have created handy
little pocket guides for fish buying that can be whipped out at
the fish counter. Red means no, yellow means caution, and green
means moderation. Download yours now!
<a
href="http://www.mbayaq.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/download.asp">Mont
erey Bay Aquarium Fish Buying Pocket Guide</a>
<a href="http://seafood.audubon.org/">Audubon Society Fish
Buying Wallet Card</a>
There are a few general fish buying guidelines we <i>can</i>
remember, though. In general, Food and Water Watch reminds us to
eat a variety of fish and to choose wild, sustainably fished
seafood over farmed (look for the Marine Stewardship Council
label). Buy local if you can, but if you don't live near the
coast, try to stick with US fish, as these will travel less
distance and will be fresher. They also remind us that we have a
right to know where our seafood comes from and to get in the
habit of asking the fishmonger or restauranteur about any fish
before we buy it.
<i><b>Sign up for Alison's <a
href="http://www.wholegourmet.com/sign_up.php">Natural Cooking
eLetter</a> - Culinary inspiration, healthy recipes and more!
Once a month FREE!</b></i>
<i>RECIPES:</i>
<a
href="http://www.wholegourmet.com/recipes/smoked_salmon.html">Smo
ked Wild Alaskan Salmon on the Stove-Top Smoker</a>
<a
href="http://www.wholegourmet.com/recipes/pan_sauteed_halibut.htm
l">Pan-Sauteed Halibut Steaks</a>
<i>Article references:</i>
Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Program
Food and Water Watch
Whole Foods Market Seafood Sustainability
About the author:
I am a Certified Nutritional Chef, food writer and culinary
instructor through Bauman College of Holistic Nutrition and
Culinary Arts in Northern California. I teach cooking and
nutrition classes through the Whole Foods Market Salud Cooking
School and write a monthly eLetter, also entitled Whole Gourmet
Natural Cooking, to a wide audience.
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