Seafood Watch

[OUsnakebyte]

I'm sure many of you have heard of/already seen this, but in case you haven't....

 

http://www.mbayaq.org/cr/seafoodwatch.asp

 

 

 

Printable pocket-sized guides:

 

http://www.mbayaq.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/download.asp

 

 

Cheers

Mike

[Guest clownfish4]

Wow, never seen this. Although I wonder who would actually live by this. There are some tasty items on the avoid lists!

[Guest Larry-T]

Wow, never seen this. Although I wonder who would actually live by this. There are some tasty items on the avoid lists!

 

The reason they are on the "avoid" list is either that they're being cultured in environmentally distructive ways or, more likely, they are part of overfished populations that will be gone in just a few years unless managed properly.

[OUsnakebyte]

Wow, never seen this. Although I wonder who would actually live by this. There are some tasty items on the avoid lists!

 

I do. I admit that it was difficult at first to just go "cold turkey," but I eventually weined myself off things on there that are "red." Especially the Orange Ruffy - soooo very tasty but will be gone forever soon if no changes are made. They just take so long to reach maturity.

 

Mike

[dhoch]

Why ALL the farmed salmon.... It's something that is regularly on my menu, ... I would consier rethinking if I knew anywhere in the area to get wild-caught alaskin (pacific thing?)

 

Dave

[dzekunoi]

Wow, never seen this. Although I wonder who would actually live by this. There are some tasty items on the avoid lists!

 

I honestly try... Sometimes it works, sometimes it does not. when it works I feel good about myself.

 

Why ALL the farmed salmon.... It's something that is regularly on my menu, ... I would consier rethinking if I knew anywhere in the area to get wild-caught alaskin (pacific thing?)

 

Dave

 

Costco sometimes has atlantic wild cought silvermouth ( yummy! ), Shoppers has it in frozen section. Those two places for good price. Whole foods and Trader Joe's have it too, but prices are through the roof.

Altogether wild caught FMO is MUCH tastier than farm raised - less fat, more taste to it.

[Guest Larry-T]

Why ALL the farmed salmon.... It's something that is regularly on my menu, ... I would consier rethinking if I knew anywhere in the area to get wild-caught alaskin (pacific thing?)

 

Dave

 

There are two reasons that farmed salmon is on the avoid list:

 

1. The current feeds used result in farmed salmon having higher levels of harmful pollutants (especially merecury) than wild-caught.

 

2. There are concerns about the environmental reprecussions of intensive net-pen aquaculture so close to shore. In some areas there are claims that the bottom of the sea directly under the nets has a thick layer of concentrated mulm consisting of uneaten food and salmon feces.

 

The eventual answer will be aquaculture, but only forms that are environmentally sustainable and with feeds that don't deplete other stocks. Intensive aquaculture of marine apex predators is a major problem.

[Guest clownfish4]

I do. I admit that it was difficult at first to just go "cold turkey," but I eventually weined myself off things on there that are "red." Especially the Orange Ruffy - soooo very tasty but will be gone forever soon if no changes are made. They just take so long to reach maturity.

 

Mike

 

Although, if not enough people restrain themselves, you may never taste it again...so is it worth the risk?

[BeltwayBandit]

From what I have read, I disagree with the inclusion of farmed salmon on the list. Aquacultured food fish allong with sustainable harvests of wild stock is the only way that these resources can be sustainably maintained. That being said, the farmed salmon is definately not as tasty as wild caught.

 

And I too found it very hard to quit eating Orange Roughy and Patagonian Toothfish AKA Chilean Sea Bass, but I did it. I also don't put too much stock in the mercury warnings on certain species. Since I don't eat it every day, which you would just about have to do to get enough mercury to harm you, the limited mercury (which occurs naturally) that you ingest is not enough to harm you unless you are already succeptible (i.e. pregnant, very young, very old, in poor health, etc.) I primarily make my seafood choices based on the sustainability of the resource.

[dschflier]

I find it strange that so many people say they find it hard to pass up eating something that is almost extinct. Especially members of a society that is a proponent of growing corals and the like to help them from going extinct. It is just a matter of willpower. I love fish but if I am aware of a fish on the menu being almost extinct or endangered it would be a quick decision to choose something else. Just my opinion.

[HowardofNOVA]

Aquacultured food fish allong with sustainable harvests of wild stock is the only way that these resources can be sustainably maintained.

 

One of the biggest problems is under budgeted Depts of Fish and Game which are one of the biggest suppliers of hatchlings/fingerling salmon out there. They have been making huge cuts in the budgets over recent years. Numerous hatchery's have been closed because they can't fund the staff to maintain them!

I know of several in PA that where closed alone that handled the Great Lakes Fisheries!

 

Who funds those depts. for the most part, people who purchase hunting and fishing licenses!

 

...and they say we are the bad people!

 

When I had my food business, I purchased alot of Aquacultured Fish, Shrimp, etc.

 

IMHO, side by side, you can't tell the difference if someone didn't let you know first!