Ethical/Healthy Seafood

[mike in brooklyn]

A post about using Chilean Sea Bass prompted me to share the below
link which rates fish based on environmental sustainability.

Seafood Selector - Environmental Defense Fund

Below is a link which advises frequency it is safe to eat various fish -
Kind of frightening - some are safe to eat only once monthly.

CHEC Lists: Safe Fish CHEC List<br>For Children, Teens and All Women of Child-bearing Age

 

[ChefJune]

I don't know why Patagonian Toothfish (the real name of Chilean Sea Bass) is SO important to so many people! Yes, it tastes good, but so do most fish. Even among chefs and a lot of folks who really know better, there is disagreement. There are some folks who say that the fish is now being "sustainably farmed." However, if you read Dr. Marion Nestle, the author of "What to Eat," and the Director of NYU's Food program, ALL farmed fish should be a concern, not only to our physical health but also to our environment.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium will send anyone who asks a pocket guide to choosing seafood. I carry one in my wallet for easy reference.

Seafood Choices is another good reference for what fish to eat and what to avoid -- and why.

 

[BrazenAmateur]

^^
+1 on the Patagonian Toothfish/i.e. Chilean Sea Bass.

I mean, it's good, but so are lots of other things that are less expensive and engangered. Why are we still eating these things?

I didn't know that it was popular to farm them...don't they live at pretty serious depths? I guess you could raise them in highly pressurized tanks, but that seems like an awful lot of trouble....

EDIT: Wikipedia says that they live from 300-3500 METERS underwater. That's a ton of depth/pressure. How the hell do you farm that?

This list seems like overkill, but it says it isn't really for men. I eat mackerel a lot more than once per month....

If I could get fresh sardine, it would solve all my "fish problems". Perfect to eat once or twice a week, utterly delicious, inexpensive, etc...

I'll save the spendy stuff like Rockfish and wild pacific salmon for 1-2 per month use.

 

[mike in brooklyn]

^^
+1 on the Patagonian Toothfish/i.e. Chilean Sea Bass.

I mean, it's good, but so are lots of other things that are less expensive and engangered. Why are we still eating these things?

I didn't know that it was popular to farm them...don't they live at pretty serious depths? I guess you could raise them in highly pressurized tanks, but that seems like an awful lot of trouble....

EDIT: Wikipedia says that they live from 300-3500 METERS underwater. That's a ton of depth/pressure. How the hell do you farm that?

This list seems like overkill, but it says it isn't really for men. I eat mackerel a lot more than once per month....

If I could get fresh sardine, it would solve all my "fish problems". Perfect to eat once or twice a week, utterly delicious, inexpensive, etc...

I'll save the spendy stuff like Rockfish and wild pacific salmon for 1-2 per month use.

I don't think there is much farming of the Chilean Sea Bass -
The reports of farming are vague at best.
Chefjune may have been referring to the fact that
farmed fish require huge amounts of fishmeal as feed - I read that
it takes 2X the weight of fishmeal to produce 1X the weight of
farmed fish. This is depleting stocks of small fish which are the
food of wild fish.
Farmed fish are also susceptible to disease.
If you surf on over to the link provided or the Monterray Bay
Aquarium link they have recommendations on good and bad
farmed seafood.

 

[ChefJune]

Oh yeah! I love fresh sardines! and when you can do them on the grill, even better.