06.12.09

Seafood Watch…

Posted in Anchovies, Seafood, Shrimp at 11:17 pm by cecilia

Fresh Cured Anchovies

California Academy of Sciences put together this World Ocean Day Celebration Thursday night. Being a seafood-lover, I could not miss a great event like this. There were demonstrations of how to prepare “sustainable” seafood. These days we hear this term a lot, “sustainable”. It is something that is abundant, well-managed and easily replenished, and caught or farmed in ways that are healthier for wildlife and the environment. Monterey Bay Aquarium has been leading many efforts in northern California to educate consumers in choosing ocean-friendly seafood. To help differentiate the seafood options, 3 categories are used – Avoid, Good Alternatives, and Best Choices.

Avoid – for now as these items are caught or farmed in ways that harm other marine life or the environment.
Good Alternatives – are an option, but there are concerns with how they’re caught or farmed – or with the health of their habitat due to other human impacts.
Best Choices – are abundant, well-managed and caught or farmed in environmentally friendly ways.

West Coast Sustainable Seafood Guide

AVOID

Chilean Seabass/Toothfish
Cod: Atlantic
Crab: King (imported)
Dogfish (US)
Grenadier/Pacific Roughy
Lobster: Spiny (Caribbean imported)
Mahi Mahi/Dolphinfish (Imported)
Marlin: Blue, Striped
Monkfish
Orange Roughy
Rockfish (trawled)
Salmon (farmed, including Atlantic)
Sharks
Shrimp (imported farmed or wild)
Sturgeon, Caviar (imported wild)
Swordfish (imported)
Tuna: Albacore, Bigeye, Yellowfin (longline)
Tuna: Bluefin
Yellowtail (Australia or Japan, farmed)

GOOD ALTERNATIVES

Clams, Oysters (wild)
Cod: Pacific (trawled)
Crab: King (US), Snow, Imitation
Dogfish (British Columbia, Canada)
Flounders, Soles (Pacific)
Lingcod
Lobster: American/Maine
Mahi Mahi/Dolphinfish (US)
Rockfish (Alaska, BC hook & line)
Sablefish/Black Cod (CA, OR, WA)
Salmon (WA wild)
Sanddabs: Pacific
Scallops: Sea
Shrimp (US farmed or wild)
Spot Prawn (US)
Squid
Swai, Basa (farmed)
Sturgeon (OR, WA wild)
Swordfish (US)
Tuna: Bigeye, Yellowfin (troll/pole)
Tuna: canned light, canned white/Albacore
Yellowtail (US farmed)

BEST CHOICES

Abalone (farmed)
Arctic Char (farmed)
Barramundi (US farmed)
Catfish (US farmed)
Clams, Mussels, Oysters (farmed)
Cod: Pacific (Alaska longline)
Crab: Dungeness
Halibut: Pacific
Lobster: Spiny (US)
Pollock (Alaska wild)
Rockfish: Black (CA, OR)
Sablefish/Black Cod (Alaska, BC)
Salmon (Alaska wild)
Sardines: Pacific (US)
Scallops: Bay (farmed)
Shrimp: Pink (OR)
Striped Bass (farmed)
Sturgeon, Caviar (farmed)
Tilapia (US farmed)
Trout: Rainbow (farmed)
Tuna: Albacore (US, BC troll/pole)
Tuna: Skipjack (troll/pole)
White Seabass