Many
species of ocean life are under threat of extinction due to decades of
industrial overfishing of the world's oceans. Making the right food
choices will help to ensure ocean health and sustainable seafood
harvests. By making sensible seafood choices you can be part of the
solution.
Be sure and visit the websites listed below. These sites offer the
latest up-to-date information and some even have printable pocket guides
for the region of the country you live in. But to get started-
Atlantic
Salmon -Wild stocks
overfished and depleted.
Beluga Sturgeon & Caviar
-Overfished and unmanaged.
Bluefin Tuna -Overfished
-Stay off the bluefin tuna sushi!!
Chilean Seabass -reaches
sexual maturity very slowly. Long-line fishing
results in many albatross deaths.
Dredged Clams, Oysters & Scallops
-Habitat destruction through capture.
Groupers -Most species
overfished, in many species large adults are all males.
Monkfish -Overfished
Orange Roughy Overfished,
reaches sexual maturity very slowly.
Rockfish -Overfished,
slow-growing. Includes Pacific red snapper, rock cod.
Sharks -Many species
overfished, slow-growing, produce few young.
Shrimp, Farmed -Shrimp
farming destroys mangrove forests and pollutes environment with
antibiotics and waste.
Salmon -Farmed -Salmon farming
pollutes environment with antibiotics and waste.
Swordfish -Severely
overfished, by-catch kills loggerhead sea turtles and albatross.
The links below will take you to some great
websites that will help you make good seafood choices
The best sites to start for general information are marked with a
star
.
If you have a site that you think should be listed,
please
email me.
California Academy of Sciences Guilt-Free
Gustatory Guide to Seafood
Easy to use chart
listing seafood choices for consumers.
Ecofish -Environmentally Responsible Seafood
Ecofish is a commercial
site for the retail seafood trade but is also an excellent resource for
information about which seafood is right to eat. An enlightened company.
Marine Stewardship Council
The MSC is an
independent, global, non-profit organization whose role is to recognize,
via a certification program, well-managed fisheries and to harness
consumer preference for seafood products bearing the MSC label of
approval.
Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch
Superb resource site
with guidelines for various regions of the country, and printable
regional pocket-size guides.
Seafood Choices Alliance
Seafood Choices Alliance is a
global trade association for the issue of ocean-friendly seafood.
Founded in the United States in 2001, the Alliance helps the seafood
industry – from fishermen and fish farmers to distributors, wholesalers,
retailers and restaurants – to make the seafood marketplace
environmentally and economically sustainable.