Sustainable seafood includes wild-caught and farmed fish and shellfish that are harvested in a manner that preserves the biodiversity of the ocean while ensuring the wellbeing of the surrounding wildlife, environment, and communities.
As aquaculture continues to expand, the deforestation of mangroves also poses a threat to sustainable seafood. Along with recovering fish species, mangroves, too, require rehabilitation for long-term seafood sustainability.
Additionally, many farmed fish are carnivorous. Tuna, salmon, trout, and kingfish all feed on smaller fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids. To meet these high demands, farmed fish are fed pellets made partially from smaller fish that could have been used to feed people in developing nations.
This human-made fish feed generates its own set of carbon emissions, mostly during production. Fish feed is also quite expensive, swallowing up to 70% of all operational costs, thereby excluding many small-scale fisheries from affording it
As a consequence of this vicious cycle, factory farm fishing also wrestles with the widespread use of antibiotics, like the livestock industry, another impediment to sustainability.
The Environmental Impacts of Fishing
Sustainable fishing requires environmental and economic justice for the communities that depend on the fishing industry, paying close attention to unsustainable practices—including overfishing, the unintentional capture of marine animals in fishing nets, water pollution from poorly managed fish farms, and the use of wild fish to feed farmed fish.
Overfishing
Tracing Illegal Fishing
Bycatch
Habitat Destruction
Farmed Fish Escape
Seafood and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Commercial vs. Smaller-Scale Fish Farming
How to Shop for Sustainable Seafood
Sustainable fish and shellfish can find their way to your plate with a bit of vigilance. These sustainable seafood shopping tips can help keep fish stocks at reasonable numbers and reduce the overall environmental impact of your diet, ensuring a future that includes seafood for everyone—not just wealthy nations.
Shop Domestic
Foreign-farmed fish not subject to U.S. laws is often contaminated with toxic substances, including veterinary drugs.
Thanks to stringent sustainability and food safety regulations from NOAA, U.S. fisheries lead the world in sustainable wild-capture fisheries and aquaculture operations. Go hyper-local and join a community-supported fishery.
Shop Different Kinds of Seafood
Reduce pressure on finfish like tuna and salmon by embracing “trash fish” like carp. (Extra points for giving sustainably-sourced scup or herbivorous Hawaiian mullet a whirl.)
Unlike larger fish, small seafood doesn’t suffer from bioaccumlation issues with mercury, a neurotoxin commonly found in fish at high—and getting higher—levels.Humans burn coal, which increases the amount of airborne mercury. Eventually, this heavy metal finds its way into bodies of water where seafood eventually consumes it. When bigger fish, like swordfish and tuna, eat smaller fish, the mercury intake is compounded, meaning that bigger fish have higher levels of contamination from eating fish lower on the food chain
Choosing to eat smaller sea animals like sardines and squid can reduce your exposure to mercury as can opting for sea animals like scallops, mussels, and oysters that only feast on plankton.
Shop Certifications Labels
Look for seafood certified by the Marine Stewardship Council for wild-caught seafood and Aquaculture Stewardship Council for farmed seafood. These labels indicate responsibly sourced marine food from managed farms and fisheries.
