For the last several years, I’ve focused on buying and eating wild-caught fish and seafood for the nutritional benefits. I’ve coached my clients and students to do the same.
Recently I’ve been more interested in farmed fish for two reasons:
- I can’t always find wild-caught fish in restaurants.
- We have a growing population with awareness of nutritional benefits of eating fish. I’ve asked myself if it’s really sustainable for me to choose wild-caught because fishing can deplete the wild populations and damage habitats. I want to make choices that are best for the planet and wildlife.
Here’s Part 1 of 3 of an interview with Sun Brage, Communications Director of Aquaculture Stewardship Council.
Some highlights of what we learned from Sun:
50% of seafood eaten worldwide is farm-raised!
Aquaculture is the fastest growing production sector for animal protein and has a lower carbon footprint than pork or beef.
ASC’s goal is to transform aquaculture for both environmental impact and social responsibility. They do this by setting standards for responsible farming which include:
- Working conditions that meet the International Labour Organization standards.
- Environmental standards to ensure the farm does not cause detriment to water quality or wildlife.
- Feed standards to ensure the food that is used to feed the marine life is sustainably-sourced.
- Traceability means you can trace back every aspect of the fish’s life and processing.
Three main types of aquaculture:
- Mariculture is aquaculture that takes place in artificial enclosures in coastal regions.
Bivalves, such as mussels and oysters, can feed themselves on plankton that naturally exist in the ocean. Some fish, including salmon, rely on feed provided by the farm which includes fishmeal, fish oil and some terrestrial (land-based) ingredients.
2. Integrated aquaculture introduces byproducts (waste) from one species to use as fertilizer or feed for a second species. Integrated aquaculture typically is housed in pools.
3. Recirculation aquaculture (RES) takes place in pools and recycles water used for hosting the marine life by filtering it and cycling it back into the tanks.
Please let me know in the comments about what you will do to choose sustainable seafood.
You might also be interested in these blog posts:
- Choose Sustainable Wild-Caught Seafood
- If you’re in the Southeast, check out this related interview with Andrea Margiotta of the SC Aquarium “Good Catch” program.
- #1 Priority for Organic Food
- Buying the Best Chicken and Eggs
- ABCs of GMOs -What you need to know now
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