The truth about farmed fish
About half of the world’s fish no longer comes from wild fisheries, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Instead, it is produced in aquaculture systems, or fish farms. While fish farms provide a valuable food source at a time when more than one-quarter of major commercial marine fisheries have been overexploited or depleted, farming fish and seafood can also pose health and environmental problems.
FISH FARM TROUBLES
Several health and environmental issues linked to fish farms were recently detailed in an article in Environmental Health Perspectives, a journal published by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Urvashi Rangan, director of technical policy at Consumers Union, highlighted some of our concerns in the piece, including the use of potentially harmful chemical agents in fish farms, the concentration of diseases, such as sea lice, in “open-net pens,” and the importance of setting a strong organic aquaculture standard. Read Aquaculture navigates through troubled waters.
WHAT ABOUT “ORGANICALLY” FARMED FISH?
You might think opting for organically farmed fish is the way to go to avoid some of the problems associated with conventional aquaculture – until you learn there are no such standards in the U.S. While the U.S. Department of Agriculture is overseeing the development of such standards, CU believes the standards are at risk of being too weak. Meanwhile, farmed fish is being marketed as organic without any government oversight.
CU believes the following criteria are necessary for a strong national organic aquaculture standard, inline with the majority of consumers’ opinions relayed in our 2008 poll results.
• Fish labeled as organic should be fed 100-percent organic feed, as required by organic standards for other animal-types.
• Fish should not be fed wild fish, since some come from polluted environments and are high in toxins, such as mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs.
• Organic production should be environmentally sound. Fish raised in the ocean in open-net pens should not be allowed to carry the organic label. Open-net pens, such as those used to farm salmon, can be highly polluting, and escapes can enter and impact the surrounding natural ecosystem.
In 2005, CU helped institute a ban on the organic label on fish and seafood sold in California until either the federal government or the state of California establishes organic standards for fish and seafood.
BEST & WORST CHOICES FOR FARMED FISH
Certain fish and seafood can be produced in fish farms with fewer health or environmental concerns than their wild counterparts.
Best farmed choices. The following “best choices” for farmed fish and seafood come from the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s national list; for a guide specific to your region, check out the aquarium’s regional guides.
• Catfish (U.S)
• Arctic char
• Clams
• Mussels
• Oysters
• Scallops, Bay
• Striped Bass
• Sturgeon
Worst farmed choices. On the other hand, the farmed fish and seafood listed below are on the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s list of those to avoid:
• Crayfish (Imported)
• Salmon
• Salmon roe
• Shrimp (Imported)
• Tilapia (China, Taiwan)
• Yellowtail (Australia and Japan)
For a list of sustainable seafood substitution recommendations based on those you like best, check out the Smart Seafood Guide from Food & Water Watch, a nonprofit advocacy group.
RELATED LINKS:
Farmed vs. wild salmon 7/07
Mercury in fish 9/07
Mercury: From power plants to your plate 5/08
Right fish, least risk 7/07
Safer and sustainable fish labels 10/08
Seafood buying guide 5/09
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