Sustainability

What does sustainability mean and why should we care? Because our oceans have a finite number of resources, we cannot guarantee that there will always be fish in the sea to eat. Catching wild seafoods at a rate that allows for populations to replenish ensures that wild populations will not die out, and leaves enough fish for the future. Additionally, each method of capturing wild seafood impacts the surrounding aquatic ecosystem differently. Click here to learn more about method of capture.

When going to the store, is it easy to make sustainable choices? Companies are being pushed more and more by consumers to become "green" and more transparent in their sustainability efforts. Hopefully, these efforts will continue to pay off and an increase in sustainable options will be offered in more grocery stores.

Seafood labels are similar to land animal products which have the potential to be labeled as "organic" or more specifically, "free range eggs" or "grass-fed beef" (just to name a few). Below are some of the sustainable seafood labels/certifications to be on the lookout for while you are seafood shopping.

1. barramundi (USA farmed)
2. oysters (USA farmed)
3. clams (USA farmed)
4. mussels (USA farmed)
5. Atlantic mackerel (USA)
6. Atlantic herring (USA)
7. Atlantic salmon (farmed)
8. sockeye salmon (Alaskan wild caught)
9. white albacore tuna (wild caught by pole and line)
10. blue crab (USA)

Note that you can click on parts of the list to further your understanding of why it made the cut.

You may notice that this top 10 list looks similar to the top 10 list for nutritional value (compared below). This is because the seafoods that are most nutritious are often smaller fish that repopulate quicker than larger fish, and this is exactly what the more sustainable choice aligns with. Because it takes larger fish to repopulate, a more steady and reliable source of seafood comes from fish that have a short life history.

However, I do recognize that not all smaller fish are products that everyone is familiar with. This is why the most sustainable recommendations within more familiar species such as salmon and tuna are also included on the sustainable top 10 list.