Where To Buy Sustainable Seafood REPACK
When you make the switch to certified sustainable seafood products featuring the MSC blue fish label, you are directly supporting the fisheries and businesses helping to make the fishing industry more sustainable. Find out if your favorite retailer, restaurant, or seafood brand carries products with the MSC blue fish logo*:
where to buy sustainable seafood
*MSC certified products are also likely to be found at any of your local retailers, including Longos, Metro, Federated-Co-Op, Calgary Co-Op. Check their seafood sections or ask your local store manager for their selection of MSC certified seafood.
If you know your fish or shellfish comes from the U.S., then you can generally rest assured that these environmental sustainability principles apply to that item. The bottom line is that it is literally against the law to harvest seafood unsustainably in the U.S.
It is important to note that the U.S. COOL does not guarantee human and labor rights were upheld throughout the supply chain, even if it stays within the U.S. border throughout production. Human rights abuses have been reported in processing facilities in New England, the Gulf Coast, and Alaska in recent years as well aboard a few Hawaiian fishing vessels. Few countries, and even fewer industries (especially food-producing ones), are exempt from human and labor rights challenges. While the U.S. offers better supply chain oversight than most, it would be inaccurate to state that all U.S. seafood products have perfect social responsibility.
Country of origin labeling should be visible for all seafood products, even fresh fish behind the seafood case. Seafood from the U.S. or other countries with comprehensive fishery management laws are most likely to be environmentally sustainable.
Just because seafood comes from outside the U.S. does not mean that it is not sustainable. Iceland, Norway, and New Zealand feature some of the healthiest fisheries when measuring research, management, enforcement, socioeconomics, and stock status. By these measurements, well-managed fisheries exist worldwide and will be represented at your grocery store.
This is a major oversimplification of seafood environmental sustainability ratings and certifications. Still, if the fish is abundant, the harvest of that fish has minimal impact on the surrounding marine environment (in the case of farmed seafood, the inputs to grow that seafood have a low environmental impact), and there is robust management in place to hold harvesters and producers accountable, then that source will be rated favorably for environmental sustainability.
SFW has communicated its ratings in a variety of ways over the years. Initially, the program created wallet cards found on the tables at some seafood restaurants or the fish counter at grocery stores. They also had a mobile app for quick access to ratings. Now SFW ratings are solely presented on a recently overhauled website to be more consumer-friendly.
SFW works closely with wild fishery and aquaculture certification schemes to avoid duplicative efforts. For example, SFW has retired all of its Alaskan wild salmon ratings. Of course, wild salmon caught in Alaska is highly sustainable and very relevant to the U.S. market; however, much of it is also Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified. Rather than duplicate the existing certification, SFW has deferred its environmental sustainability ratings for all Alaskan salmon fisheries to eco-certifications.
The largest seafood certification body in the world, currently assesses about 17% of global wild fish production. The MSC has not historically incorporated social responsibility considerations into its certifications, but they are beginning to expand its scope to address forced and child labor issues.
The majority of the largest grocery stores in the U.S. have publicly available seafood sourcing policies, easily findable on their websites. These policies dictate what seafood products they carry in-store. When evaluating a seafood sourcing policy, look for answers to these questions:
Because each policy above requires investment, it is possible these recommendations for evaluating a seafood sourcing policy may favor larger corporations. It is time-consuming and expensive to create and execute a traceable, auditable, and accountable seafood program. In some instances, regional and local grocery store companies may not be able to keep up with the national and international competition in this regard. This certainly does not mean you should avoid purchasing seafood at smaller stores. Many smaller retailers have seafood sourcing standards and are often selling sustainable, local items not found in larger grocery store chains. Ask your smaller neighborhood grocery store about its sourcing considerations before taking your business elsewhere.
An overwhelming amount of time, expertise, and care has been (and continues to be) invested into environmental sustainability measurements for seafood. When understood properly, all the hard work seafood sustainability experts have done behind the scenes can be used to make a quick decision when selecting seafood at a grocery store or restaurant.
Rewarding grocery store companies that invest in these commitments will signal the importance of expanding these efforts to the entire industry and will allow you to navigate the seafood section at your local supermarket with confidence.
Jack has sourced, sold, cooked, and sustainably certified seafood over the past 10 years. In addition to his contributions to Sustainable Fisheries UW, he is working to increase traceability into supply chains and educate consumers, chefs and retailers on the value of environmentally sustainable seafood. He earned a Master's in Marine Affairs from the University of Washington in 2015.
You may have noticed that Impactful Ninja is all about providing helpful information to make a positive impact on the world and society. And that we love to link back to where we found all the information for each of our posts.
First and foremost, because we believe that they add value to you. For example, when we wrote a post about the environmental impact of long showers, we came across an EPA recommendation to use WaterSense showerheads. So we linked to where you can find them. Or, for many of our posts, we also link to our favorite books on that topic so that you can get a much more holistic overview than one single blog post could provide.
Did you know that eating fish that is unsustainably fished is not only one of the biggest threats to marine habitats and wildlife but also negatively impacts your health? And if you belong to the majority (77% of Americans to be precise) then sustainability already plays a role in your shopping decisions. So we had to ask: How can you buy sustainable fish?
Buying sustainable fish means you get to support local farmers in most coastal fishing towns that depend on small-scale fishing for income. You can get locally-farmed or wild-caught fish to help the fishermen and local economies.
Species like dolphins and whales are caught up and killed due to unintentional by-product of fishing. 40% of the global catch consists of bycatch, which is a massive problem for the ecosystem. Buying sustainable fish helps preserve the ecosystem and protects the people and the environment at large.
One of the best places to learn more about sustainable fishing is from Seafood Guides. These guides explain terms like handlines and long-lines. Farming and ranching, trolling and trawling. Below are some of the recognized organizations.
The Global Aquaculture Alliance or GAA consists of big seafood companies. As a consortium, the organization is responsible for maintaining the sustainability standard in the seafood sector. The label uses a star system, ranging from a single star to certify the processing plant. A four-star means the whole supply has attained its standards. A product with 3-4 stars is recommended.
Some sustainable fish species include Atlantic Mackerel, Alaskan salmon, barramundi, Pacific sardines, among others. Squid and Mussels also fall under the sustainable category. When choosing fish, ensure that you avoid the overfished species. Some of these species include swordfish, shark, and Bluefin Tuna as they are overfished and nearing extinction.
Ethically-harvested and sustainable fish are exposed to few chemicals and taken care of, unlike unsustainable fish. When you check the nutritional facts, you can tell whether the fish has preservatives, additives, or chemicals.
Another thing about sustainability is to find out the methods used to catch the fish. Fish that have been caught through bottom trawling are the least sustainable and destructive ways to catch fish. The best thing is to go for fish with hook and line. Some fishermen also use methods like potting or hand-lining.
Red rated seafood or rated five on the Good Fish Guide represents seafood from unsustainable fish farming methods and fisheries. Most of the farming and fishing methods are harmful to the environment. A good example is the wild northeast Atlantic Halibut.
These fisheries provide a direct way to bring quality and sustainable fish that ensure fair wages to the fishermen. There are various community-supported fisheries worldwide, and you can find one near you from localcatch.org.
One of the main concerns when buying sustainable fish is whether to buy farmed or wild seafood. Aquaculture or farmed seafood is a method of raising fish commercially. Back in the day, wild-caught fish was abundant. These days the stock cannot meet consumer demand.
Black cod or SableFish has the same texture as the Chilean sea bass and contains extra omega-3 fatty acids compared to salmon. However, you need to find sablefish from the Canadian Pacific or Alaska, where fishing is regulated. Long-line fish from Washington, California, and Oregon are trawl caught, which means you could end up with vulnerable species. The best sablefish is the one produced with commercial marine aquaculture. 041b061a72