Jan 5th 2009To fish or not to fish?
We are all familiar with the terms free range and organic. Yet we know much more about the origin of our meat than we do about our fish. Most of us know that supplies are dwindling, but it can be confusing trying to buy fish in a responsible way.
I took a trip to my local supermarket to see how many different labeling scheme exist for fish. Farmed or wild? Pacific or Atlantic? Line-caught or trawled? And what qualifies the words ‘responsibly sourced’? 90% of seafood sales are made through supermarkets but unlike meat, there are no instantly recognisable and truly effective 'green labels’ that consumers can look for on fish products..
istockphotos.com
In the North Sea many once common species such as cod, skate and plaice are now overfished and in the case of cod, stocks are on the verge of commercial collapse, whilst common skate is virtually extinct.
Farmed fish now represent the UKs second largest livestock in terms of numbers of animals and the UK is the EUs third largest fish farm producer
So next time you fancy a nice bit of battered cod just how do you ensure that you not contributing the collapse of fish stocks or eating a fish farmed in squalid conditions.
So how do I buy sustainable fish?
Ask your local fishmonger. Fishmongers will not only provide wonderfully fresh fish but will reduce food miles if the catch is locally caught. However be prepared to ask lots of questions about where the fish came from and how it was caught. Most fishmongers will be only too happy too oblige. Ask if it is line caught as this minimises the impact on habitats and ensure it is 'seabird-friendly'. Avoid fish caught by beam trawl, bottom trawl or dredging or any kind of explosive or chemical means. For wild caught fish, consider seasonality, avoid eating fish caught during their spawning time to help ensure future sustainability of the species.
Is it OK to buy farmed fish?
Fish farming can relieve the pressure on wild fish stocks if they are managed in a sensitive and sustainable way. However, fish farming can put further pressure on the marine environment. One of the biggest impacts of fish farming is the production of fishmeal used to feed farmed fish. The protein for this fishmeal is sourced from small pelagic fish who form the base of the food chain and are important prey for other species such as cod. The fish meal and oils used in fish farming come from fish such as sand eels. Their removal in massive quantities by industrial fishing vessels has a devastating effect on the marine ecosystem and sea birds.
Fish farming can relieve the pressure on wild fish stocks if they are managed in a sensitive and sustainable way. However, fish farming can put further pressure on the marine environment. One of the biggest impacts is the production of fishmeal used to feed farmed fish. The protein for this fishmeal is sourced from small pelagic fish who form the base of the food chain and are important prey for other species such as cod. The fish meal and oils used in fish farming come from fish such as sand eels. Their removal in massive quantities by industrial fishing vessels has a devastating effect on the marine ecosystem and sea birds.
Also disease can spread from farmed fish to wild populations, further depleting their numbers. Water and environments surrounding fish farms are often polluted by fish waste, uneaten food and chemicals, antibiotics and vaccines used to control disease. Look out for the RSPCA Freedom Food logo or the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) tick logo. The MSC work closely with fish farms to promote and advise on sustainable farming practises.
At the supermarket
With 90% of fish bought from supermarkets, they play a huge role in shaping how fisheries and fish farms are managed. The MCS conducted a survey of the leading supermarkets and their policies of buying fish. It rated Marks & Spencer first for having the best practice, with Waitrose in second place and Sainsbury's in third. The MCS has been putting pressure on supermarkets to remove from sale, fish whose stocks are most at risk. Check the labels on all fish, is it responsibly sourced, or does it carry any of the logos shown below?
Labels that point out sustainable, safe seafood
With the exception of dolphin-friendly labelling of canned tuna, few marine products are labelled to promote environmental responsibility. The MCS would like to see fish labelled with the method of capture and the stock from which it is caught. However, most supermarkets comply only with the minimum legal labelling requirements, which are very basic.
Freedom Food is the only welfare focused label for fish, currently for farmed Atlantic salmon, and requires producers to be approved to Standards developed by the RSPCA.
The Marine Stewardship Council's tick logo denotes sustainability. To carry the logo, fish must come from a fishery which has been independently audited to meet the society's standards on whether the species has been caught from an area with healthy stocks and caught in a manner that minimises impact on habitat. They also run a labelling scheme that 'certifies' fisheries that are sustainable or are making efforts to become sustainable.
Seafoodsafe.com, test the PCB and mercury levels in fish.
The organisations below have developed labels to promote the quality and/or environmental credentials of wild-caught or farmed fish. Keep a look out for these label's next time you are in the supermarket aisle or in a restaurant. .
Issuing or Accrediting Body | Assured Scheme | Logo | Products |
| Soil Association | Soil Association |  | Farmed Fish, Dair foods, Meat etc. |
Organic Food Federation | Organic Food Federation |  | Farmed Fish, Meat etc. |
| Food Certification Scotland (FCS) | Tartan Label (Scotish Salmon Producers Org) |  | Farmed Salmon |
| Freedom Food Ltd | Freedom Food RSPCA Monitored |  | Meat, Poultry, Dairy eggs & Farmed Salmon. |
| Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) | Marine Stewardship Council |  | Marine Fish |
| Earth Island Institute | Dolphin Safe | See EII for details | Canned Tuna |
And fish is good for me...right?
Fish to avoid - The following fish have been indentified by the MSC as being unsustainable but are still on sale in UK supermarkets.Atlantic cod, Dover sole and plaice from overfished stocks, Atlantic halibut, skate, swordfish, marlin, huss, grouper, red fish, snapper and warm-water prawns trawled in the wild. Haddock, Dover sole, Monkfish, Shark, European Hake
Fish to look for
The following are some of the fish which the MCS believes are fished within sustainable levels using methods which do not cause unacceptable damage to the environment. For the full list, see www.fishonline.org/advice/eat/
Alaska or walleye pollock (MSC certified) , Black bream or porgy or seabream , Cockle (hand-gathered only), Cod, Atlantic (Organically farmed only), Crab, edible or brown (pot caught off S Devon coast), Dublin Bay Prawn or langoustine or scampi (MSC certified from Loch Torridon only), Flounder, Gurnard, grey or red, Herring or sild (from Norwegian stocks), King mackerel or kingfish, Lobster, Western Australian rock (MSC certified), Mussel (rope-grown or hand gathered), Oyster, native (farmed only), Prawn, northern (from Northeast Arctic only), Red mullet (not from Mediterranean), Salmon, Atlantic (Organically farmed), Sardine or pilchard (from Cornwall), Scallop, king (hand gathered/dive collected farms only), Seabass (handline caught and MSC certified from Holderness coast), Snapper, malabar blood or scarlet perch (from Western Australia), Sole, common or Dover (MSC certified from Hastings; or Celtic Sea, Skaggerak and Kattegat), Sole, lemon (demersal otter trawl only), Squid, Atlantic and European (jig caught), Trout brown or sea (Organically farmed only), Trout, rainbow (Organically farmed only), Tuna, albacore (MSC certified from the North or South Pacific), Tuna, skipjack (Western and Central Pacific fisheries, and Indian Ocean Pole and Line fishery)
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