Eating sustainable seafood is an easy change that we can all make when we do our grocery shopping. It’s all a matter of choice! Here are a few simple questions I ask myself when I buy seafood at the grocery store or at a restaurant.
1. What is the seafood?
Pick a type of fish that is not endangered or overfished. Check out which types of fish or seafood reproduce quickly, squid for example is a great choice in that it has a short life span and reproduces after a year. Squid at the moment is able to withstand heavy fishing.
2. Is it wild caught or farm raised?
Farm raised fish like salmon increases the spread of disease and increases water pollution. Choose wild fish rather than farm raised.
3. Where is the seafood from?
Certain regions practice safer fishing techniques and do not catch fish that are on the endangered species list. Shrimp caught in the U.S. for instance, are more environmentally friendly because the methods American fishermen use, do not destroy mangroves, a growing problem with catching shrimp overseas.
4. How is it caught?
The way the fish is caught is critical because some fishing practices can kill marine life and damage the environment. Troll and poll-caught fish are two fishing techniques that are less harmful to the environment.
Some of these questions may be difficult to answer. As an aid, I downloaded and printed a sustainable fish pocket guide that I keep in my wallet. It’s small and is easy to use. I often reference it when trying to decide which type of seafood to purchase, I highly recommend using one. Go sustainable the next time you buy seafood!
Kaylin Cook is the “Green Leader” at CardioTabs. She grew up in Boulder, Colorado, where she learned to be more aware of her environment. Some of her personal green efforts include recycling, replacing her light bulbs with energy efficient bulbs, buying biodegradable products, and using cloth grocery bags. Kaylin keeps busy by renovating a foreclosed house. She has found several ways to make her house environmentally friendly, such as using bamboo flooring and replacing old heating and cooling units. Kaylin is a student majoring in dietetics at the University of Central Missouri. She loves learning about nutrition and hopes to take her RD exam in the next few years.
