What Is Sustainable Seafood?
Farmed vs. wild-caught? Pole-and-line vs. troll-caught? What does it all mean—and why is it important, anyway?
People are encouraged to eat more fish to gain its health benefits, but as you up your intake, you may want to take sustainability issues into account.
As the world’s population increases, along with per capita seafood consumption, we’re harvesting fish in ways that can pollute ocean waters and damage habitats. And we are using technologies—like huge seafood harvesting and processing factory ships that can stay at sea for months at a time—that allow us to catch fish faster than they can reproduce, according to Seafood Watch, at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California.
A number of long-term solutions are being developed, including different ways of catching fish in the wild and, increasingly, farmed fish—raising seafood in pens, ponds, or tanks. But coming up with effective, affordable solutions isn’t easy.
Here are the terms related to sustainability that you’re likely to see while shopping for seafood, and what you need to know about each, as well as our advice on what to look for when searching for sustainable fish and shellfish.
Wild vs. Farmed Seafood
In recent decades, fish in the wild have been caught using a variety of huge nets or dredges that exponentially increase the number of fish caught and, over time, deplete populations of key species. In many cases, these techniques also have the unintended harm of catching other species—including turtles and marine mammals—and damaging marine habitats.
Pole-Caught vs. Longlines
Some species of fish, particularly larger ones like tuna, swordfish, and cod, can’t be raised easily in farms. In recent decades, they were often caught in the wild with nets or fishing lines that could be many miles long and have thousands of hooks, called longlines. Both of those techniques posed substantial risks of overfishing and catching unintended, potentially threatened species.
As an alternative, some fishing companies are turning to pole-and-line fishing, as well as jigs and trolling lines. With those methods, unwanted species can be more easily released.
The downside: They are more labor-intensive, so some fish caught this way may cost more. For example, in our tests of canned tuna for mercury, we paid between $2.75 and $3.49 for a can of Wild Planet Skipjack Wild Tuna, which the company says is "100% pole & line or troll caught." By comparison, Bumble Bee Chunk Light Tuna in Water, which doesn’t indicate on the label what fishing method is used, costs between 89 cents and $1.99.
What About ‘Organic’ Fish?
Organic foods have a reputation for being more sustainable, but when it comes to fish and shellfish, the term is meaningless. Some places sell fish labeled "organic," but "there’s no such thing," says University of Maine seafood safety specialist Jason Bolton. The Department of Agriculture, which sets standards for organic meat, poultry, and other foods, hasn’t developed rules for farm-raised seafood. And wild-caught seafood can’t be considered organic because its environment isn’t controlled.
Sustainability Advice
Although experts can’t say whether farmed or wild-caught is better overall, they do offer some general advice to guide your shopping.
If cost is your primary concern, you are usually better off choosing farmed fish over wild. For example, wild salmon can cost twice as much as farmed, or more.
When choosing farmed, look for fish raised in the U.S., which tends to have more oversight in the use of pesticides or antibiotics than fish raised abroad.
Finally, consider species such as tilapia or catfish, which are omnivores and can be fed on insects or algae instead of other fish. That’s important because some farmed fish are fed meal or oil made from other fish, which can contribute to overfishing.
For more information about the sustainability of particular species of fish, check out Seafood Watch’s guide to sustainable seafood.
Newer Fish to Try
Tired of salmon or shrimp? Fishmongers from the famed Pike Place Market in Seattle and Chelsea Market in New York City offer a few alternatives. These fish are all relatively low in mercury and good sources of omega-3 fatty acids, with sustainable options readily available. And some may cost less than more familiar varieties.
Editor’s Note: This article also appeared in the July 2023 issue of Consumer Reports magazine.
