Is your fish dinner a healthy and sustainable option?

I recently enrolled in a weekly lecture series as a University of Washington Alum titled "Eating Your Environment" featuring top professors from around the world on the topics of food and sustainability.  Throughout the last few weeks we have listened to professors from Purdue, Stanford, and NYU.  This week, Professor Ray Hilborn of the University of Washington presented his findings regarding how we can sustainably harvest fish as a means to supplying a portion of the world's protein needs. 

There are mixed views on the impacts that fishing have on the environment, but Professor Hilborn made a compeling case for continuing to fish certain species at current levels rather than make up that protein demand through land based options.  The most eye opening statistic is that we would need at least 22 times the amount of available rain forest to produce enough beef to replace fishing - assuming we stop fishing completely.  Now, take a moment to think about that - there is not much rain forest left and if we cut it down to create land for protein from beef vs. fishing, the ramifications would be devastating.  So, in an attempt to help you make healthy and sustainable options when choosing fish for dinner - here is my distilled version of the lecture along with some additional resources. 

Pros to eating fish vs. beef:

• Fish is much higher in omega-3 fatty acids which help lower blood pressure and risk of heart disease
• Consuming protein from fish contributes significantly less carbon dioxide to the atmosphere
• Less loss to biodiversity (farming eliminates up to 100%, fishing about 30%)

Cons to eating fish vs. beef:

• Currently fishing at/near maximum yields, less than 30% growth available in fisheries worldwide 
• Typically higher levels of mercury and other contaminants, such as dioxins and PCBs
• Fish tends to be more expensive. But overall, cheap protein is not a healthy and sustainable option

Rodale's list of the 7 healthiest fish for you and the planet, All are high in heart-healthy omega-3s and low in contaminants, and are fish whose fishing or farming methods have minor impacts on the environment:

   

1. Albacore Tuna (Canada, U.S.)

2. Arctic Char (farmed)

Steve Mason with British Columbia
King Salmon and Dungeness Crab

3. Atlantic Mackerel

4. Rainbow Trout (farmed)

5. Sablefish/Black Cod (Alaska, Canada)

6. Sardines (U.S.)

7. Wild Salmon (Alaska) 

  
*Not mentioned on this list are shellfish, and since we have abundant opportunities in the NW to eat shellfish - I found that farmed oysters followed by wild dungeness crab and farmed mussels are the best options.I actually followed the lecture with meal of mussels and essential bakery bread!

Additional resources:

 Monterey Bay Aquarium: Seafood Watch also provides a comprehensive and easy to use list of which fish are best to eat and which should be avoided to do your part in restoring global fish populations and consuming only sustainably harvested populations.  Additional resources can be found through the Marine Stewardship Council - Sustainable Seafood Resources.  Finally, most experts agree that the health benefits of eating a moderate amount (2 servings per week) of fish far outweigh the risk of exposure to contaminants.