By Mia Barnes, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Body+Mind Magazine.
You’re in the market for sustainable seafood, but you’re not sure how to make the right choice. Certification labels like the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) are great indicators, but they’re only the tip of the iceberg. For true sustainability, you must have a deeper understanding of the journey from ocean to plate.
What Does “Sustainable Seafood” Actually Mean?
Sustainable seafood refers to fish or shellfish caught or farmed using methods that minimize environmental damage and preserve the long-term health of marine ecosystems. It has two main categories:
- Wild-caught: This involves fishing practices that allow marine populations to remain productive and healthy indefinitely. It minimizes harm to other aquatic life – also known as bycatch – and the overall habitat.
- Farmed or aquaculture: This involves raising fish in ways that reduce environmental impact. Key factors include preventing water pollution, preserving local habitats, maintaining fish health and using feed that doesn’t deplete wild fish stocks.
Over 3 billion people worldwide depend on wild-caught and farmed seafood as a major source of animal protein. However, an estimated 85% of the world’s fisheries are either overfished or fully exploited, highlighting the urgent need for more sustainable practices.
Checking the Labels
For the average shopper, it’s impossible to know the full story behind every piece of fish at the counter. You can’t see the fishing method, the fish stock’s health or the farm’s practices. Third-party certifications help fill this gap by conducting complex research and verification on behalf of consumers.
More than 50% of American consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable seafood, which is why many major retailers and restaurants are actively prioritizing certified products. This creates a positive feedback loop. The demand for sustainability propels retailers, who in turn drive suppliers to adopt better practices to gain certification and stay competitive in the marketplace.
The MSC is the gold standard for wild-caught fish and shellfish. It evaluates fisheries based on their fish stocks, environmental impact and management. It also prevents fraud and ensures the certified product you buy is what it claims to be. Seeing the blue MSC label means the wild-caught seafood met the stringent sustainability criteria designed to preserve it and the ecosystem it came from.
For farmed seafood, the ASC is the leading standard. It implements the highest fish welfare requirements, protects the rights of farm workers and ensures the fishery is a good neighbor to local communities. Seeing an ASC label on a package is a clear sign that you’re supporting a responsible operation and making a great choice.
However, these labels have limits. They typically don’t measure the seafood’s carbon footprint from fishery to plate, the scale of the operation and the amount of waste the supply chain generates after the harvest.
How to Choose Sustainable Seafood Beyond the Label
Go beyond passive label-reading and develop strategies for selecting sustainable wild-caught or farmed fish and shellfish. Here are tips you can use everywhere, from local fish markets to grocery stores and restaurants.
Know Your Species and Diversify Your Plate
The most popular fish and shellfish are everywhere, putting immense global pressure on certain species. For example, Bluefin Tuna is overfished for sushi, while the frequently imported Atlantic Halibut and shrimp are associated with habitat destruction. Consciously choosing alternatives can help reduce the pressure.
Select more sustainable substitutes for your usual fare. The U.S.-farmed Barramundi is a delicious white fish, while clams and mussels are filter feeders that actually clean the water they grow in. Explore what’s in season in your region. Avoid buying overfished species to contribute to their population’s recovery and help build a more sustainable ecosystem.
You can also eat lower on the food chain. Big fish eat smaller fish, and it takes many pounds of the former to grow one pound of a large predator, like swordfish or tuna. Choosing smaller, faster-reproducing species like sardines, anchovies and mackerel is like eating plants instead of plant-eaters on land. It’s more resource-efficient and has a lower ecological footprint.
Understand the Fishing or Farming Method
Two fish of the same species can have vastly different sustainability profiles based on how they were caught or raised. Low-impact wild-caught techniques are ideal, such as the use of pots and traps, which have minimal impact on habitats and are designed to allow undersized creatures to escape. The bycatch often returns to the water alive.
High-impact methods are another story. For example, bottom trawling is similar to clear-cutting a forest to catch several birds. Large, weighted nets drag across the ocean floor, destroying corals, sponges and other habitats that often take centuries to recover.
Some aquaculture approaches are also problematic. Open-net pens in the ocean can allow concentrated fish waste, uneaten food and potential diseases and parasites to flow into the surrounding ecosystem and harm wild populations.
However, that doesn’t mean that farming seafood in open waters should be off the table. Aquaculture can produce protein with a much smaller land and carbon footprint than land-based meat production. It could spare an area of land that’s twice the size of India from meat production.
Restorative aquaculture is a top method because it’s designed to improve the environment. Consider oyster reefs and kelp forests that filter water, absorb excess nutrients, sequester carbon and create habitats for other species. Expanding this practice can increase ocean-based food production by 36% to 74% by 2050, highlighting its land-use and carbon-use efficiency.
Ask Questions and Look for US-Caught Fish
Ask questions, especially when there are no labels. Try to determine where the fish or shellfish came from. If it’s caught or farmed in America, it’s likely a sustainable product because seafood regulations in the U.S. are among the most stringent in the world.
The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act requires fisheries to be managed with science-based catch limits. It also mandates time-bound plans to rebuild any stock that becomes overfished. The regulations are effective, as in 2022, 90% of U.S. fish stocks were not subject to overfishing and catch limits were respected.
It’s also a good idea to ask whether the seafood is wild-caught or farmed and what methods were used in its production. Even if the supplier doesn’t know the answer, asking shows that you care as a consumer, which helps drive the demand for transparency and sustainability.
Exploring the Seafood Supply Chain
The environmental impact doesn’t stop when the boat docks. The decisions made in processing, transportation and distribution are just as crucial as choosing the right fish and supplier. Here’s a look at two aspects of the often-invisible part of the sustainable seafood journey.
Preservation for Waste Reduction
A significant amount of the ocean’s harvest goes bad before it reaches the table. This represents a massive waste of natural resources, as well as the fuel, time and labor spent to catch or farm it. Improper handling and temperature control are the common culprits.
Modern freezing technology can solve both issues. It allows products from well-managed fisheries to reach markets beyond borders and across oceans without compromising quality.
Consider the frozen-at-sea (FAS) process. The fish are caught, processed and flash-frozen on the ship, often within hours of leaving the water. This effectively pauses time, locking in the fish’s flavor, texture and nutrients at its peak freshness. It’s why a properly FAS fillet can be higher quality than the fresher, more recently caught one sitting next to it in the grocery store.
Blast freezing reduces bacterial growth by freezing food before microorganisms can multiply. It ensures temperatures remain outside the 40°-140° Fahrenheit range where bacterial growth occurs. Unlike slow freezing, it only forms tiny microcrystals that don’t damage cell structure. When the fish thaws, it retains its firm texture and moisture, providing a pleasant eating experience.
Supporting Local for Shorter Food Miles
The U.S. is the world’s top seafood importer, spending upward of $20 billion annually. That means fish and shellfish are constantly traveling oceans to reach American plates, which contributes to global warming.
However, distance isn’t the only consideration. While a shorter journey is generally better, the mode of transportation and the sustainability of the source are also crucial factors. For example, sustainably farmed salmon from a well-managed Norwegian fishery that travels by boat may have a better overall environmental profile than a mystery fish from a poorly managed local source.
Supporting local fish farms is a great way to opt out of the complex global chain. Community-supported fisheries are a great example. You pay them a fee to receive a regular share of their harvest. This allows you to connect directly with your supplier. You’ll know the fish farmer’s name, their boat and gear and that you’re eating what’s abundant in your local ecosystem at that time of year, ensuring you’re getting truly sustainable seafood.
You can also buy from fishmongers at local farmers’ markets or source your seafood directly from fishermen at coastal communities. Both methods provide short food miles.
Embrace a Holistic and Empowering Approach to Seafood
Making truly sustainable choices requires greater intention. Go beyond simply looking for a label. Diversify your plate, choose U.S.-caught fish and shellfish whenever possible, support local fisheries, and embrace high-quality frozen options. When made collectively, these small decisions help foster a more sustainable seafood industry and healthier oceans for generations to come.
About the Author
Mia Barnes has been a freelance writer for over 4 years with expertise in healthy living and sustainability. Mia is also the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of the online publication, Body+Mind Magazine.