Something’s Fishy

Is that seafood sustainable?

by Peter Barrett and photographs by Jennifer May, January 27, 2009

What do we really know about the fish we eat? Even if we are diligent about buying local and organic produce, grain, and meat, does that care extend beneath the sea? Many species are suffering from overfishing. Fish farming can pollute the ocean, and spread disease to wild fish. Regulation and inspections are either lacking or inconsistently applied and enforced. How do we make sense of all this, while helping to protect the oceans, our health, and our Broadway careers? (Apologies and well wishes to Jeremy Piven.) Trying to understand the state of seafood today is a complex, frustrating, and often bewildering endeavor.

Another challenge is to try to reconcile the often-conflicting variables of health and sustainability. Yellowfin tuna is sustainable but contains mercury in sufficient quantity that vulnerable people (pregnant women, children) are encouraged not to eat it. Salmon is very high in healthy omega-3 fatty acids, but unless it’s wild Alaskan or properly farmed, the environmental cost is steep. The sad reality is that the seafood that falls firmly within both categories is a much smaller set than most of us are accustomed to choosing from, and it is unlikely to change any time soon. Given all this, how can we navigate all the conflicting information and choose our seafood as responsibly as we choose meat and produce?

The good news (yes, there is some) is that our desire to be ethical consumers is the solution. And there are people at all stages of the business who are also engaged with these issues and want to help us choose better fish. Carl Rebstock, co-founder of Passionfish, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting sustainable seafood, says “the situation is perilous, but with reason for optimism. The world has made real progress in fisheries management over the last several years. Although most wild fish stocks remain overfished, concerted global efforts have helped broadly stabilize the situation—with heartening developments in certain fisheries.” He recommends buying wild fish that carries Marine Stewardship Council certification, which ensures that it comes from a well-managed resource, and referring to some of the websites (see box) that provide extensive information on wild and farmed fish from around the world. And, most important, he says, is to “ask questions. Informed consumers telegraph their interest in responsibly run fisheries through the simple act of asking.”

Steve Kraus, owner of Gadaleto’s Seafood Market in New Paltz says he tries to carry sustainable or wild-caught fish whenever possible. He describes his customers as “educated” and strives to provide accurate information about the fish he sells. “People do ask, but answers are sometimes difficult; fish is not under continuous FDA oversight, and is wide open to mislabeling and misrepresentation. As the system is currently set up, there’s no clearinghouse for information—so although there are lots of sources, they don’t always agree.” Kraus also attempts to educate his customers, guiding people towards responsibly farmed salmon as an alternative to the seasonal wild Alaskan catch, emphasizing that sustainable aquaculture is going to be the future of much of our seafood, and that it’s important to support the people who are trying to do it right.

Kevin Katz is the chef/owner of the Red Onion restaurant in Saugerties. He says that people’s tastes have yet to fully catch up to the new realities; Spanish mackerel, which is very sustainable, was “not very popular” on the menu last summer. “It has gotten a bad rap, but if it’s diamond fresh and cooked well, it’s really delicious; the skin can get very crispy without overcooking.” Katz says that chefs also have some learning to do. “As a cook coming up, I learned to cook the fish that people wanted to eat, so I’ve also had to learn more about some of these more economical and sustainable varieties.”