Making informed decisions about your fish purchases is no small task, particularly if you want to make both a healthy and eco-conscious choice.
Answering the fresh or frozen question partially depends on your proximity to fresh fish. If you don’t live particularly close to coastal waters, then you might consider opting for frozen fish. There is increasing credence given to the notion of buying fish that has been flash frozen at sea (FAS). Frozen-at-sea fish is caught, filleted, and then frozen within hours of being caught. Experts point out that frozen fish can be transported via container ship or rail, whereas fresh fish, if it has far to go, is typically transported by airplane, the transportation method with the largest carbon footprint. The good news is that flash frozen fish have been shown to retain all of the nutrients, such as omega-3’s, of their fresh cousins.
Organic or conventional fish? Well, it turns out that in order to be considered organic, a fish must be raised on a fish farm. This is a somewhat new and murky area for those in aquaculture, and one that draws criticism in part because a truly wild fish, a pacific salmon for example, cannot be considered organic based on the recommendations of the National Organic Standards board (the body making recommendations to the USDA). The guidelines allow for a certain percentage of the fish feed to be from
I address the farmed vs. wild fish choice in more detail in Greening Your Family; the distilled findings are that wild fish tend to have lower levels of environmental contaminants such as PCB’s and mercury. Today, the choice between farmed vs. wild fish is tough. There doesn’t appear to be a good sustainable choice- sadly we have overfished and polluted our oceans. There is, however, an emerging trend in aquaculture that involves placing fish farms far out at sea, rather than close to the coast. This idea may prove to be both a sustainable and healthy way to raise fish!
National Resources Defense Council
New York Times Article: Salmon Virus Indicts Chile’s Fishing Methods
Article: In Search of New Waters, Fish Farming Moves Offshore
