Green Daily

Wild or farmed fish?
Fish are a terrific source of lean, low-calorie protein and omega-3 fatty acids. According to the American Heart Association, foods high in omega-3 are beneficial to your health and reduce the risk of heart disease. With this in mind, there are some potential health and sustainability issues that should be considered before you order that second plate of fish tacos.

Sustainably caught wild fish would seem to be the best and tastiest choice, but increased levels of mercury and other toxins in our waterways makes eating some fish risky, especially for women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant and young kids. However, fish that are low in mercury can be poor choices for other reasons, most notably because some species have been fished to the brink of extinction.

According to prominent independent reports, overfishing and destructive fishing practices are depleting fish populations and destroying marine ecosystems. Because of the increased global demand for seafood it seems that aquaculture, or fish farming seems to make a lot of sense. Though, like any farming practice, some methods are better for the environment than others. Some fish farms operate much like factory cattle farms; they produce a lot of waste and have increased outbreaks of disease. To control this, fish farms sometimes use antibiotics and other drugs which can increase the numbers of disease-resistant organisms in the surrounding environment. And if farmed fish escape their pens, they can take over habitat from wild fish in the area.

On the whole, tilapia, catfish and mussels are almost entirely farm raised and are a pretty safe bet. Some other popular fish that are farmed, like salmon and tuna, are carnivores that require feed that is made from wild fish which creates an increased demand that wild fisheries can't meet and may have increased levels of PCB's. Personally, I can't tell much difference between wild versus farmed in taste, but some pros say that wild fish benefit from a more varied diet and increased natural exercise. If you're concerned about the growing conditions of farmed fish, much like chicken and cattle, then I guess wild fish would be more "free-range-like."

If you include a lot of fish and seafood in your diet and you're concerned about your health and how your choices impact our shared resources, check out the links below.

Links:

http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/mercury/guide.asp

http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/SeafoodWatch/web/sfw_regional.aspx?region_id=0

This post comes from guest contributor Bryan Kershnar, who spent five years writing about critical environmental issues at a national environmental organization. He spent his college years in Colorado where he climbed rocks, photographed our national parks, and occasionally went to class. Bryan currently resides in Brooklyn, NY with his fiancé, and canine companion, Poncho.