It aims to aggregate retailer leverage across Canada — more so than was possible with only a few retail partners — to drive improvements to fisheries and aquaculture practices, both in Canada and abroad. Find out how your retailer scores , read our short report on retailer performance in , or watch this short video which show you the kinds of information you can find on Seafood Progress.

In addition to Seafood Progress, the following organizations provide seafood recommendations for consumers and businesses. While eco-labels play an important role in sustainable seafood procurement, challenges in their implementation and application have led to instances of disagreement.

Learn more about our work to strengthen eco-labels. Ocean Wise seafood recommendations are based on two categories: sustainable Ocean Wise or unsustainable Not Recommended.

Recommendations are generated from their own science-based seafood assessments. The SFW standards consist of guiding principles, science-based criteria and a robust scoring methodology.

That said, we disagree with the recent ranking change for B. farmed salmon from Red Avoid to Yellow Good Alternative because the assessment failed to take a precautionary approach, despite methodology that requires it.

The Marine Stewardship Council MSC is the most prominent wild fisheries eco-label in the world. SeaChoice has been, and will continue to be, an engaged MSC stakeholder , and we generally support MSC assessments.

Nevertheless, we maintain that some MSC certified fisheries are unsustainable, particularly in respect to their environmental impacts, and should be avoided e. North Atlantic Pelagic Longline Swordfish , Scotian Shelf Herring , and the recently suspended 3Ps Cod fishery.

Despite efforts to maintain sustainable wild fishing, past practices have left certain species vulnerable to overfishing.

Overfished stocks need to be allowed to recover; in other words, some fishing should be allowed, but at reduced levels to help maximize the number of fish, which can help to rebuild a population on the whole. Stocks of fish are managed by using catch limits to reduce the chance of overfishing and increase biological and economic sustainability of wild fishing.

Since , 41 stocks of fish have been rebuilt. However, since , the 30 stocks of fish on the overfishing list and the 38 stocks on the overfished list are at all-time lows. The US is a world leader in efforts to keep its wild fish stocks sustainable.

Wild species are monitored and managed to maintain healthy fish populations. The US also plays an important role in international fishing agreements to achieve global fishing goals.

Because fish and other seafood are a globally shared resource, there have been major declines in popular species due to overfishing, habitat loss and pollution. Fish farming refers to growing fish in captivity for food and other human uses. Fish farming is as old as civilization: for example, 5, years ago, Chinese villagers trapped carp in artificial lakes that formed when flooded rivers receded.

Today, similar practices occur in near-shore or on-shore operations worldwide. More recently, there has been the addition of deepwater fish farms, further offshore. In the US, we have many forms of fish farms that raise species, such as oysters, clams, mussels and salmon.

More than 90 percent of shrimp consumed in the United States is imported, and of that, most is farm-raised. Farm-raised shrimp are grown in large man-made ponds along coastal areas, often damaging fragile and important ecosystems, including mangrove forests.

Many of the inputs used in shrimp farming can have negative effects on human health and the environment. When ponds are drained to collect the shrimp, polluted water often containing antibiotics and pesticides is released into the surrounding environment.

Imported shrimp may contain harmful bacteria or be contaminated with drugs. In , Consumer Reports conducted tests on US and imported shrimp and found that 60 percent of raw shrimp tested positive for bacteria that can cause food poisoning, including: Salmonella , Vibrio , Staphylococcus aureus and E.

Five percent of all imported raw shrimp that was tested contained illegal antibiotic residues. The best approach to making sustainable seafood choices is to know your seafood.

Rather than eating imported farmed shrimp, look for shrimp or prawns that were either wild caught or sustainably farmed in the United States. Talk to your local fish market to find out where its shrimp came from and how the local shrimp it carries were caught or farmed.

Plagued by disease, parasites and mass fish escapes, farmed salmon has become a poster child for environmentally irresponsible fish farming. About two-thirds of the salmon consumed in the United States is farmed, primarily in Norway, Chile or Canada.

Fish waste, disease and uneaten feed, which all flow out of these nets, can and do pollute the surrounding environment. Farmed salmon, living in close quarters in the nets, are more susceptible to diseases and parasites, such as sea lice, which can be transmitted to wild salmon near the farm. In fact, Alaska and Washington State have banned salmon farms to protect wild salmon populations.

If producers treat their farmed salmon with antibiotics, there can be a variety of negative impacts including contributing to the development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria; disseminating antibiotics into the surrounding waters; and residual concentrations of antibiotics remaining in the seafood itself.

Salmon production can also increase fishing pressure on wild stocks of other fish species, because it takes between one-and-a-third to five pounds of fish which are turned into feed to raise one pound of farmed salmon. Shellfish farming including oysters, clams and mussels is not considered ecologically harmful.

In fact, farmed shellfish can have big environmental benefits, making it a good sustainable seafood option. As filter feeders, shellfish can help improve local water quality and restore marine ecosystems. In recognizing these benefits, programs have been developed to create restoration sites. While it is possible to farm fish sustainably, particularly in contained tanks on land where inputs and outputs can be controlled, many farmed fish have been produced in ways that damage the environment and threaten human health.

Open water fish farming can cause environmental harm in various ways. First, it can pollute the environment with nutrients contained in fish excrement, spread parasites and disease, be a source of escaped fish and affect natural habitats for wild fish. In a particularly gruesome example, a farmed fish processing plant in Canada released a bloody cloud of effluent containing harmful pathogens into a known route for juvenile and adult salmon.

She has been with CR since , covering product safety. She has previously reported on algorithmic bias, criminal justice, and housing for the Markup and ProPublica, and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Explanatory Reporting in Send her tips at lauren.

kirchner consumer. org and follow her on Twitter lkirchner. Althea Chang-Cook is the associate director of content at Consumer Reports, covering food and kitchen gear, as well as stories for diverse audiences.

Prior to joining CR in , Althea covered food, health, parenting, product safety, technology, and more for various publications. We respect your privacy. All email addresses you provide will be used just for sending this story. What Is Sustainable Seafood?

By Lauren Kirchner, Althea Chang-Cook. June 8, Choosing sustainable seafood is increasingly a priority for many consumers. Illustration: Meel Tamphanon. Wild vs. Farmed Seafood. More on Seafood. How Worried Should You Be About Mercury in Your Tuna? Best Tinned Seafood. Shop and Prep for Seafood With Care.

Your Guide to Healthy Seafood Choices. Fish Oil and Other Popular Supplements—Do They Really Work? Pole-Caught vs. Sustainability Advice. Newer Fish to Try. BLACK COD. Also known as sablefish, it looks and tastes like cod—hence its name—but is a different species.

Black cod has a mild flavor and soft, buttery texture.

Wild species are monitored and managed to maintain healthy fish populations. The US also plays an important role in international fishing agreements to achieve global fishing goals.

Because fish and other seafood are a globally shared resource, there have been major declines in popular species due to overfishing, habitat loss and pollution. Fish farming refers to growing fish in captivity for food and other human uses.

Fish farming is as old as civilization: for example, 5, years ago, Chinese villagers trapped carp in artificial lakes that formed when flooded rivers receded. Today, similar practices occur in near-shore or on-shore operations worldwide. More recently, there has been the addition of deepwater fish farms, further offshore.

In the US, we have many forms of fish farms that raise species, such as oysters, clams, mussels and salmon. More than 90 percent of shrimp consumed in the United States is imported, and of that, most is farm-raised. Farm-raised shrimp are grown in large man-made ponds along coastal areas, often damaging fragile and important ecosystems, including mangrove forests.

Many of the inputs used in shrimp farming can have negative effects on human health and the environment. When ponds are drained to collect the shrimp, polluted water often containing antibiotics and pesticides is released into the surrounding environment.

Imported shrimp may contain harmful bacteria or be contaminated with drugs. In , Consumer Reports conducted tests on US and imported shrimp and found that 60 percent of raw shrimp tested positive for bacteria that can cause food poisoning, including: Salmonella , Vibrio , Staphylococcus aureus and E.

Five percent of all imported raw shrimp that was tested contained illegal antibiotic residues. The best approach to making sustainable seafood choices is to know your seafood.

Rather than eating imported farmed shrimp, look for shrimp or prawns that were either wild caught or sustainably farmed in the United States. Talk to your local fish market to find out where its shrimp came from and how the local shrimp it carries were caught or farmed.

Plagued by disease, parasites and mass fish escapes, farmed salmon has become a poster child for environmentally irresponsible fish farming. About two-thirds of the salmon consumed in the United States is farmed, primarily in Norway, Chile or Canada. Fish waste, disease and uneaten feed, which all flow out of these nets, can and do pollute the surrounding environment.

Farmed salmon, living in close quarters in the nets, are more susceptible to diseases and parasites, such as sea lice, which can be transmitted to wild salmon near the farm. In fact, Alaska and Washington State have banned salmon farms to protect wild salmon populations. If producers treat their farmed salmon with antibiotics, there can be a variety of negative impacts including contributing to the development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria; disseminating antibiotics into the surrounding waters; and residual concentrations of antibiotics remaining in the seafood itself.

Salmon production can also increase fishing pressure on wild stocks of other fish species, because it takes between one-and-a-third to five pounds of fish which are turned into feed to raise one pound of farmed salmon.

Shellfish farming including oysters, clams and mussels is not considered ecologically harmful. In fact, farmed shellfish can have big environmental benefits, making it a good sustainable seafood option. As filter feeders, shellfish can help improve local water quality and restore marine ecosystems.

In recognizing these benefits, programs have been developed to create restoration sites. While it is possible to farm fish sustainably, particularly in contained tanks on land where inputs and outputs can be controlled, many farmed fish have been produced in ways that damage the environment and threaten human health.

Open water fish farming can cause environmental harm in various ways. First, it can pollute the environment with nutrients contained in fish excrement, spread parasites and disease, be a source of escaped fish and affect natural habitats for wild fish.

In a particularly gruesome example, a farmed fish processing plant in Canada released a bloody cloud of effluent containing harmful pathogens into a known route for juvenile and adult salmon. Recirculating aquaculture farms raise fish in tanks on land, similar to the way fish are maintained in aquariums.

Recirculating fish farms are closed loop, meaning that diseases and pests from outside the farm have a harder time getting in, and that the fish inside the farm do not escape.

Sustainable, well-managed recirculating systems, which address hygiene and stocking issues and manage contamination, are less reliant on drugs and chemicals to keep fish healthy and the system clean.

Many recirculating fish farms run entirely without artificial chemical additives, creating a more natural product. They can also avoid raising and selling types of fish caught by local fishermen, to prevent competition.

One very special characteristic of farms that use recirculating technology is that, in addition to fish, they can grow plants recirculating hydroponics or plants and fish together in one system recirculating aquaponics.

Growing fish in conjunction with plants creates a mini ecosystem, where the waste excreted by fish adds nutrients to the water, and plants in the same water absorb these nutrients to grow.

This cycle often creates an ideal growing environment, making both plants and fish grow better and more quickly than in other forms of farming. Recirculating farms can come in a variety of shapes, sizes and styles.

To conserve energy, they can rely on renewable sources like solar, wind or geothermal power. Recirculating farms can also be located virtually anywhere in a community — indoors, outside, on rooftops and on terraces. These farms can provide a wide range of products, including finfish, shellfish, herbs, fruits, vegetables and flowers.

For more information, visit the Recirculating Farms Coalition. One of the most common heavy metals found in seafood is mercury. Mercury is naturally occurring, but can be found at higher concentrations in local environments due to sources like coal-fired power plants, waste incinerators, factories and mines.

Mercury can be carried through the atmosphere or enter water bodies through rain and surface water runoff. Large, top-of-the-food-chain fish such as swordfish, king mackerel, shark and bluefin tuna tend to have higher levels of mercury, which accumulates through their diet and persists over time, due to their longevity.

Exposure to mercury in humans can cause brain damage and neurological disorders, especially in infants and young children whose nervous systems are still developing. Polychlorinated biphenyls PCBs and dioxins are toxic substances that were used as a fire preventive and insulator in the manufacture of electric devices for the electric grid.

PCBs enter the water, mostly from industrial run-off and dumping, and accumulate in the fatty tissue of some fish. In one case on the Hudson River in New York, General Electric was responsible for releasing 1. Today, miles of the river is considered to be a superfund site and a major source of PCB pollution in local seafood.

PCBs and dioxins have been found in striped bass, farmed salmon and blue crab, among other seafood. These substances can lead to developmental problems, interfere with hormones, harm the reproductive and immune systems and cause cancer. Residues of antibiotics and pesticides have been detected in some farmed fish.

Antibiotics and pesticides are added to fish farms to control disease in crowded conditions. It typically has three times less mercury than both Albacore and Yellowfin tuna. Look for skipjack tuna caught with a pole and line or trolls, since these are far more precise and avoid the large volume of bycatch produced by purse seine methods.

Cooking skipjack tuna: You can use canned skipjack tuna for a last-minute meal, like these tuna melt futomaki rolls , or fish tacos. Fresh skipjack tuna can easily be substituted for Yellowfin or Bigeye tuna in dishes, though it is harder to find.

Make this recipe for spice-rubbed tuna steaks or this one for sesame-crusted and grilled tuna steaks. There are five types of Alaskan salmon on the market and each taste a bit different. Sockeye are at one end of the spectrum, with a rich color, fatty flesh, and strong flavor. Towards the other end is pink salmon, with its lighter color and flavor.

Cooking wild Alaskan salmon: Salmon can be cooked any number of ways, including baking , broiling, pan-frying, and grilling. Use canned salmon to make this salmon chowder or use fresh fish to make your own salmon lox from scratch.

Albacore tuna is subtle, white meat that can be flavored with practically anything, even strong flavors like lemon, black olives, tomatoes, and capers. The mercury that is typically found in tuna affecting human health is not found in troll or poll caught albacore tuna, which are younger and smaller.

Pole catching eliminates bycatch of species like dolphins. Cooking albacore tuna: Available fresh, frozen, canned and smoked, tuna can be enjoyed year-round. Albacore tuna has a more mild flavor than Ahi tuna but with the same meatiness.

Don't overcook or it will dry out. Undercooking tuna or even raw is acceptable with high-quality tuna. The meat of the Dungeness crab is snow-white, sweet and juicy. Why it's sustainable: Dungeness is the best choice when it comes to crabs.

Carefully managed with size limits and trap restrictions, Dungeness is harvested with traps, ring nets and even by hand using dip nets which limits bycatch. Look for Dungeness crab that is trap caught in Canada, California, Oregon and Washington.

AVOID Dungeness crab that is trap caught in Alaska or Atlantic Dungeness crab. Cooking Dungeness Crab: Available live, freshly cooked, frozen or canned, this sweet and rich crab is great year round. The best way to cook fresh Dungeness crab is by steaming for 7 minutes per pound.

Boiling is also acceptable—more tips on cooking Dungeness crab. Silver Hake also known as Atlantic Whiting is a wonderful white fish alternative to cod and haddock.

Spain's favorite fish is gaining popularity with chefs in the States, look for hake to be the next trendy thing in restaurants. Why it's sustainable: Previously overfished, the silver hake is making a comeback in the North Atlantic.

Stay away from silver hake fished south of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina The population there hasn't yet fully recovered and is still considered overfished. Avoid fish labeled "white hake.

Cooking Hake: Hake has a texture similar to sole and is mild-tasting, even sweet. Hake can be substituted in dishes calling for pollock or cod. Use limited data to select advertising. Create profiles for personalised advertising. Use profiles to select personalised advertising.

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List of Partners vendors. The Best Sustainable Seafood Choices Eat Consciously and Deliciously. By Mackenzie Stratton.

Mackenzie Stratton. Mackenzie Stratton is a food writer who covers global cooking techniques and culture. She's currently working on a local foods cookbook about Mexican cuisine. Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process.

Trending Videos. Carbon Footprint Most of the seafood consumed in the US is imported from China and Southeast Asia. Biodiversity Secondly, eating a wide variety of seafood is very important for protecting our oceans' diversity.

Catch Method Lastly, consider how your seafood was raised and caught. Arctic Char Farmed. Clams, Mussels, Oysters, and Scallops Farmed. Continue to 5 of 10 below.