Your Guide to Safe and Responsible Seafood Purchases

(Aug. 26) -- The average consumer eats about 16 pounds of seafood a year, and fishmongers say their customers are loaded with questions on everything from which fish have fewer contaminants, like mercury and PCBs, to what can I buy that tastes like the fish I shouldn't eat?

The gang at Food & Water Watch have come up with a wallet-sized guide and interactive website that can answer these questions and more.

The group's fish experts lead shoppers through the maze of which seafood is safe; how it's caught; what's being overfished or not; and an unusual section on the socioeconomic and cultural significance of the species -- or what does that fish you're buying mean to a certain community.

It also offers something that a neophyte fish buyer might appreciate: a guide that presents seafood by its flavor profile -- what's oily, what's not; what can be grilled and what is so delicate that a more gentle cooking method is called for.


"I like orange roughy, and I know it's not a good choice for our planet because they're overfished. So what else can I eat that tastes like this? Our guide will tell you," says Marianne Cufone, Food & Water Watch's director of fish programs.

And for those who wish to be environmentally responsible, here is Food & Water Watch's list of its dirty dozen, what should be avoided and why.

Imported King Crab

Although many varieties of crabs live in North American waters, the United States also imports crab from other countries.

Often, exporters will sell crab caught here in the U.S. to other countries where they can receive a higher price, while importing cheaper crab, often from Russia, for consumption in the U.S. Exacerbating the situation, much of the crab caught in Russia exceeds the total allowable catch, making it illegal.

Caviar, especially from beluga and other wild-caught sturgeon

The beluga sturgeon, also known as the European or great sturgeon, is found primarily in the Caspian and Black Seas.

These fish can live for more than 100 years and do not reach maturity until at least 15 years of age. As a result of its long lifespan and slow maturation, this species has low resilience and is vulnerable to overfishing. The salted eggs of the beluga sturgeon, known as caviar, are considered a delicacy. The demand for highly valued beluga caviar has led to overfishing and poaching of the species. The construction of dams as well as pollution has further diminished the population.

Tuna, Bluefin, Atlantic

Bluefin tuna poses a very high health risk due to high levels of both mercury and PCB contamination. Bluefin tuna are internationally overfished, nearly to levels of extinction. They are believed to be 80 percent or more below their original abundance levels. The eastern and western Atlantic Ocean stocks to which bluefin tuna are native are listed as "endangered" and "critically endangered," respectively, in the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of the world's most threatened species.

Orange Roughy

Orange roughy may contain levels of mercury contamination that pose a health risk for adults and children. Orange roughy are caught in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans with fisheries off the coast of New Zealand, Australia, Namibia, the Northeast Atlantic and Chile. This fish is particularly vulnerable to overfishing due to its long lifespan and slow maturation.

Cod, Atlantic

The Atlantic cod stock collapsed in the early 1990s and is currently undergoing overfishing. It is listed on the IUCN Red List. This species is frequently caught using bottom or otter trawls, nets that drag along the seafloor, and can damage the bottom habitat and remove or cover animals and plant life. This fishing method also can result in the unintended capture of many other types of marine life (bycatch).

Flatfish, Atlantic (e.g. flounder, sole and halibut)

Most other Atlantic flatfish stocks are also seriously overfished. Atlantic halibut has been overfished off the coast of the
Northeastern United States since the 1800s. Despite management practices that currently prevent targeted fishing of Atlantic halibut and attempt to reduce bycatch of the species, the fishery has not recovered.

Eel, American (also known as "yellow" or "silver" eel)

The American eel is known to have high concentrations of mercury and PCBs, toxic chemicals that can prove harmful to human health.

Catfish, Imported (also known as Basa, Swai, Tra or Pangasius)

Imported catfish often come from Southeast Asia, where use of chemicals and antibiotics is barely regulated. Because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration inspects less than 2 percent of imported seafood, imported catfish may be contaminated with antibiotic, pesticide or bacterial residues.

Sea Bass, Chilean

Chilean sea bass may contain levels of mercury contamination that pose a health risk to adults and children. For nearly a decade, illegal fishing has plagued Chilean sea bass populations, while killing seabirds by the thousands, including several species of endangered albatrosses.

Shark

Shark may contain levels of mercury contamination that pose a health risk to adults and children.

Salmon, Atlantic and Farmed

Farmed salmon may contain levels of PCB contamination that pose a health risk to adults and children. It may also be contaminated with pesticides and antibiotics. Farmed salmon are usually raised in cages in open waters. These cages allow free-flow of anything from the farm into the wild, and promote transfer of diseases, especially sea lice, from caged to wild fish.

Shrimp, Imported

Shrimp is the most popular seafood in the United States, but about 90 percent of the shrimp consumed in the U.S. is imported from other countries where seafood production and employment conditions are often not well-regulated.