Ocean on the Edge
Top 10 Ocean Issues
Sustainable Seafood
In addition to aquaculture, we need to find other sustainable solutions as we look for ways to meet the growing demand for seafood. Making the right choices as a consumer can help.
At the present time the Aquarium suggests that some of the species the public should avoid include Atlantic cod, Atlantic bluefin tuna (toro), orange roughy, and Chilean sea bass. Atlantic cod has suffered many decades of overfishing and should be avoided. Atlantic bluefin tuna is endangered. Orange roughy has been in decline for a long time, and this fish is not able to reproduce until it reaches the age of at least twenty. One stock of Chilean sea bass has recently been designated as sustainable, but avoidance of the species is recommended by the Aquarium until additional information is available that allows consumers to know clearly what source the fish came from.
The consumer needs to pay attention to advisories from the government regarding which species are to be avoided based on being threatened, in danger of extinction, or determined to be unsafe because of contaminants. Inform yourself about where the seafood you purchase comes from and how it was caught or harvested.
