Sea-ing the Big Picture - RocketDogideas

Sea-ing the Big Picture:

Educated Seafood Consumption in the Greater Seattle Area

What, Why, and How to Help

Seattle and the larger Pacific Northwest are well known for fresh seafood. Almost 15% of commercial fishing harvest by weight goes through vessels based out of the port of Seattle. Seattle also fancies itself an environmentally-minded city. With such an abundance of choices, it can be difficult to figure out how to make the most healthy and sustainable seafood purchases. Most chain stores offer few resources for tracking the origin and sustainability of your food, and many people find smaller, more informative fish markets prohibitively expensive. If you want to make choices with a positive impact though, it’s important to know before you buy. According to current estimates, if nothing changes, the world’s oceans could be practically empty by 2048. BestCatch will sort through the wide variety of choices and help you find the best seafood selection for you and the environment.

Types of Seafood Harvesting: Farmed vs Wild-Caught

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In order to understand the big picture of seafood harvesting, you need to consider the two primary methods of harvest: aquaculture and wild-caught.

Aquaculture, sometimes referred to as hatcheries or fish farms, more properly describes the process of raising seafood for sale in controlled, artificial environments. Wild-caught refers to the more traditional method of going out and harvesting creatures from their natural habitats.

Environmental Hazards

If environmental concerns are decisive in how you vote with your wallet, both harvest methods come with pros and cons. With the huge variety in types of seafood, each comes with its own unique list. However, there are some overarching hazards that apply to all.

Farmed Fish

Fish farms carry a high risk of damaging local environments. The water that goes into these farms often flows straight back out, and any byproduct that goes with it can harm local seafood populations. When farmed fish break free, they too impact native fish populations and habitats. In one notable incident, the escape of over 200,000 non-native fish led the state of Washington to ban the farming of Atlantic salmon and even stop leasing state-owned property for fish farms. Additionally, discarded nutrients from unconsumed feeds and feces can accumulate on the farm’s seafloor and damage the delicate ecosystem, also leading to algae blooms.

Wild-Caught Fish

There are also several environmental hazards related to wild-caught fish, with sustainability the first and largest among them. As the human population continues to increase, so too does seafood consumption, but not the population of seafood species. The average consumption of seafood per person has more than doubled in the past 50 years. Overfishing any species sends ripples through their ecosystems with long-lasting impacts.

In addition, the infrastructure around wild-caught fish is responsible for other types of environmental damage. For example, the fuel for both fishing boats and the transportation of products leaves a substantial carbon footprint. Some environmentally responsible fisheries have made the switch to solar-powered boats, but sadly not all have taken this step.

Trawling, a form of wild fishing where a large, cone-shaped net is pulled behind a fishing boat, can be extremely damaging to the seafloor and bottom-dwelling species. It also emits as much carbon dioxide per year as airplanes. To make matters worse, 30-40% of trawled catch is currently discarded. Though this can be beneficial to scavenging species, it still constitutes a waste of living resources. Shark species, already under extinction watch from long-line nets, face additional habitat destruction from trawling, causing an overall decline of 71% globally, per WWF in 2021.

By considering where our food comes from and supporting more responsible fisheries in the process, we can lessen some of these impacts.

Catch or Harvest Area: Local vs Global

Each decision you make with your seafood purchase has both local and global impacts. While a specific locale may have fishing regulations that contribute to the region’s sustainability, those same regulations may contribute differently on a global level.

Fisheries in the United States are managed by NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) in five different regions: Alaska, New England/Mid-Atlantic, Pacific Islands, Southeast, and West Coast. Each region has its own specific fishing regulations.

Global fisheries outside the United States are managed by different entities, many of which struggle with trying to maintain sustainable fishing practices. This can muddy the waters in knowing what type of environmental impact your purchasing choices may have. At least 130 fish stocks are under global management, but some would argue that the sustainability of these stocks is managed poorly. IUU (Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated) fishing can also comprise up to 30% of the catch in underdeveloped nations. In addition, the global fish trade also faces issues of slave labor and kidnapping.

Buying locally is almost always the best choice. Not only is your fish or seafood as fresh as it can be, but you’re also lessening transportation impacts and supporting your local economy. However, it is important to remember that the global ecosystem does not recognize the fishing boundaries that we’ve created. Regardless of where our fish come from, we need to be wary of impacts such as the cascade effect.

Health Hazards

Before we start looking at the health hazards of eating fish, let’s be clear that a diet with some fish can be a good thing. Seafood is often high in protein and several species are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential for maintaining a healthy brain and heart. Unfortunately, there can also be strong risk factors associated with certain types of fish and seafood.

Mercury in fish takes the form of methylmercury, which can be hazardous to kidney and neurological health. These risks are particularly high for expectant mothers and young children. Certain species of predatory fish can be high in methylmercury, dependent upon the size and age of the fish. Shark, swordfish, tilefish, and tuna are the species of fish that contain the highest levels of methylmercury.

Farmed fish may contain antibiotics or pesticides, which can be harmful for human consumption. They can also absorb toxins such as mercury or PCBs (Polychlorinated biphenyl, carcinogenic chemical compounds). In addition, the cramped conditions in which farmed fish are often raised can encourage the spread of parasites and disease. However, fish farms are better equipped to monitor these risks than fishermen are to screen their catch. Many species, including salmon, arctic char, tilapia, shrimp, trout, and mollusks, can be cultivated responsibly without antibiotics and growth hormones.

Certification Labels: What are they and what do they mean?

In most grocery stores, you’ll find seafood packaging marked with one of several common certification labels. Certification is meant to give you the impression that a product is or isn’t “sustainable” or “eco-friendly”. In interpreting these labels, you should make sure that you use a reputable agency while being aware that there is no universal standard these labels adhere to. The federal government currently has no oversight over how these labels are created and awarded. Some of these certifications are produced by or in partnership with biased, private companies. Greenwashed products, labeled with misleading claims of environmentally-friendly practices, can boost sales and profits while damaging the environment. When looking for fisheries that support sustainability and prioritize the long-term health of our oceans, it’s important to find a third-party certification agency that can help steer you in the right direction.

Best Catch App: How to be an educated consumer

Regardless of whether seafood is wild-caught or farmed, local or from thousands of miles away, or what the label says, it’s important to know where your fish is from and the care that’s put into its harvesting. BestCatch helps you navigate these waters to make choices that align with your values and the health of our oceans. Our rating system checks current information about overfishing and the Seafood Watch program to find you the Best Catch. The only resource you need fits in the palm of your hand and takes a minute to use. Scan the QR code at the bottom of the page or follow the link to download the BestCatch app.