Seafood Dirty Dozen – What should you be avoiding?

Sustainability is about what we’re shoving into our mouths as much as recycling & reducing your waste. You’re probably aware of the Dirty Dozen – produce you should be purchasing organic because of pesticides in conventional varieties.  Hopefully you’ve cut back on seafood since overfishing is a critical problem of our oceans… and fish farms aren’t exactly a great solution either.

However, if you’re going to splurge on a fish selection – What should you avoid? Here’s the list according to Food & Water Watch:

1. Atlantic Bluefin Tuna – Bluefin tuna has high mercury and PCB contamination, and overfished to near extinction.
2. Imported Catfish (also known as Basa, Swai, Tra or Pangasius) – Imported catfish often comes from Southeast Asia, where chemical use & antibiotics aren’t regulated – and you could unknowingly get a side of antibiotics, pesticides or bacteria.
3. Caviar (especially from beluga and other wild-caught sturgeon) – It has a long maturity (15 years) and is overfished. Avoid it to save it.
4. Atlantic Cod – The stock collapsed in the early 1990s and is currently undergoing overfishing. plus high bycatch. Avoiding it decreases demand.
5. American Eel (also known as “yellow” or “silver” eel) – High concentrations of mercury & PCBs DON’T do a body good.
6. Atlantic Flatfish (e.g. flounder, sole and halibut) – Seriously overfished
7. Imported King Crab – It’s often illegal.
8. Imported Shrimp – 90% consumed in the US are imported and not well regulated –  with antiobiotics & other non-delicious additives.
9. Orange Roughy – Can contain high mercury levels and overfished.
10. Atlantic & Farmed Salmon – High PCB, pesticides & antibiotic contamination in the wild, as well as farmed salmon could have diseases & sea lice.
11. Chilean Seabass – Chilean seabass may have high mercury levels and is fished illegally often.
12. Shark – Hungry for mercury? Plus, they’re overfished and endangered over the past century. Plus, there’s something immoral about eating the incredible ‘Jaws’…

This is just a summary of seafood dangerous to your health & environment. If you want to learn more, visit the Food & Water Watch website as well as read the extremely informative “End of the Line“. Readers, what are your thoughts?

Picture: Family Dinner Cookbook