Everyone loves to tout fish as a healthful, sustainable alternative to high-fat proteins like beef and pork. Unfortunately, not all seafood products are good for you or the environment.
1). Albacore Tuna: While you see this one most often in cans on
grocery store shelves, albacore tuna is also a popular fish in sushi
restaurants. There's nothing wrong with the fish itself, but the fishing
methods are highly destructive to ocean ecosystems. Fishermen normally go after
albacore using a method wherein they lay out long lines set with thousands of
individual baited hooks; marine mammals and others get tangled in these lines
and die
2). Atlantic
Halibut: It makes for a great plate of
fish and chips, but chronic over fishing has consistently reduced the
population of Atlantic halibut down to near-extinction levels. According to
environmental non-profit Food and Water Watch, the ocean's halibut populations
are 95 percent lower that what most nature organizations consider sustainable.
3). Atlantic
Salmon: Like its farmed cousin, this variety of salmon is a definite no-no, but
for a different reason. The stocks of this fish are so depleted that it's
actually illegal to catch them in several areas off the northeast coast of the
US. If you can't be certain that someone harvested your fish responsibly (and
legally), it's best to avoid it altogether.
4).
BluefinTuna: Chilean sea bass aren't the
only ocean-dwellers facing shrinking populations; bluefin tuna are also at risk
due to overfishing, and their plight is much more severe. In 2012, the
International Union for Conservation of Nature designated the bluefin tuna as
an endangered species. Avoid ordering bluefin tuna at sushi restaurants,
especially if you don't know of its origin.
5). Chilean Sea
Bass: A mild fillet of Chilean sea bass
might go over well at dinner with a nice vegetable puree, but it's not a type
of fish you should be eating very often. Due to overfishing, the populations
have declined rapidly since 2013, and while the fish aren't facing extinction
just yet, commercial fishing vessels need to drop their catch rate 80 percent
in 2015 to save the species, according to National Geographic.
6). Farmed
Salmon: Sure, it's cheaper than the
wild-caught Alaskan salmon available, but it's also much more harmful. It takes
several pounds of food fish to grow every pound of farmed salmon, which is
pretty wasteful when you think about it. Plus, most salmon farms have to pump
the fish full of antibiotics and chemicals to kill the varying parasites and
bacteria that thrive in the fish net pens.
7). Imported
Catfish: When you have a hankering for
some fried catfish and hush puppies, don't turn to the frozen, imported
varieties to get your fix. Most imported catfish comes from Vietnam, where
there aren't many regulations regarding the chemicals and antibiotics that
farms can use on their fish. Only purchase U.S.-grown catfish if you can't find
it fresh at the store.
8). Imported
Caviar: Most imported caviar comes from
wild-caught sturgeon around the Caspian Sea. The pursuit of these delicate eggs
has resulted in massive overfishing, so if you crave a sustainable option, try
a domestic variety that comes from the US, such as the Mississippi River
sturgeon.
9). King Crab: If you're planning on eating something
advertised as Alaskan King Crab, be sure it actually came from Alaska. Foreign
companies export a variety that looks similar but grows at farms that lack
proper regulations when it comes to sanitation and pollution.
10). Orange Roughy:
Its name is pretty charming, but the effects orange roughy can have on your
health really aren't. It takes around 40 years for this predator to mature and
it can live to be as old as 150, giving it plenty of time to consume mercury-laden
prey.
11). Shrimp: Although these delectable pink crustaceans
are high in protein, they're not exactly environmentally friendly. Rodale News
reports that for every pound of shrimp a shrimp fleet catches, it also brings
up 5 pounds of non-shrimp species that fishermen kill and discard. This
by-catch can include sea turtles, resulting in waste that harms oceans and
their populations.
12). Spanish
Mackerel: Although this oily meat
reportedly lowers your risk of developing heart disease, cancer, and arthritis,
you don't want to let it pop up on your menu too frequently. Spanish mackerel
is another migratory fish that feasts on mercury-contaminated prey, and it
carries a parasitic toxin that you can't kill, even through cooking. Ciguatoxin
causes nausea, vomiting, memory loss, respiratory failure, and paralysis.
13). Swordfish:
Swordfish is a great low-carb, low-calorie choice that helps you meet your
daily omega-3 and protein requirements, but it's not perfect. These large fish
are predators that subsist off of smaller species, which are often contaminated
with mercury. This results in large concentrations of the heavy metal building
up in the swordfish flesh. Consuming mercury can cause nervous system damage. -
Bird
