Eco-Friendly Seafood You Can Eat Without Hating Yourself and What to Avoid
Seafood is delicious, seafood is fun, but there are too many wrong kinds for our grandchildren to miss.
Which is mostly sustainable and understandable to eat
Overfishing and questionable farming practices are now a problem for many edible marine species. Fortunately, not all fish, molluscs and crustaceans are endangered.
According to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watchlist , Marine Conservation Society , Blue Ocean Institute, Marine Stewardship Council, and Environmental Defense Fund , here are the species you can eat with a clear conscience:
- King salmon
- Red salmon
- Pink salmon
- Chum
- Wild striped bass
- Soft Shell Crab
- Pacific stonefish
- Wild yellowtail
- swordfish
- Farm-Raised Abalone
- Farmed Arctic char
- Farm-Grown Barramundi
- Catfish
- Molluscs
- Molluscs
- Oysters
- Pacific cod (Alaska only)
- King crab
- Snow crab
- Tanner Crab
- Dungeness crab
- Lionfish
- Spiny Lobster (Mexico only)
- Freshwater shrimp
- Spotted shrimp
- Sea bass
- Sable fish / Black cod
- Sanddab
- Farm-raised scallops (wild is a good alternative)
- Farm Raised Shrimp (Wild Alternative)
- Tilapia
- Farm Raised Rainbow Trout
- Wild albacore tuna
- Wild tuna
- Wild yellowfin tuna
- Branzino
- Black and red sea bass
- Lobster
- Angler
- Octopus
- Squid
That’s more than enough for any seafood lover, and many are reasonably priced and relatively easy to find if you’re willing to take a few extra steps. Just asking questions to the waiter, sushi chef, store owner, or seafood distributor will get you in the right direction.
What to avoid, if possible
These seafood options may be delicious, but the way we handle them harms the species in question, other marine life and the environment. Here’s what you need to do now:
- Tuna
- Farm-raised salmon
- Acne
- Farm Raised Yellowtail
- Wild abalone
- Bassa / Pangasius / Piles
- Cod (Atlantic, Russia, Japan)
- Crab (Asia and Russia)
- Atlantic halibut
- Spiny lobster (Belize, Brazil, Honduras and Nicaragua)
- Mahi Mahi
- Orange rough
- Pollock
- Atlantic sardines
- Shark
- Imported shrimp
- Squid (China, India and Thailand)
If looking at the “don’t eat” list confuses you, then you are not alone. When you are a sushi lover, it is truly unfortunate to see fish there such as bluefin tuna, farm-raised salmon, eel, and yellowtail. But it’s no wonder why they are listed. According to chef Michael Cimarusti, owner of Providence and Connie and Ted seafood restaurants in Los Angeles, the bluefin tuna population is on the brink of extinction:
“For every 100 bluefin tuna that once swam in the Pacific, there are 3.6 fish left and are still being caught.”
It makes sense. Bluefin is on the menu of every sushi restaurant in the country and sushi is still gaining in popularity. It was assumed that the practice of raising salmon would save us from catching Atlantic salmon to complete extinction, but how this is done is questionable. It’s the same with farmed yellowtail. Cimarusti says the fish are raised in small pens that contain an incredibly high density of fish that are fed with a protein source that is alien to the environment and create huge amounts of waste in a very small area. All of this is not suitable for farmed fish or species living nearby.
On the other hand, eels are often raised by taking young eels from rivers and streams, which takes entire generations out of their natural habitat and greatly diminishes their numbers.
Perhaps one day these species will be safe to consume again, but now we need to eat a little more consciously. Otherwise, we will never be able to eat this delicious seafood again. You can find more guides on what seafood you should and shouldn’t eat in your area on the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Observing Guides page .