Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch approves some farm-raised fish
February 12, 2014 | 07:53 PM
Environmentalists often express fears about fish farming, mostly because so many fish are concentrated in a small area. Critics worry about farmed fish escaping and mixing with native species and about the pollution that can be caused. But advocates of sustainability also recognize that fish farming in the United States may have higher standards than in developing countries.
But the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California, whose motto is “to inspire conservation of the oceans,” says aquaculture “holds great promise as a solution to the ever-increasing pressures on our ocean resources.”
Its Seafood Watch program, which advises consumers on what to eat if they want to keep seafood sustainable, recommends “wild-caught salmon from Alaska, California, Oregon and Washington as these are ocean-friendly choices.”
It also says to avoid salmon farmed in open-net pens, but that “Salmon farmed on land in ‘closed’ or ‘contained’ farms is a viable alternative that points the way to a more environmentally-friendly future for salmon farming.”
On cobia, a fish for which aquaculturists see a great future, Seafood Watch says “In the U.S., cobia is farmed inland with closed recirculating systems where diseases, escapes, effluent and potential pollutants can be managed and treated. U.S. farmed cobia is fed less fish meal and fish oil than those farmed elsewhere. Outside the U.S., cobia is farmed in floating or submerged cages and pens in near-shore and open ocean waters. This creates a risk of disease transfer, escapes and pollution impacts on surrounding ecosystems and species. U.S. farmed cobia is therefore a ‘Best Choice’ and imported farmed cobia receives an ‘Avoid’ ranking.”
But the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California, whose motto is “to inspire conservation of the oceans,” says aquaculture “holds great promise as a solution to the ever-increasing pressures on our ocean resources.”
Its Seafood Watch program, which advises consumers on what to eat if they want to keep seafood sustainable, recommends “wild-caught salmon from Alaska, California, Oregon and Washington as these are ocean-friendly choices.”
It also says to avoid salmon farmed in open-net pens, but that “Salmon farmed on land in ‘closed’ or ‘contained’ farms is a viable alternative that points the way to a more environmentally-friendly future for salmon farming.”
On cobia, a fish for which aquaculturists see a great future, Seafood Watch says “In the U.S., cobia is farmed inland with closed recirculating systems where diseases, escapes, effluent and potential pollutants can be managed and treated. U.S. farmed cobia is fed less fish meal and fish oil than those farmed elsewhere. Outside the U.S., cobia is farmed in floating or submerged cages and pens in near-shore and open ocean waters. This creates a risk of disease transfer, escapes and pollution impacts on surrounding ecosystems and species. U.S. farmed cobia is therefore a ‘Best Choice’ and imported farmed cobia receives an ‘Avoid’ ranking.”
