Kassia Perpich, sustainable-food manager at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium, suggests some broad rules to remember, such as buying domestic rather than foreign-caught fish.
"Certainly not all of the domestic fisheries are sustainable. But on the whole, the United States has more stringent environmental regulations in place that protect fish stocks and the environment."
Wild salmon from Alaska should be chosen over farmed salmon, Perpich says, but trout from farms in the Midwest are good choices – as are farmed catfish. The farm-raised fish should be kept in closed systems where waste is controlled, she says.
"Catfish, tilapia, rainbow trout, particularly in our region, in the Midwest, that the fish come from what's called a 'closed farm,' so that the fish are farmed in man-made ponds."
Lee Crockett, director of federal fisheries policy for the Pew Environment Group, acknowledges that consumer awareness is important, but stresses that the fishing law's conservation and sustainability measures are making the biggest impact.
"I think that we're going to see in the next couple of years that we are turning the corner and the stocks are rebounding. We're going to have healthier fisheries and more sustainable options for consumers in all parts of the country."
Some fishermen complain that the fishing law inhibits their ability to make a living, while others believe managing the fish populations for the long term is most important. Crockett suggests that there may be a way to subsidize the income people make from fishing.
"If they spend a lot of time on the water, they can be extremely helpful in collecting information about our fish stocks and our oceans, and that information is used to better manage our resources."
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