August 19, 2014 — All locally caught fish are considered sustainable because they’re subject to quotas and fishing regulations, explains Donna Marshall, director of Cape Ann Fresh Catch, a Gloucester-based Community Supported Fishery. In the summer months, CSF shareholders receive wild catches of redfish, hake, monkfish, pollock, whiting, yellowtail flounder, and bluefish. “We need to give these other species a chance,” says Marshall. If the demand is there, fishermen will be more interested in catching underutilized species. And compared to salmon, swordfish, and halibut, she says, “a lot of these fish are less expensive.”
When you’re looking for lean and healthful protein, seafood is always a good choice, but choosing fish is complicated by questions of conscience. Because of overfishing, many species are not sustainable and the more we eat of some fish — bluefin tuna, Atlantic halibut, and Chilean sea bass for example — the less certain their futures.
While the oceans are vast, they’re not inexhaustible, says Elizabeth Fitzsimons, outreach manager for the New England Aquarium’s sustainable seafood programs. According to the World Bank Sustainable Development Network, approximately 85 percent of the world’s ocean fisheries are categorized as fully exploited, over-exploited, or depleted.
One reason for at-risk fish is consumer preference for tastes that are already familiar. In this country, says Fitzsimons, “We eat so little of what actually is available.” Three varieties — shrimp, tuna (mostly canned), and salmon — make up 55 percent of the seafood Americans eat. The top 10, which also includes tilapia, Alaska pollock, catfish, crab, and cod, add up to 88 percent. Of those, only wild salmon and pollock are caught in any significant quantity off coastlines in the United States; the majority of the others are imported.