Even though you have no intention to become a vegetarian you still want to eat fish and shellfish from fisheries that do not have an averse effect on the ocean or coastal waters. A sustainable caught or farmed fish so to say. Is this possible? The short answer is yes. The somewhat longer answer is yes, but as long as you make sure the fish is from a healthy population and harvested in a sustainable non-destructive manner. In case of farmed / fattened fish (aquaculture, mariculture) the fish or shellfish should not be fed with endangered wild fish The irony of fishfarming: many fish (e.g. cod, salmon, trout) are carnivorous, thus eating other fish (or whatever meat mixture they get in a farm). E.g. it takes >5kg (and up to a hundred kg) of feed fish to produce one kg of farmed Salmon. and the farm should not be an ecological hazard (e.g. pollution, risk of escaping fish) to the surrounding environment. In general locally caught or raised fish and shellfish is more sustainable than fish caught or raised far away in a different country or continent.
A number of Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) maintain lists on fish to eat and to avoid. Aimed at consumers these lists are usually based on a simple colour system with green being good and red being bad. Not all list are of the same quality and not all NGOs follow the same methodology. In general these list do provide a good and easy buyers or consumers guide overview. Print a list on a small credit card sized piece of paper, stick it in you wallet, and always carry your environmentally friendly fish list with you! This overview is not as comprehensive as it can be and contributions, especially for new countries, are welcomed.
For many countries no special guide is maintained. Seafoodchoices.org is a good starting point providing information on fish species, restaurants and suppliers. While maybe not directly developed for a certain country some of the guides mentioned above could be a good and useful start for guide-less countries nearby as well.
Eco labels are based on the idea of consuming without detrimental effects on the environment. The precautionary principle is key in this. The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) standard is currently the only internationally used eco label for fish and shellfish. Before becoming the independent organisation it is now the MSC was set up by Unilever and WWF. The MSC label promotes responsible use. Fisheries, and from fish derived products, have to go trough a regular assessment in order to keep their MSC accreditation.
The MSC standard is given to fisheries acknowledged to be sustainable according to the three MSC principles. The organisation defines sustainable as „target fish populations are at healthy levels, sometimes having recovered from being depleted in the past. A well-managed fishery will ensure that there is a future for the industry and all those who depend on the fisheries for their livelihoods”. The three principles and the assessment scheme are based on the FAO guidelines for the ecolabelling of fish. FAO guidelines for the ecolabelling of fish and fishery products from marine capture fisheries. ftp://fao.org/...a0116t00.pdf
Although a number of problems with individual fisheries have been seen in the past the MSC label is the best and most recognisable eco label for fish and shellfish we currently have in the world. If you consume fish than buying it from an MSC accredited source certainly is favourable over non MSC fish.
A buyers guide on MSC fish is provided on the MSC website.
