Best 'green' seafood choices
Ecologically minded consumers need to ask questions when they step up to the fish counter to make sure they get the "greenest" seafood possible. Wallet-size guides listing the choices, distributed via the California-based Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch at aquariums and zoos across the country, are a valuable shopping tool. They list "best choices," "good alternatives" and seafood to "avoid."
Printable versions of guides are available online at seafoodwatch.org. You also can sign up to receive Seafood Watch recommendations on your iPhone or other Web-enabled mobile device.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has its own seafood facts site called Fish Watch at www.nmfs.noaa.gov/fishwatch.
When shopping for seafood, Seafood Watch advises asking these questions:
•Where is the seafood from?
•Is it farmed or wild-caught?
•How was it caught?
Here are Seafood Watch's "best choices" for farmed seafood:
Abalone
Arctic char
Barramundi (U.S.)
Bay scallops
Catfish (U.S.)
Clams, mussels, oysters
Crayfish (U.S.)
Rainbow trout
Striped bass
Sturgeon caviar (U.S.)
Tilapia (U.S.)
