Our Oceans have become so polluted and contaminated with industrial waste. The nonprofit Food and Water Watch looked at all the varieties of fish on how they were harvested , how they were farmed and the levels of toxic like mercury that contaminates the fish. These are the 12 fish that they determined and should avoid no matter what.
Catfish
Why It’s Bad: Most catfish from Vietnam use antibiotics that are banned in the US. Swai and Basa are two varieties of Vietnamese catfish aren’t considered catfish by the federal government.
Eat this Instead: Stick with domestic and farm-raised catfish Or try Asian carp.
Caviar
Why It’s Bad: According to Food and Water Watch, caviar from beluga and sturgeon are susceptible to overfishing. All forms of caviar takes a long time to mature which means that it takes a while to recover for population.
Eat this Instead: Fish egg from American Lake Sturgeon or American Shovelnose Sturgeon caviar may consider as alternative.
Atlantic Cod
Why It’s Bad: Atlantic Cod stocks collapsed in the mid-1990s and now listed as endangered on the International Union of Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species.
Eat this Instead: Pacific cod stocks are still strong and best fish picks, based on Food and Water Watch.
American Eel
Why It’s Bad: this fish is also called yellow or silver eel which frequently winds up in sushi dishes. Fisheries are suffering from over-harvesting and some pollution that’s contaminated with PCBs and mercury.
Eat this Instead: Atlantic or Pacific squid may consider as alternative.
Imported Shrimp
Why It’s Bad: Imported Shrimp holds the designation of being the dirtiest of the dirty dozen. Big percentage of shrimp sold in the US is imported. It comes with following contaminants: antibiotics, residues from chemicals used to clean pens, mouse and rat hair and pieces of insects. Less than 2 percent of all imported seafood gets inspected before its sold.
Eat this Instead: Look for domestic shrimp.
Atlantic Flatfish
Why It’s Bad: This group of fish caught off the Atlantic coast. Back to 1800s, this fish considered overfishing and heavy contamination.
Eat this Instead: Other mild-flavored white-fleshed fish such as dosmestically farmed may consider as alternative such as tilapia or catfish.
Atlantic Salmon
Why It’s Bad: Wild Atlantic Salmon is actually illegal to capture because the fish thousands of fish are crammed into pens which leads to the growth of diseases and parasites that require antibiotics and pesticides.
Eat this Instead: GE Salmon is officially approved.
Imported King Crab
Why It’s Bad: Most of the imported crab is imported from Russia where limits on fish harvests aren’t strongly enforced. Imported King Crab is often misnamed as Alaskan King Crab which is seen labels at supermarkets.
Eat this Instead: Approximately 70 percent of the king crab is imported, whatever the label says better to ask whether it comes from Alaska or it’s imported, or consider to buy domestic goods.
Shark
Why It’s Bad: Predatory fish are extremely high in mercury which poses threats to humans. Eco System may suffer because with fewer sharks, the species they eat have increased in numbers.
Eat this Instead: Pacific halibut and Atlantic mackerel may consider as alternative.
Orange Roughy
Why It’s Bad: Orange Roughy has such a reputation for being over-harvested that some restaurant chains refuse to serve it. Orange Roughy take between 20-40 years to reach full maturity which makes it difficult for populations to recover from overfishing.
Eat this Instead: You can get the same texture from yellow snapper or catfish in your recipes.
Atlantic Bluefin Tuna
Why It’s Bad: Bluefin tuna and any type of tuna have the highest levels of mercury based on analysis by The New York Times. International Union for Conservation of Nature states that bluefin tuna are severely over-harvested and considered critically endangered. They consider Alaska wild-caught Salmon as alternative because Salmon is healthy and flavorful.
Eat this Instead: Albacore tuna which is caught while it’s young and doesn’t contains as high as levels of mercury may consider as alternative.
Chilean Sea Brass
Why It’s Bad: Based on US Department of State, most Chilean sea bass sold from fisherman that were harvesting illegally, these fish are high in mercury. Greenpeace estimates that the entire species could be commercially extinct unless people stop eating this fish.
Eat this Instead: Chilean sea bass are considered a delicacy, you may choose haddock fish instead.
source: www.rodale.com
