Updated Seafood Watch Recommendations

Effective January 2010

 

 

New Recommendations

New recommendation for freshwater coho salmon

Salmon, Coho (U.S. Farmed in Tank Systems) Best Choice

 

Most salmon farms raise their fish in open net pens that don’t offer a barrier or protection to the surrounding environment. As a result, fish waste, chemicals and other pollution, disease, parasites and even the farmed fish themselves escape the farm to impact the local

environment and the wild fish that live there.

 

Closed systems, such as tanks, contain the fish and water within the farm rather than

releasing them into the environment. In addition, the use of disease-free source water and

strict security protocols on these farms minimize the spread of disease to the wild. For these reasons, closed systems impact the environment less than open net pens.

 

All farmed salmon relies on wild-caught fish—in the form of fishmeal or fish oil—for food.

U.S. farmed freshwater coho salmon currently require much less wild fish in their feed than do other farmed salmon.

 

Thanks to these innovations, U.S. farmed freshwater coho salmon is a "Best Choice," while traditional farmed salmon is ranked as “Avoid.”

 

New recommendation for freshwater prawns farmed in the U.S.

Freshwater Prawns (U.S. Farmed) Best Choice

 

U.S. farmed freshwater prawns are raised in small-scale operations using practices that are compatible with the prawn’s biology. Freshwater prawns are omnivores and consume the plants, insects and other naturally occurring food available to them in the farm ponds. Only small amounts of added feed are required.

 

In most of the U.S., these prawns are raised inland, away from the coast and the brackish

water they need to reproduce. This, and their inability to tolerate winter temperatures,

reduces the risk of escape and establishment in the wild.

 

Freshwater prawns are naturally resilient to disease and there has yet to be an outbreak in the U.S. Pollution is also not a concern because most farms reuse or treat the pond water. These management practices help make this a sustainable option, despite the absence of

government regulations.

 

U.S. farmed freshwater prawns are a “Best Choice” and, with a green ranking in each of the criterion considered by Seafood Watch, one of the most sustainable seafood choices

available.

 

 

Seafood Watch recommendations are updated in real time on our website. Printed pocket guides are updated twice per year in January and July. © 2010, Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation. All rights reserved.

 

Seafood Watch recommendations are updated in real time on our website. Printed pocket guides are updated twice per year in January and July. © 2010, Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation. All rights reserved.

 

New recommendation for U.S. farmed shrimp

Shrimp (U.S. Farmed in Closed Systems or Inland Ponds) Best Choice

Shrimp (U.S. Farmed in Open Systems) Good Alternative

 

Shrimp from U.S. farms are produced under strict environmental laws, making them a better choice than imported farmed shrimp. However, all U.S. farms are not equal.

 

While most U.S. farmed shrimp are a “Good Alternative,” a small percentage is ranked “Best Choice.” These farms have further reduced their impact on the environment by growing shrimp inland, away from sensitive coastal habitats, or in closed tanks or ponds.

 

 

Recommendation Changes

Pollock (Alaska wild-caught) Good Alternative

 

The pollock fishery uses midwater trawling gear that’s designed to not impact the seafloor. However, these midwater nets contact the seafloor an estimated 44 percent of the time— resulting in severe damage to seafloor habitats of the Bering Sea.

 

Bycatch rates in the pollock fishery are generally low, but in recent years, the fishery has

caught large numbers of Chinook salmon from stocks that are experiencing dramatic

declines. Though it's unclear if the pollock fishery is contributing to this decline, it is cause for concern.

 

There’s also conflicting evidence about the role of the pollock fishery in the decline of the endangered Steller sea lion and northern fur seal, both of which rely heavily on pollock for food. It’s critical that these impacts be explored further.

Despite these concerns, some aspects of pollock fishery management are progressive and

precautionary. Management has taken steps toward an ecosystem-based approach that,

relative to other fisheries worldwide, is considered highly effective.

 

In this complex situation of positive management and negative impacts, Alaska pollock is

ranked as a “Good Alternative.”

 

Changes to Consumption Alerts

Contaminant warnings were added for several species:

Winter Flounder

Bigscale Pomfret/Monchong

Pacific Rockfish

 

From Monterey Bay's Seafood WATCH Program