Fishy Business

When Beth and I visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California April, we picked up a pamphlet called Seafood Watch. It's a wallet-sized, fold-out guide to the best fish and shellfish to eat and the ones to avoid from an environmental standpoint. For example, fish like the yuppy restaurant staple Chilean Seabass (AKA The Patagonian Toothfish) is a big no-no. This slow-growing, Antarctic fish should be completely avoided due to overfishing, longline fishing that impacts seabirds, and bottom-trawling that causes sea floor damage. The Seafood Watch web site has all of the information in the wallet guide plus a whole lot more. It's a great place to learn about the fish and shellfish that you should avoid and the ones that are best. The site includes information on health hazards, environmental hazards, alternate names, fishing techniques, and other pertinent information. It's a valuable resource for anyone who has an interest in protecting our seas.