The Most Eco-Friendly Salmon

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• Tags: eco friendly fish, eco friendly foods, Eco-Living, ecotrust, Environment, environmental defense fund, farmed fish, fish farms, fisheries, frozen salmon, salmon, seafood, seafood selector, wild fish

Looking for the greenest catch of the day on the menu of at your grocery store? The most eco-friendly options may surprise you. Salmon, for example, ranges from fine-for-the-environment to bad-for-the-environment depending on the variety. The fish gets plenty of press for it’s heart-healthy omega-3’s, but for the healthiest fillet, follow these recommendations.

First, a recent study from Ecotrust found that frozen salmon is better for the environment than fresh salmon. Why? Most fresh salmon fillets are air-freighted to your grocery store or restaurant at a large carbon cost. Salmon that is flash-frozen at sea however, can get to you via train or freighter saving fossil fuel.

Farmed Atlantic salmon is the worst option for the environment. The farms, which usually consist of large-scale, densely stocked nets, send chemicals and waste into the water. Plus, fish can flee the farm where they can spread parasites to and breed with wild fish. Not to mention the fact that this variety is high in polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) that can pose health risks.

Wild salmon from Washington is a little better on the eco scale, though it’s still high in PCBs. Washington fisheries are currently okay (even though Oregon and California ones are restricted), but populations are threatened by habitat damage and overfishing.

The best choices are canned salmon, farmed Arctic char and wild salmon from Alaska. Farmed Arctic char are raised in tanks and raceways rather than in-ocean nets, so pollution and escaping fish aren’t an issue. Wild Alaskan salmon is low in contaminants and populations are so healthy that fishing does little damage to the planet. And canned salmon generally comes from Alaska as well, where fish stocks are well-managed.

For a full run down on all varieties of fish and shellfish, consult the Environmental Defense Fund’s Seafood Selector.

Technorati Tags: eco friendly fish, eco friendly foods, Eco-Living, ecotrust, Environment, environmental defense fund, farmed fish, fish farms, fisheries, frozen salmon, salmon, seafood, seafood selector, wild fish