Frequently asked questions
Q. Are there corresponding marine charities or similar sites in other countries? What other information is available on sustainable seafood?
A. For a brief history on consumer awareness and sustainable seafood in the UK visit the Background page accessed via the Information tab.
In the UK
In the UK The Environmental Justice Foundation produces a Consumer Guide to Prawns. See www.ejfoundation.org
Greenpeace runs a sustainable seafood campaign. For more information visit www.greenpeace.org.uk
USA & Canada
One of the first organisations to produce information on sustainable seafood was the US based Audubon Society which published, “What is a fish lover to eat?” in the late 1990s. They have their own seafood guide online at http://seafood.audubon.org/ . The Blue Ocean Institute also produces seafood advice and a Seafood MiniGuide is available online at http://www.blueoceaninstitute.org as does Monterey Bay Aquarium http://www.mbayaq.org/cr/seafoodwatch.asp .
Environmental Defense also produces a wallet-sized pocket seafood selector. For more information visit www.environmentaldefense.org/go/seafood .
The Sierra Club of Canada also produces a guide to seafood. Visit www.sierraclub.ca/bc/programs/marine
Europe
The Seafood Choices Alliance, of which MCS is a European member, is a global trade association working with many interest groups involved in the seafood industry. More information can be found at http://www.seafoodchoices.com/home.php. In the US Seafood Choices Alliance and its partners - Blue Ocean Institute, Environmental Defense and Monterey Bay Aquarium have produced a national guide – The Fish List available at www.thefishlist.org.
A Dutch version of the Good Fish Guide and more information on seafood is available at www.noordzee.nl
Australia & New Zealand
In New Zealand the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society have produced a Best Fish Guide. For more information visit www.forestandbird.org.nz/bestfishguide
In Australia the Australian Marine Conservation Society has produced a sustainable seafood guide. See www.amcs.org.au for more details.
TOP
Q. What about producing a fish list that you can fit in your wallet and take to the supermarket, fishmongers or restaurant with you?
A. MCS try to help you make the right choices when buying seafood wherever you are. To support our comprehensive Fishonline database we also produce a handy wallet card. This pocket Good Fish Guide can be folded and kept in your wallet or purse, and includes the online Fish to Eat and Fish to Avoid lists, ideal when you are out shopping or at a restaurant. Even better up to 10 copies are available FREE by calling 01989 566017.
TOP
Q. Which fish are “safe” to eat in any given month? Where can I find a list of when the various fish are in season to eat?
A. In response to this frequent query MCS has developed a Purchasing Guide page, found by simply clicking on the Buying & Eating Fish tab. The guide shows at a glance, which fish are in season in any given month, the minimum size to look for and the Best Choice to make.
TOP
Q. Do you have any information on suppliers of the Fish to Eat? Where can I buy the fish you recommend as Fish to Eat?
A. In response to consumer feedback we are creating a suppliers list or Sustainable Seafood Directory – comprising wholesalers, restaurants, pubs, fish and chip shops and fishmongers - that will enable consumers to buy and eat fish from the most sustainable sources available. For information on where to buy products from fisheries certified by the Marine Stewardship Council as environmentally responsible fisheries please go to www.msc.org/html/content_561.htm or tel: 020 7350 4000 for more information. We have also produced a Supermarket League Table, found by clicking on the Buying and Eating tab, which includes listings of Fish to Eat and Avoid sold in 9 UK supermarkets.
TOP
Q. Do you know where I can obtain a poster identifying fish species found in supermarkets and fishmongers?
A. Go the Seafish website http://www.seafish.org/ . This industry website contains information on how to order posters and a lot more besides. It also has some delicious seafood recipes to try.
TOP
Q. What information is available on contaminants in fish?
A. There are many human activities associated with the exploitation of our seas and industry which ultimately affect the fish we eat. Recent reports have highlighted the potential dangers of eating fish, particularly oily fish, contaminated with chemical residues such as PCBs, dioxins and mercury.
PCBs and dioxins do not occur naturally and are the result of industrial chemical activity. The main route for exposure to these compounds is through the consumption of fatty foods such as milk, meat and fish. However the levels of PCBs and dioxins in the environment are in decline and all recognised advice states that the health benefits derived from eating fish oils far out weigh any potential threats. Maximum levels for dioxins in foodstuffs (including fish) are set out in an EC Council Regulation which came into force on 1st July 2002.
Most mercury in our diets comes from fish. Unlike PCBs and dioxins mercury is a naturally-occurring element although it is also released into the environment through industrial pollution associated with human activities such as pulp and paper processing and burning fossil fuels.
Nearly all fish contain trace amounts of methyl mercury (the organic form) which are not harmful to humans. However mercury can build up to harmful levels in the bodies of long-lived, predatory fish such as tuna, shark, swordfish and marlin at the top of the food chain. For more information on mercury levels in fish visit www.gotmercury.com
Because mercury is a toxin and can harm the developing nervous system of unborn or growing children the Food Standards Agency has advised pregnant and breastfeeding women, or women intending to become pregnant and children to avoid eating any shark, swordfish or marlin. The Agency also advises pregnant and breastfeeding women or women intending to become pregnant to limit the amount of tuna eaten per week to no more than two medium-size cans or up to one fresh tuna steak per week.
The British Nutrition Foundation website www.nutrition.org.uk also publishes information on a wide range of health related topics including information related to eating fish. The following dietary advice is taken from the BNF website. “For some time, population dietary guidelines have recommended that fish consumption should be at least two portions of fish per week (~140g), one of which should be oily fish. On average, adults in the UK are eating 1/3 of a portion of oily fish per week, with 70% of adults eating no oily fish at all. Recently the UK Governments Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) issued updated advice regarding the consumption of oily fish, recognising that some groups of the population might benefit from additional intakes and taking into account exposure to dioxins and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Dioxins and PCBs are environmental contaminants which accumulate in the fatty tissues of fish. The dioxin content of oily fish varies between species; herring contains the greatest quantities, trout contains the lowest, with salmon and mackerel containing intermediate amounts. Dioxins and PCBs are also present in small amounts in a variety of other foods. SACN confirmed the existing recommendations and advised that:
Girls and women of reproductive age, including pregnant and breastfeeding women should aim to eat between 1 and 2 portions of oily fish per week. Women past reproductive age, boys and men should aim to eat between 1 and 4 portions of oily fish per week. Exceeding the recommended levels of consumption in the short term would not have deleterious effects on health.
In addition, the Food Standards Agency advises that women who are pregnant or are intending to become pregnant, and women who are breastfeeding, avoid shark, marlin and swordfish. This is because of concerns over potential exposure to methylmercury. Such women are also advised to limit consumption of tuna to no more than two 140g portions of fresh tuna or four 140g portions of canned tuna. Children under the age of 16 years are advised to avoid shark, marlin and swordfish also.”
For more information visit the Food Standards Agency ‘Eat Well’ website: http//www.eatwell.gov.uk/healthydiet/nutritionessentials/fishandshellfish/.
TOP
Q. Is farmed salmon sustainable?
A. There are a number of issues both environmental and ecological associated with farming fish, particularly carnivorous fish kept in open sea cages like salmon.
Firstly there is the pollution issue, associated with organic waste from uneaten food and faeces falling through the cages and accumulating on the sea floor. Chemicals and treatments used on the salmon and pens can pollute the surrounding waters and accumulate in the sediments under the pens.
Interaction with wild salmon and trout stocks is another potential problem, if farmed salmon escape they can breed with wild stocks, displace wild salmon nests and compete for food. Sea lice can also be transmitted from farmed salmon to wild stocks as they swim past cages.
Feeding carnivorous fish also poses a sustainability problem; it takes, on average, 3kg of wild fish to produce 1kg of farmed salmon. This wild fish comes from dedicated or directed fisheries for species such as blue whiting, anchovy and sandeel, which are caught, often in vast quantities, processed into fish meal and oil, and fed to farmed fish.
But there are options you can chose to increase the environmental sustainability of the salmon you eat. The best choice is to buy organic salmon certified by the Soil Association or other organic certification bodies. Organic salmon production means that chemical usage is kept to a minimum, sites are carefully selected and fish feed is manufactured from filleting waste from fish used for human consumption.
Some supermarket also have strict fish farming policies to ensure that the farmed fish they sell are raised in a sustainable way, see our Supermarket League table (Buying & Eating fish tab) for more details.
TOP
Q. Is there any way of knowing whether farmed fish is from a well-managed farm or from one, which is polluting local resources and the fish contaminated with substances harmful to health?
A. MCS is currently working on principles to define sustainable fish farms with the ultimate aim of creating a producers and suppliers list of sustainably-farmed species.
In the meantime the best choice for you to make is to buy organically farmed salmon and/or buy farmed fish from supermarkets with a comprehensive farmed fish buying policy that addresses environmental issues (see above question). Organically produced salmon is clearly identified by the logo on the packaging or at point of sale, Soil Association or Organic Food Federation, depending on the standards it has been raised to.
TOP
Q. I am having difficulty reading the text. How can I increase the font size?
A. Go to your toolbar, click on “View” then select “Text Size”, from here you can change the text size to “Larger” or “Largest”.
TOP
Q. Do you have the names of fish in other languages?
A. Yes. We have developed a Translation page at your request. Go to the Information tab and select Translations, here you will find the common names of the most popular fish translated into Dutch, French German and Spanish.
TOP
Q. Where can I find out more about sustainability for non-edible marine products e.g. sponges?
A. MCS has an interest in the sustainability of all human activities and exploitation of our seas and has done some work to assess the sustainability of the marine curio and marine aquarium trade. MCS has produced a Responsible Marine Aquarist handbook which provides information on the suitability and conservation issues associated with tropical aquarium fish and invertebrates. Unfortunately we do not have the resources to assess the sustainability of all marine products, but we do know that removing anything from the marine eco-system has an affect. We would like to carry out further research in this area in the future and as a charity rely on your support to do this, visit our website to find out how www.mcsuk.org. In the meantime ask at where the items are offered for sale to see if they come from a well-managed sustainable supply, if you are not happy with the response then don’t buy it and tell them why!
TOP
Q I have seen ‘white fish’ written on packaging. What does this mean?
A. White fish is an industrial or fisheries term used to describe fish with a white flesh when cooked such as cod, haddock, whiting and pollock. Other fish such as herring, mackerel and salmon are termed oily fish. If the packaging states “white fish” it means that the contents could be any mixture of white fish species, which may have been mechanically recovered from the processing of more than one white fish species. This does not help when you are trying to make sustainable choices, MCS are working with supermarkets to improve labelling on packages to help solve this problem.
TOP
Q. What policies do the various UK supermarkets have with regards to sustainable sourcing of fish?
A. MCS has been working with supermarkets to assess their fish buying policies and provide advice on how they could be improved. The results of a survey of supermarket fish buying policies is in the “MCS ‘Supermarket League Table’”, which can be found by clicking on the ‘“Buying & Eating Fish”’ tab. The table shows you, at a glance, which supermarkets are the top performers in a range of categories and where improvements need to be made.
TOP
Q. What are the health benefits of eating fish?
A. Eating fish is good for you, it is a good source of protein, low in fat and contains essential vitamins and minerals. Oily fish is high in Omega 3 and vitamins A & D.
Fish (including shellfish) is a reliable source of protein, minerals (iron, selenium and iodine), vitamins and essential fatty acids. Sardines are a rich source of iron. The livers of white fish (cod and halibut) are a particularly good source of vitamins A and D. The flesh of oil-rich fish, such as herring, mackerel and salmon, is an important source of the long chain omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA).
The benefits of eating fish, especially oily fish, include: reduced chance of developing heart disease, increased longevity and lowering of blood pressure. Eating fish also ensures the proper development of the brain, nervous tissue and eyes of the foetus during pregnancy. It can also improve kidney function in severe diabetes and may improve inflammatory conditions such as arthritis and psoriasis. More recent research involving elderly people suggests that individuals eating fish or seafood at least once a week are at a lower risk of developing dementia, including Alzheimer's disease.
As part of a healthy diet we are advised by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to eat at least two servings of fish per week, including one of oily fish. Their website provides clear and fully researched healthy eating guidelines: http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/healthydiet/nutritionessentials/fishandshellfish/
Also sea Sea Fish Industry Authority (Seafish) website www.seafish.org. Click on “On Plate – how to cook it, where to eat it and hundreds of delicious seafood recipes” for information on nutrition, buying seafood, health information and why eating seafood is good for you. For information on Seafish ‘2 A Week’ campaign to encourage people to act on Food Standards Agency recommendation to eat 2 portions of seafood per week go to www.seafish.org/2aweek/
TOP
Q. How can I increase the sustainability of the fish I eat from my local fish and chip shop?
A. MCS plans to work with fish and chip shops in the future to help them choose and promote fish from the most sustainable sources. At present you can check on Fishonline and see which fish are currently sustainable, such as haddock from certain areas and choose those. Some fish and chip shops may be able to tell you about the sustainability of the fish they use, but not all. Try new fish dishes if they are available for example pollack or lemon sole and take the pressure off the most popular and therefore most pressured species.
TOP
Q. Should I be eating wild caught Atlantic cod?
A. Only if you are sure where it has been caught. Many stocks of Atlantic cod are overfished, in areas such as the North and Irish Seas for example, but not all cod stocks are so depleted. Go to Fishonline to see which cod stocks are currently sustainable and only buy from that area. Fishmongers should be able to tell you where their fish has come from and some supermarkets have a fish buying policy that prohibits buying from unsustainable stocks. See the Supermarket League Table (Buying and Eating Tab) for more information.
TOP
Q. What is industrial fishing?
A. Industrial fishing or fisheries are fisheries that do not catch fish for direct human consumption. They target mainly pelagic fish at the base of the food chain which are often removed in large quantities and used to manufacture fishmeal and fish oil. Examples of these types of fisheries include sandeel, sprat, anchovy and blue whiting. The industrial fishery for sandeel for example is currently the largest single species fishery in the North Sea.
TOP
Q. How can I identify where and how fish are caught?
A. It is hard to identify where and how fish are caught just by looking at them, although line-caught fish and dive-caught scallops will be of better quality, are sometimes larger and generally cost more. Your fishmonger will be able to advise you on the capture area and method if the information is not shown on the label. As a rule of thumb line-caught, hand-gathered and dive-caught tend to be included on the label, if it doesn’t say assume the least sustainable method has been used. In addition to the commercial designation or common name of the species (addition of the scientific name is discretional) and its production method - caught at sea or in fresh water or produced by aquaculture i.e. farmed (e.g. cod, salmon) or cultivated (e.g. oysters), UK Fish Labelling Regulations require that the area where the fish was caught - refers to one of 12 Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) Statistical Areas e.g. North East Atlantic – appears on the label (only applies to all uncooked fish e.g. fresh, frozen, chilled, minced fish meat etc.,dried or salted fish, uncooked crustaceans and molluscs. It does not apply to products where further ingredients have been added e.g. breadcrumbs as in fish fingers or fish in sauce or butter. Neither does it apply to fish and fish products sold in canteens, takeaways etc. or to ‘small quantities’ (sales not exceeding £15) of fish sold to the final consumer from the quayside for example). In addition to the FAO Area a more precise catch area can be given e.g. North or Irish Sea. No information relating to the stock or its sustainability within the FAO Area or the method of capture is yet required by these Regulations. MCS is working with the supermarkets to improve fish labelling to include information on the precise area and method of capture allowing the consumer to make more informed choices about the fish they eat. For more information on fish labelling see Food Standards Agency www.food.gov.uk and www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk
TOP
Q. What is whitebait and should I be eating it?
A. Whitebait are the fry (young) of herring and sprat. As with any fisheries future sustainability relies on young fish being allowed to mature and reproduce to maintain the population. Taking juveniles before they have a chance to spawn undermines future sustainability.
TOP
Q. Besides overfishing and depletion of fish stocks what other issues are associated with eating fish?
A. There are many issues other than those directly related to fishing such as overfishing, habitat degradation and bycatch. In addition to these environmental issues there are also social and economic issues. For example the Environmental Justice Foundation www.ejfoundation.org is campaigning for sustainable and ethically traded prawns and fundamental changes to the way prawns (warm-water) are currently produced. Trawling for warm-water prawns is responsible for about 27% of the world’s bycatch. For example 150,000 marine turtles are drowned in trawl nets every year. Prawn farming is also associated with habitat destruction, negative social impacts and human rights abuses. EJF publish a consumers guide to eating prawns available at their website.
Another issue is that of Food Miles – the measure of the distance food travels from the field or fishing ground to the plate. Increasingly fish, particularly luxury commodities such as tiger prawn, tuna and swordfish, are air freighted to ensure freshness and quality is maintained. British fish is now being sent to China, where labour costs are much lower, for processing. Air transport has the highest carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per tonne of food and now accounts for 10% of CO2 emissions from food transport. Fish such as New Zealand hoki (13,000 miles), Chilean swordfish and farmed salmon (8,000 miles) and Australian rock lobster (10,500 miles) are just a few examples of species which have travelled significant distances to reach the UK.
TOP
Q. Which canned tuna should I buy?
A. Albacore from the south Atlantic and south Pacific, skipjack and yellowfin from the Pacific and Atlantic and skipjack from the Indian oceans, are currently being fished at sustainable levels. Increase the sustainability of the tuna you eat from these areas by choosing line (hand-line or pole and line) or troll-caught (where available) 'dolphin-friendly' fish as these methods are more selective and bycatch of marine mammals and turtles in these type of fisheries are rare occurrences compared to other methods of fishing for tunas. Pole and line caught yellowfin or skipjack tuna from Earth Island Institute (EII) certified fisheries is the best choice, as EII impose rigorous standards for tuna fisheries (for more information on Dolphin Safe labelling and EII see the Labelling page). A full list of EII certified fisheries can be found at http://www.earthisland.org/dolphinSafeTuna/ or www.dolphinsafetuna.com. Glenryck's Maldivian tinned tuna is clearly marked pole and line caught and is available in Tesco. Other UK EII approved organisations include, but are not limited to: John West Foods, Heinz, Princes and the retailer Tesco. 80% of the CoOp’s tuna is pole and line-caught dolphin-friendly tuna (skipjack) from the Maldives - where all net fishing is banned and all marine mammals and turtles are protected. The American Albacore Fishing Association Pacific (North and South) pole and line and troll fishery for Albacore tuna (Thunnus alalunga) is currently undergoing assessment by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) as an environmentally responsible fishery.
Avoid eating bigeye and bluefin tuna. Bigeye is assessed as Vulnerable by the World Conservation Union – IUCN; Northern bluefin assessed as Endangered in the east Atlantic and Critically Endangered in the west Atlantic. Also listed by OSPAR as a threatened and declining species; and Southern bluefin assessed as Critically Endangered. For more information on individual tuna species and fisheries use the Advanced search facility on the Search tab.
TOP
|
