I’ve managed so far to restrict my diet in many, many, many — like, there are only two restaurants in Toronto now that will serve me — many ways. But all this time, I’ve allowed myself to eat fish. One of my favourite meals is seared tuna rubbed with sea salt, peppercorn and sesame seeds, served with a side of steamed spinach or green beans, and I think I knew in the back of my mind that if I tackled (pardon the pun) the whole fish thing, I’d have to sacrifice my love for this, not to mention halibut, tilapia, salmon, scallops and — well, pretty much the entire ocean.
However, as it turns out, I may not have to let go of all my fishy friends just yet. While many of them are farmed in very unethical ways, there are options when it comes to sustainable pescatarian diets. SeaChoice has three charts on its site that divide everything into good, iffy and morally repugnant — the only problem is keeping track of everything.
For instance, Canadian haddock is fine but American isn’t (way to fish, yanks! Sorry, just kidding … we’re still border buddies, right?); tuna is fine if it’s internationally caught Yellowfin but not American Yellowfin, and Albacore from the Pacific is OK, but not if it’s from Hawaii; wild Alaskan salmon is good to go, but any kind of farmed salmon is definitely not and even some wild Canadian salmon is risky. It goes on and on and can be ridiculously confusing, but if you print out the guide and take it with you to restaurants and the grocery store, it’s easier to make the right decisions.
If I’m really stuck with something, I’ll just go without and eat a proper veggie meal. Fortunately, a lot of things are easy enough to remember, like staying clear of Chilean Sea Bass and avoiding bottom-feeding crustaceans like shrimp. Plus, I’m allergic to oysters, although why anybody would voluntarily swallow something that looks, feels and tastes like cold phlegm, then dies as it’s sliding down your throat, is beyond me.
I actually tried oysters this weekend….def didn’t get it. tasted like expensive sea water with tobasco, and a hint of live animal.
meh.. hopefully you can find ethical sushi from now on…otherwise that’s a MAJOR downer.
xo
Giving up fish is definitely a difficult one. I have list on my fridge (courtesy of Greenpeace) listing what kinds of fish are bad, so-so, and fine for women of childbearing age. They determined the categories according to the content of mercury and other heavy, pollutant metals. Trying to combine that with knowledge about “farmed” fish and the practices that you mentioned is really hard. I wound up making a rule for myself that I will only eat fish when I am within 100 miles of the shore, and prefereably from nearby parts of the ocean, so it only happens every few months or so. Definitely very sad.
Hang in there with the daily green resolutions! Everything counts, even the small stuff. I really admire your project, even when I sometimes post know-it-all comments.
Ugh, that’ll teach me to proofread. Pardon my botched language.
“I have a sheet on my fridge listing…”
Thanks for your description of eating oysters. I’ve never tried them, and you can be sure that I never will now!
People eating oysters offers me the same confusion as eating lobster. Folks DO realize they’re bugs, right?
I’m with teaspoon on this one, if I were to wake up tomorrow and no longer be allergic to shellfish of all kinds, still would not be munching down on sea slime.
Vanessa, Karma Coop has a number of line caught and otherwise green fish options. Usually only frozen, but the fresh salmon is sometimes wild. And I feel like I am going to get in trouble for saying this, but if you just pop in the odd time and ask to do a trial shop you might not offend any members.
Now, Jenna, bugs are a much more sustainable form of protein … I hear grasshoppers are quite popular in parts of Mexico (with various fixings) and some dragonflies are known as “sky prawn” in Thailand!
The natural food store in my hometown actually rates all the fish they sell according these criteria (and they only sell green and yellow-rated fish)- http://www.newleaf.com/retailer/store_templates/ret_custom_page3.asp?storeID=J3QSSEQX5CS92J2000AKHMCCQJA05T39. It’s really awesome for them to do all the work for you, since those ratings can get complicated. It might be a longshot, but maybe you could ask your favorite environmentally-conscious grocery store to do the same.