Eco Child’s Play

Many eco-conscious families struggle with buying seafood that is both healthy for themselves and the environment.

“Choosing eco-friendly seafood is not only good for the oceans, it’s good for your family too,” says Katharine Burnham, spokesperson for the Environmental Defense Fund.

So what exactly is eco-friendly seafood? Anchovies are the Eco-Best Seafood, according to the Environmental Defense Fund’s research.  In its health facts, the fund says anchovies are high in heart-healthy omega-3s and have low contaminant levels.

Anchovies can be safely eaten by adults and children for more than four meals per month, research indicates.  They have “short life spans and reproduce quickly (and) are resilient to fishing pressure and remain plentiful.”

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Environmental Defense Fund scientists have evaluated aspects of wild fisheries and fish farming operations and analyzed 200+ types of fish and shellfish common in the U.S. market.  The Eco-Best choices “represent fish whose fishing or farming methods have minor impacts on the environment.”

In its top 10 Eco-Best Seafood, the Environmental Defense Fund also lists:

• Char, Arctic (farmed)

• Mackerel, Atlantic

• Mussels

• Oysters (farmed)

• Sablefish (Alaska, Canada)

• Salmon, wild (Alaska)

• Sardines, Pacific (U.S.)

• Trout, rainbow (farmed)

• Tuna, albacore (U.S., Canada)

The fund also offers more Eco-Best, Eco-Ok and Eco-Worst seafood lists on its website with profiles.

For green parents, excellent seafood information resources are the Environmental Defense Fund’s Pocket Seafood Selector and Pocket Sushi Selector.   These free, downloadable guides outline Best Choices, Ok Choices and Worst Choices, that can make buying and dining out on seafood easier.

Says Burnham:

“With conflicting information out there regarding seafood, these cards are cheat sheets for parents who want to get the benefits of fish without also consuming contaminants or harming the ocean. They can also be a great way to talk to kids about the environment.  Our green choices are good for them and the ocean. They can learn the connection between the fish in the ocean and the fish sticks on their plate.”

Now there are mobile phone versions of the Seafood and Sushi Selectors to-go available.  They give consumers mobile access to recommendations for 200+ seafood choices.

The convenient mobile guides will work on any web-enabled device, like the iPhone or BlackBerry, by visiting m.edf.org/seafood.

You can also download Seafood and Sushi Selectors at www.edf.org/seafood.

Images courtesy of the Environmental Defense Fund

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