Fish and Seafood

The world of fish and seafood is a huge one, and bewildering to most of us in its complexity. Not only are there hundreds of species of fish, but there is endless advice about which fish are overfished, which ones endangered, and which ones advisable to eat—not to mention the arguments over health, safety, and sustainability. Rather than abandoning the idea of shopping for fish and seafood, I advise you to engage with it. Start simply, by consulting an online resource, such as www.foodandwaterwatch.org/fish/seafood/guide. Look for fish that are locally available—for example, freshwater fish, if you live far inland—and familiar to you. Then go looking for them at a well-stocked grocery store or fishmonger. When you want to try a fish that is unknown to you, look it up and see whether it’s being raised or caught sustainably. Because the fish and seafood situation keeps evolving (some species do return to healthy levels and get moved off the endangered list), check online again from time to time.