Before you buy your next fish, there are three things you must know

Farm fresh

You can blame omega-3 fatty acids and the Greeks.

For many years, nutritionists knew about the value of omega-3s. Then, about a decade ago, this dietary secret began to get a lot of attention with an explosion of omega-3 research.

Combine that with the revelation that fish is one of the secrets behind the “Mediterranean Diet” and the demand for fish has become so intense that HALF of all commercial seafood is now raised on fish farms.

And unfortunately, some of the “aquaculture” techniques used on those farms are as deplorable as anything you’d find in a factory farm on dry land.

So before you buy your next fish, there are three things you must know…

Hook, line & sinker

ONE: You are what you eat, and so is a fish

As the fish farm industry grows at an alarming rate, so do the demands for feeding all those fish. And more and more, fish famers are using vegetable matter to feed their animals.

It sounds innocent enough, but you and I know better. This poses a danger in two ways: 1) Among other crops, soy is widely used, and it’s impossible to predict what level of phytoestrogens and genetically modified foods may be showing up in farmed fish, and 2) Pesticides and herbicides have also been found in fish fed with vegetable matter.

TWO: Farmed fish use drugs

As on factory farms, antibiotics and other drugs are often used carelessly — and in abundance. This helps control disease, but it also artificially boosts growth and weight.

Now, if you live in Europe, this is less of a concern. The European Union inspects 20 to 50 percent of all imported seafood for veterinary drugs. Japan inspects about 20 percent. Canada inspects between 2 and 18 percent. And the U.S. inspects…just 2 percent.

So where does the FDA stand on this issue? Who knows!?

Last year, the agency proposed that the use of these drugs should be limited to health issues — not for promoting growth or weight gain. Good call. But that was then and this is now: Earlier this month the agency rejected a petition to ban non-medical antibiotic use in animal feed.

If right about now you’re thinking, “No more farmed fish for me,” then you’ve fully grasped what a terrible state aquaculture is in. And I’m with you all the way! But we have one more point to cover…

THREE: Find a trustworthy brand

A few years ago I told you about a Consumer Reports study that tested samples of wild and farmed salmon and found that during summer months, when salmon is in season, all samples were correctly labeled. But during the fall and winter — salmon “off season” — almost half of 23 salmon samples labeled “wild” were actually farm raised.

The message here, of course, is know your brand and your grocer. Whether you’re hungry for salmon, shrimp or catfish, do some brand research to find reputable companies that guarantee seafood that’s never seen the inside of a farm. And shop at stores that insist on a high level of quality and transparency.

Sources: 
“Farm-Raised Tilapia, With a Dash of Antibiotic” Nancy Shute, NPR, 11/11/11, npr.org

“A fish test to make food safer” Research News, 11/2/11, fraunhofer.de

“The Salmon Scam” Consumer Reports, August 2006, consumerreports.org