Seafood Watch -- choices for healthy oceans

The Monterey Bay Aquarium (http://www.montereybayaquarium.org) maintains a list of common seafood, classified according to the status of each fishery. Consumers and restaurant buyers are asked to choose seafood where the populations are healthy and the fisheries are sustainably managed. The categories are "Green" for your best choices, "Yellow" for seafood where you should proceed with caution, and "Red" for seafood we should avoid.

The Seafood List

Green -- your best choices

Abalone (farmed)
Catfish (US farmed)
Caviar (farmed)
Clams (farmed)
Crab, Dungeness
Halibut, Pacific
Hoki
Lobster, Rock (California, Australia)
Mussels (farmed)
Oysters (farmed)
Sablefish/Black Cod (Alaska, British Columbia)
Salmon, canned
Sand Dabs
Sardines
Shrimp/Prawns (trap-caught)
Squid/Calamari (California market squid)
Striped Bass (farmed)
Sturgeon (farmed)
Tilapia (farmed)
Tuna, Albacore
Tuna, canned white (Albacore)
Tuna, Yellowfin/Ahi (troll/pole-caught)

Yellow -- proceed with caution

Clams (wild-caught)
Cod, Pacific
Crab, imitation/Surimi
Crab, King
Crab, Snow
Lobster, American
Mahi-Mahi
Mussels (wild-caught)
Oysters (wild-caught)
Pollock
Sablefish/Black Cod (California, Washington, or Oregon)
Salmon (Oregon, Washington, or wild-caught)
Scallops, Bay
Shark, Thresher (US West Coast)
Shrimp (US wild-caught)
Shrimp, Bay
Sole, English/Petrale/Dover
Swordfish (US West Coast)
Trout, Rainbow (farmed)
Tuna, Yellowfin/Ahi
Tuna, canned chunk light

Red -- AVOID THESE PLEASE!

Caviar, Beluga/Osetra/Sevruga
Chilean Sea Bass
Cod, Atlantic/Icelandic
Lingcod
Monkfish
Orange Roughy
Rockfish/Rock Cod/Pacific Snapper
Salmon (farmed or Atlantic)
Scallops, Sea
Sharks (except US West Coast Thresher)
Shrimp (wild-caught or farmed)
Sturgeon (wild-caught)
Swordfish (Atlantic)
Tune, Bluefin

Note: this is the list that was current for the US West Coast in Summer of 2002.

The conservation status of seafood can change as management, regulation, and enforcement vary over time. Please check the Monterey Bay Aquarium website periodically to consult the most up-to-date version of this list.

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