Resources for responsible fish consumption

United States Dietary Guidelines recommend Americans eat fish or shellfish twice a week to be healthy and live longer.

Sustainability is one of the things that concern us in all aspects of food preparation these days. Another concern is where our food comes from and if it’s safe to eat. With reports periodically about levels of mercury in certain fish, shellfish and sushi, and the potential threat to eating raw oysters for those with certain health risks, there are definitely issues to be aware of when preparing fish.

A few websites you can turn to if you have questions about a particular fish or issues surrounding the harvesting and safety of fish are useful to check out:

Seafoodwatch.org provides reports on everything from health benefits and toxins in seafood, to sustainability guides, to explaining wild-caught vs. farmed fish. It’s a great catch-all site that also encompasses information about other countries and their sustainability efforts.

The National Fisheries Institute is a nonprofit concerned with sustainability and promoting free trade in the industry. The NFI “Truth Squad” is a good resource to use to sift through the various reports that pop up, which may be either fact-based or what they call “quasi-science.”

If you are looking for Wisconsin-based efforts on these important fish topics, you can check the state’s Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. It provides state advisories, as well as information about inspectors who work as aquaculture veterinarians in testing fish health throughout the state and treating disease should it appear. For information on local fish, visit eatwisconsinfish.org.