A couple of questions used to suffice at the seafood counter: How fresh is it? Should I bake or fry?
Now it's more complicated than ever, with new government recommendations encouraging more fish consumption, and a wide and expanding array of guidelines for what is healthiest and most environmentally friendly. For the growing number of consumers who want to enjoy the taste and health benefits of fish without feeling like they are speeding the decline of ocean life, straightforward advice may seem to be in short supply.
The U.S. government earlier this year recommended for the first time that the average American should eat eight ounces of fish a week to reap the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids and other nutrients. At the same time, seafood consumption is rising world-wide as growing populations and an expanding middle class in developing countries boost demand for protein. This comes as scientists warn that a growing number of fish populations—including some popular tuna and salmon species—have dropped to worrisome levels. Concerns about mercury and other fish contaminants blur the picture further.
"If you look backwards 10 years, a shrimp was a shrimp," says Carl Safina, co-founder of the Blue Ocean Institute, a marine-environment advocacy group. "It was like a bagel. You didn't ask if it was a sustainable bagel. There wasn't a discussion to be had over it."
To read the rest of the story, please go to: The Wall Street Journal.
