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The key to smart sushi ordering is keeping sustainability in mind. We talked with experts at Oceana who explained how the increased demand for sushi, and fish in general, is affecting the oceans. "The oceans are facing collapse due to overfishing, climate change, and ocean acidification. According to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, 75 percent of the world's fisheries are now either overexploited, fully exploited, significantly depleted or recovering from overexploitation." One way you can help is by ordering sustainable seafood. In other words, making choices that will ensure our grandchildren still have seafood to enjoy from a healthy and bountiful ocean. When dining at your favorite sushi joint, here are a few tips to keep in mind:
Know the Best Catch
Here are a few guidelines to help you determine which catch is better:
- In general, (though not always,) wild fish is more eco-friendly than farmed.
- U.S. based fisheries are more responsible than many overseas, so stick with locally caught fish—this also cuts the carbon footprint of your fish.
- Special-caught fish (line, pole, troll and diver-caught as well as sustainably caught/harvested) are better than the fish that come up in huge nets on factory farming ships.
Say NO to "Toro"
Bluefin Tuna, popularly known as "Toro," is the most endangered fish you can order at a sushi restaurant. Oceana tells us that Bluefin's fatty meat makes them a coveted (not to mention very expensive) meal, one that's leading the species down the road to extinction. While all tuna is facing overfishing, if you must choose tuna, Oceana suggests U.S. Pacific Albacore, Bigeye, and Yellowfin instead of Bluefin. Along with sustainability concerns, some species of tuna are contaminated by Mercury, a neurotoxin that attacks the central nervous system. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that women of childbearing age and children should limit consumption of albacore tuna and tuna steaks to 6 ounces a week in order to keep Mercury exposure down to a minimum.
Forget about Farm-Raised Salmon
Farm-raised salmon, also known as "Atlantic" salmon (even though much of it doesn't come from the Atlantic Ocean) is a big huge no-no according to Oceana. Confined to small, packed-in cages in the ocean, farm-raised salmon causes a serious amount of pollution from fish waste. They are prone to disease and so are often fed antibiotics not approved for use in livestock in the United States (most farmed salmon comes from Norway, Chile and Canada).
Shellfish Lover?
If you are a shellfish lover, opt for U.S. farmed varieties of clams, mussels, shrimp and oysters. Shellfish are generally better for the environment because they don't require fishmeal or fish oil for food. Just be sure these critters are not caught with dredges.
Choose Local
Choosing locally caught fish is another important component to making sustainable seafood choices. You'll not only be more likely to eat a fresher fish, you will have a smaller carbon footprint. If you're eating fish in a coastal area, in addition to asking the method in which your fish was caught, be sure to ask your server or seafood counter whether their fish is local.
Look for Seafood Watch Certified Restaurants
Scotty Szkretar, Executive Chef at Shoreline Grill in Austin, TX, a Seafood Watch Certified Restaurant (requiring that the menu is sustainable and the waitstaff is educated on which fish are on the "Red" or avoid list), takes his certification seriously when it comes to promoting sustainable seafood consumption because he feels that chefs have a say when it comes to the future of our oceans. "The future of fish populations and the environment can be swayed if enough chefs decide they won't buy fish from people who do not do the right thing when it comes to environmental consciousness. A few good decisions like this can have a far greater impact than what individuals or families can have." Chef Szkretar believes that the consumer also has a say, voicing their sustainability beliefs by the choices they make off the menu as well as by questioning their chef?showing not only interest, but awareness. The more aware the consumer is, the more chefs will realize that the public does care and will not spend its money in restaurants that do not care about the future of this planet.
Home Cooks Can Also Be Sustainable
"The same rules apply for home cooks," Chef Szkretar reminds us. "The man behind the seafood counter at your local grocery store should be asked the same questions as the chef in your favorite seafood restaurant. If enough people ask him or her about sustainable seafood choices, his or her buyer will also get the idea and start only buying fish that is sustainable because he or she will notice that the unsustainable fish just does not move as fast from the shelves." Buying fish is a business and money talks.
Questions to Ask Your Sushi Chef
Casson Trenor, a founder of Tataki Sushi Bar in San Francisco, seafood sustainability expert, and author of Sustainable Sushi: A Guide to Saving the Oceans One Bite at a Time suggests that consumers speak up when it comes to sustainability. Don't be afraid to ask questions. "You deserve to know the truth about your seafood. If the person that's selling it to you doesn't have acceptable answers, maybe it's time to look for a new chef or seafood market." But the most telling question to ask, according to Casson, is "What do you think about sustainable seafood?" Follow that up with "How do you know your seafood is sustainable?" If the chef hems and haws, dismisses the issue, or replies with "Oh, we know what we're doing, don't worry about it" that's your cue to leave and find another favorite spot.
Take Responsibility
But the onus also lies on you. Take responsibility and educate yourself on the issues. Try to find some time to read up on seafood news and progress. Casson always invites people to share their thoughts with him at his website where he publishes up-to-date exposes and recommendations of 40 of the most popular fish in the US sushi industry.
You Can be a Sustainably Smart Sushi Lover
Check out a sustainable seafood pocket guide, like the one Oceana developed with the Blue Ocean Institute to understand the better, more sustainable choices available when it comes to sushi.
Just remember, there are many species of fish and crustaceans. You can still get your sushi fix with minimum of guilt. Just educate yourself and do your homework first.
