sustainable seafood

November 2, 2008
by
2 mins read
Folio Weekly

by jennifer mccharen
Celebrating holidays in Jacksonville typically means welcoming family and friends from out of town. If they’re coming from inland, they’re probably excited to taste some fresh Floridian seafood.
We have long been told of the many health benefits of eating fish, especially the brain-enhancing power of Omega-3 fatty acids. Unfortunately, many popular species are desperately overfished these days, making seafood one of the least sustainable meat choices around. Sustainable seafood is seafood from either fished or farmed sources that can maintain or increase production in the future without jeopardizing the ecosystems from which it was acquired. Even farm-raised fish are problematic. Poorly managed farms can release toxic amounts of fish waste and feed into surrounding waterways, in addition to antibiotics and live fish that can become invasive. Also, choice farmed fish are fed huge quantities of wild-caught fish, such as anchovies and mackerel. This means, in the words of the Environmental Defense Fund: “Globally, roughly three pounds of wild fish are used to produce each pound of farmed salmon. Typical salmon farming therefore puts pressure on wild fish populations, rather than supplementing them.”
Thankfully the EDF, working with the Monterey Bay Aquarium, publishes a thorough guide to choosing sustainable seafood, and there are plenty of delicious, healthful options available here in town.
At the Publix in Riverside, the global nature of the fish industry was apparent with just a little bit of label searching. In the fresh fish display there were Canadian lobsters, Costa Rican Kingklip, Ecuadorian Tilapia, and shrimp from Thailand. In bags, frozen, were more well-traveled creatures. Swordfish and Basa from Vietnam, and Mahi from Peru.
At the top of the list for environmental kindness (and available fresh at Publix for $3.49/lb), is none other than the lowly catfish. As long as you’re purchasing catfish that is farm-raised in the United States, you can rest assured that you are making a wise choice. Regulations on fish farms in this country are strong, and catfish are vegetarian. The rest of the fish in the “fresh” counter here are not good options. Second-best at Publix are the frozen, bagged, sockeye and coho salmons, wild-caught in the US.
If you don’t have time to do the fish detective work yourself, head to Native Sun natural market (Baymeadows location). As in every element of their business model, Native Sun is extremely conscientious about the seafood they sell. Their staff is well-educated about sustainable fishing practices, and were able to answer all my questions.
Most of their seafood is wild-caught with lines, which minimizes bycatch (i.e. it’s more “dolphin safe”, as well as turtle, seal, and bird-safe). I learned from my conversation with the staff at Native Sun, that, unless you catch it yourself, it doesn’t always make sense to buy local. Native Sun does not typically source their seafood locally due to the prevalent use of chemical preservatives, which are sprinkled on the fish shortly after they are caught. At a store so deeply concerned for the health of their customers, it’s probably best to trust that suspicion.
To learn more about sustainable seafood issues, and to download a chart of best and worst choices to your mobile phone, visit: edf.org and click on the link to the “Seafood Selector.” For more detailed information on each species, check out the EDF’s partner in science, at: montereybayaquarium.org/cr/seafoodwatch.asp

Folio is your guide to entertainment and culture around and near Jacksonville, Florida. We cover events, concerts, restaurants, theatre, sports, art, happenings, and all things about living and visiting Jax. Folio serves more than two million readers across Jacksonville and Northeast Florida, including St. Augustine, The Beaches, and Fernandina.

Current Issue

SUBMIT EVENTS

Submit Events

Advertisements

SingOutLoadFestival_TheAmp_2025
omaha-steaks-banners

Date

Title

Current Month

Follow FOLIO!

Folio Weekly
Previous Story

Pride & Glory

Folio Weekly
Next Story

Anatomy of Gray

Latest from Food + Drink

The Face of Farming is Female

Words and photos by Ambar Ramirez “Many people have said, ‘you need a man out here,’ or ‘let a man do that.’ People often think women aren’t physically capable of farm work, but that’s never been a problem here.” Ashantae Green walks her land with purpose and pride,

Folio’s Top Picks: Bite By Bite 

Jacksonville & St Augustine Neighborhoods  Jacksonville Arlington Rice and Noodles riceandnoodles.net Tabouleh Mediterranean Cafe taboulehjax.com The Juicy Crab thejuicycrabjax.com Sweet Mama’s Southern Homestyle Cookin sweetmamasjacksonville.com Lauren’s Seafood, Blues & Jazz laurensseafoodbluesjazz Beaches Brunch Haus  jaxbeachbrunchhaus.com Dockside Seafood Restaurant  docksideseafoodrestaurant.com Eleven South

NFAN/Dining Out For Life

Words by Kaili Cochran Before the mid-1990s, having HIV was considered a death sentence but with modern treatment, someone with HIV can have a similar lifespan as someone who is HIV-negative.  Northeast Florida Aids Network is the only organization in Northeast Florida that focuses on HIV. Since its

Folio’s Top Picks: Bite By Bite 

Jacksonville & St Augustine Neighborhoods  Jacksonville Arlington Fuji Sushi  fujisushi-fl.com The Good Place Nutrition   facebook.com/thegoodplacenutrition Grinders American Diner  grindersamdiner.com Seven Wonders Restaurant  7wondersbakery.com Tabouleh Cafe taboulehcafe.com Beaches Angie’s Subs facebook.com/angiessubs Flying Iguana Taqueria & Tequila Bar flyingiguana.com Hawkers eathawkers.com Southern

Your Guide to Cat Cafes in Northeast Florida

Words by Kaili Cochran People love coffee. Many of them love cats. Imagine if there was a way to combine the two. Cat cafes are nonprofit cat rescues where people can buy coffee drinks often named after felines. (Cattuccino, anyone?) While sipping, patrons can also pet cats.
July 5th Cleanup
GoUp

Don't Miss

The Avett Brothers

November 15 The Avett Brothers St. Augustine Amphitheatre (904) 471-1965

Paula Poundstone

Paula Poundstone “Twitter is the postcards in my head.” It’s