Bad news for scampi lovers: meeting the world’s demand for shrimp is doing some serious damage to the ocean (and our health). Here are five little-known reasons to take shrimp recipes out of the dinner rotation.

In his new book, “The Perfect Protein”, Andy Sharpless makes some very compelling arguments for why we should all rethink our favorite shrimp recipes. Sharpless is CEO of Oceana, the world’s largest ocean conservation group, so he knows a thing or two about what our insatiable appetite for seafood is doing to the planet.

Americans eat more shrimp than any other type of seafood by weight. According to Sharpless, being very careful about how we source shrimp can go a long way toward protecting the oceans. The sad reality is neither fishing nor farming is a truly sustainable way to produce shrimp. Read on for some more compelling reasons to wean yourself off shrimp.

5 Reasons To Kick Your Shrimp Recipes To The Curb

1. Most shrimp consumed in the United States comes from farms in Vietnam, Bangladesh, and Thailand. These operations grow shrimp in shallow pools that form the perfect haven for bacteria and viruses. Even scarier? Only two percent of all imported seafood is tested by the Food and Drug Administration.

2. To combat the pathogens that see shrimp pools as breeding grounds, shrimp farmers often dump high levels of antibiotics and pesticides into the water–some of which are banned for use in the U.S. and other countries. You demand organic produce, but how often do you search for organic seafood? Kind of defeats the purpose, right?

3. In order to make room for shrimp operations, farmers often rip out mangrove forests, which is terrible for the environment. “Scientists from the U.S. Department of Agriculture have found that mangrove forests absorb and trap more climate-changing carbon dioxide than any other ecosystem on the planet, including rainforests. Mangroves also serve as nursery areas for other ocean creatures, and they help keep coasts secure by reducing flooding during storms,” reports Prevention.com.

4. Tearing up precious mangrove forests is bad enough, but that’s not the worst part: When shrimp farming pools become too old or contaminated for use, farmers just move on to a new area and repeat the process. The former mangrove forest is now a polluted wasteland, leaching dangerous chemicals into the water supply.

5. I know what you’re thinking. “I only every buy wild-caught seafood, so my shrimp recipes are safe.” Think again. Wild shrimp are caught with fine-meshed trawl nets pulled through the water behind a boat. The only problem is that they nets catch a lot of other stuff besides shrimp. “Most fish are damaged from being in the net, and many are discarded—dead or dying—overboard,” Sharpless points out. “Nets routinely pull up 9,000 endangered or threatened sea turtles annually, in addition to sharks, red snappers, and other animals.”

Eco-Friendly Alternatives To Shrimp

Giving up shrimp won’t be easy, but there are some more responsible seafood choices that can help. According to Sharpless, sardines and anchovies, mussels, Alaskan salmon, domestic clams, and farmed oysters are more sustainable selections that are also safer for your health.

Related on Ecosalon:

Back Away From The Tuna, Shrimp, and Salmon

Make The Right Fish Pick With Seafood Watch App

Sorry Charlie: Loving Tuna To Death

Image: wwarby

The post 5 Reasons To Kick Your Shrimp Recipes To The Curb appeared first on EcoSalon.

Mackerel swims to the lead when it comes to being the “right” fish to eat and we’ve got a recipe to back up the claim.

Lately, I haven’t cooked or eaten fish. There is no good excuse for this other than I have been confused about which fish is “correct” and safe to eat. Many of you probably already know that we should be careful which salmon, shrimps and tuna we choose to eat, that we should really start to cook and eat other fish that are more sustainable and healthy. But that is not an easy task, as which fish to eat varies from country to country (and it can vary even in the same country).

I’m happy that one of my favorite fishes, mackerel, seems to be a safe choice, both in Sweden and the U.S. According to EcoSalon food clolumnist Vanessa Barrington, Mackerel doesn’t have high levels of mercury (except for the king mackerel which has) and the fishing method used doesn’t damage the bottom of the sea. Mackerel has a rich flavor and you don’t really need to add much to enjoy this fish. It’s great in soups, filleted or cooked whole (see below) and can be roasted, baked or poached. You can also smoke or cure it.

Mackerel makes me long for summer, especially Swedish summers when the sun doesn’t go down until around 11pm. When I was a little girl we often went to the west coast to rent a boat and fish all day. Mostly we caught Cod and Mackerel but sometimes we also got Garfish. In the evening when we all were hungry and tired we would get back on land or find some tiny unsettled rocky island, collect firewood and broil mackerel over an open fire. The whole fish was stuck on a wooden stick (cleaned and gutted) and just simply seasoned with salt and lemon.

Now this is not easily done every day but there are definitely ways to enjoy fish at home all year around. My latest recipe was created after I got inspired by Melissa Clark’s recent article on whole roasted fish. The article was such a great reminder that it’s about time to start cooking whole fish again.

Roasted Mackerel with Buttered Shallots
For two

One or two whole mackerel (about 1-1 ½ lb)
One lemon
Freshly ground pepper
A splash of olive oil
One shallot
10 sprigs of fresh thyme
About 2 oz butter

Clean and gut the mackerel. Take a paper towel to pat the fish dry. Rub inside and outside of the fish with one or two slices of lemon. Sprinkle salt and pepper all over the fish. Slice the rest of the lemon thinly and chop the shallots finely. Fill the stomach of the mackerel with some of the slices and leave about half for later when serving the fish. Place ½ of the shallot into the cavity together with a few sprigs of thyme. Place the fish in a greased baking pan. You can also bake on top of foil on a baking tray. Sprinkle some olive oil over and roast the fish at 400°F for about 20-30 minutes. The fish is done when the meat is white and the meat easily loosens from the bones.

While the fish roasts, melt about half of the butter and saute the rest of the shallots on a really low heat until soft. At the end add more butter and plenty of thyme.

Serve the fish with buttered shallots and a squeeze of lemon together with roasted vegetables such as parsnips and carrots. The mackerel is also great with a simple salad made of roasted red pepper, feta, watercress and toasted sunflower seeds.

Here is some more good stuff about fish…

The Good Fish of the Pacific Coast
Seafood Watch Check out their apps for Android and iPhone
WWFs fisk guide (Sweden)

Illustrations by Johanna Kindvall

The post Mackerel: The Ethically Correct Fish appeared first on EcoSalon.

Resolve to start asking hard questions about the tuna on your plate.

If you’ve spent any time at all researching ethical eating choices, you already know to steer clear of the endangered Bluefin Tuna (also known as toro) at your favorite sushi bar.

But, the waters get a little murkier when we’re talking about other types of tuna such as the Ahi in the seafood case at your local grocery store, the Yellowfin on the restaurant menu, or the “chunk light” in those little cans in your cupboard.

Food Police are downers, and I’m not interested in judging anyone’s food choices, but the tuna situation is serious. We are loving tuna to death and to the detriment of our own health. Even if you bought it at your favorite groovy natural food grocery store, ordered it at one of the best restaurants in town, or picked up the can that says “dolphin safe,” it doesn’t mean it’s okay to eat. Tuna is popular and as long as we keep buying it, most retailers will continue to sell it. Here are the problems with that:

Species in Decline

Most species of tuna are under pressure or in decline from overfishing, with more than half at risk of extinction. Tuna are far-ranging fish that roam freely across international fishing boundaries, making enforceable quota agreements complicated. The demise of long-lived predator species like tuna can have an outsized ripple effect on the food web, and cause as yet unknown imbalances in the entire ocean eco-system.

Environmentally Destructive Fishing Methods

Tuna are fast swimming, powerful beasts that have inspired the fishing industry to develop sophisticated ways of finding and catching large numbers of them. Industrial fishing vessels use sonar to find large schools of tuna, and most commonly catch them using purse seines, or long lines, both of which result in an enormous amount of bycatch, including sea turtles, sharks, and sea birds. Much “dolphin- friendly” labeling is bogus and that “dolphin-friendly” can of tuna may still be plenty unfriendly to other species.

Dangerous Levels of Mercury

As a long-lived fish, environmental toxins like mercury can bioaccumulate in the tissues of tuna, posing a real health risk if eaten often. The FDA advises limiting tuna consumption to between 6 and 12 ounces a week, depending on the type of tuna.

After finding higher levels of mercury than FDA guidelines recommend consuming from canned and pouched tuna samples, Consumer Reports issued even stricter guidelines telling pregnant women to avoid tuna entirely. Mercury concerns aside, from an environmental standpoint, where it’s caught and how it’s caught means everything. In the absence of regulation, it’s up to us to start asking more questions about what we’re buying. To find out where the responsible fisheries are, check in with the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Guide. To find out which fishing methods are environmentally preferable read up on them here.

Is there any type of tuna I can eat?

The only tuna you should be eating is that caught locally by small fishing boats trolling with a hook and line. Pacific Albacore from the West Coast is a good example, and can be found fresh or in cans. You will, however, find it to be a rather expensive delicacy to be enjoyed occasionally. But take heart. Saving the tuna for special occasions makes sense from a health standpoint because of the mercury, and if the high price lowers demand, it’s all for the good because perhaps we can leave some for future generations and the long-term health of the ocean. Buying pole and line caught tuna also means supporting the livelihoods of small-scale fishers. Ethical brands include Wild Planet, and American Tuna.

What fish can I eat instead of tuna?

From the EcoSalon archives you’ll find 11 sustainable, healthy choices including sardines, halibut, and farmed trout and mollusks. Monterey Bay Aquarium also has a chart of alternatives here.

So most of you aren’t about to replace your tuna salad sandwich with a sardine salad sandwich, but why not try canned wild salmon? Mix it with mayonnaise and add capers, dill, and a squeeze of lemon and see what you think. You might just like it better.

Images: Japes18, Dive Karma ,Tony the Bald Eagle

This is the latest installment in Vanessa Barrington’s weekly column, The Green Plate,  on the environmental, social, and political issues related to what and how we eat.

The post Sorry Charlie: Loving Tuna to Death appeared first on EcoSalon.

Keeping those New Year’s resolutions can be made easier by incorporating stylish reminders into your wardrobe.

Here we are, a few days into the new year and hopefully still on track with our resolutions. Whatever your resolution may be — eating more veggies, practicing more gratitude, helping rebuild disaster areas, giving up bottled water or supporting sustainable seafood —  you can probably find an item of clothing that will help serve as a reminder.

Eat Your Veggies Mushroom U-line Tank
Resolution: I will eat more veggies. Besides being one of my favorite veggies, mushrooms provide a wealth of protein, fiber and vitamin C, and have also been shown to boost heart health, lower risk of cancer; promote immune function; ward off viruses and help balance blood sugar levels. Designed and made in the USA, this tank top is made from 100% Siro Micro Modal (derived from sustainable beechwood) and printed with water based inks.
On sale for $20, Revenge Is

Practice Gratitude Bamboo Wear with Organic Cotton
Resolution: I will practice gratitude. This soft tee is made in a Fair Trade facility that guarantees a fair wage and safe working conditions, from a silky blend of 70% bamboo and 30% organic cotton. As a bonus karmic reward, a tree will also be planted for every tee you buy. Now there’s something to be grateful for.
$34, Tees For Change

United by Blue 167 Tee
Resolution: I will give up bottled water. 167 is the average number of water bottles disposed of in the ocean per person. If we all pledge to give up bottled water in favor of reusable bottles, we’d do a lot to help prevent the oceans from being clogged with plastic debris. When you buy this 100% Organic cotton tee, United by Blue does their part by helping remove one pound of trash from our waterways.
On sale for $26, Mission Savvy

PACT for Japan Light Boy Short
Resolution: I will help those less fortunate. PACT and Architecture for Humanity have teamed up to create this collection of organic undies, which supports the design and construction of a work-house for a cooperative of 15 fishermen in Shizugawa, a town where 70% of the structures were destroyed by the earthquake and tsunami in March. The cute pattern featuring Japanese lanterns is one of three designed by Yves Behar especially for the collection.
$22, PACT

United by Blue Sustainable Seafood Tee
Resolution: I will only consume seafood that is sustainable. When you purchase this 100% Organic cotton T-shirt, you help United by Blue remove a pound of trash from oceans and waterways around the world. When you check out, you can even choose — from one of three cleanup sites — where you want this pound of trash to be removed from. We should all aim to make sure that all the seafood we consume comes from a sustainable source. Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch guide is a great resource that will help you move toward that goal.
$34, United by Blue

peaceBOMB Resolution Wrap
Resolution: I will work toward a more peaceful world. This wrap bracelet is made from vintage silk string from France and a hand cast tag and comes wrapped around a resolution card for you to write down your goal. For each bracelet sold, Project peaceBOMB is able to clear one meter of bomb littered land in areas of Laos previously ravaged by war. Wear it around your wrist as a constant reminder of your resolution (and our collective desire for a more peaceful world).
$16, Project peaceBOMB

The post On Trend: Stylish Resolution Reminders appeared first on EcoSalon.

ColumnOur top columns on how to eat ethically.

Whether you’re new to Ecosalon, or just beginning to navigate the choppy waters of ethical eating, you’ll find the following 14 links instructive in helping you eat (and live) both well and deliciously.

1. How to Cook

Despite your best intentions, do you find yourself letting vegetables rot in the produce drawer while you rely on takeout? Learn how to integrate cooking into your daily life and you’ll find yourself eating in more frequently.

2. How to Eat Locally

Why does grocery store produce taste like an inferior imitation of that which you buy at a farmers’ market or grow yourself? It’s likely not in season, it was picked too early, and shipped from afar. With piles of produce from all over the globe, a trip to the typical grocery store is hardly instructive if you want to know what’s in season. Start here to learn.

3. How to be a Semi-Vegetarian

Not quite ready to go vegetarian, but would like to lower your consumption of meat for your health and the environment? Learn how you can have your chard and eat your chicken (once in awhile) too.

4. How to Shop at a Farmers’ Market

Have you ever headed to the farmers’ market with the goal of buying your weekly produce but become so overwhelmed by the crowds, the music, the tasty pastries, that you left with a jar of jam and a loaf of bread? Learn how to shop—really shop—at a farmers market.

5. How to Choose Sustainable Seafood

Part of the reason that our oceans are in trouble is because we’re stuck in our ways. We eat way too many of just a few types of fish, mostly from the top of the food chain. Mix it up with 11 sustainable seafood choices, which you may not have considered.

6. How and Where to Get Protein

If you’ve been trying to cut down on meat but are afraid you won’t get enough protein, learn how much protein you really need and how to obtain it from a variety of foods.

7. How to Source Ethical Coffee

You may chat up the farmers at your local market every week, but do you know where your coffee came from or who grew it? Ethical Joe is within your reach.

8. How to Clean your Kitchen Green

What do you do when icky raw chicken juice splatters on your counter? Do you stare at it in horror or douse it in toxic bleach? Learn tips for disinfecting your kitchen without bleach.

9. How to Choose Humane Meat

Concerned about factory farming? Learn who’s behind the different humane certifications for meat and eggs and how the standards are codified.

10. How to Choose the Right Cooking Oil for the Job

Oil, oil, toil and trouble. Peanut oil for frying? Canola for salads? Oh, wait! It’s toxic? Get the scoop on cooking oil here.

11. Why Bio-Plastics are Not Always a Green Choice

If you’ve been feeling good about your local casual fast food outlet or local food truck because of their use of compostable bioplastics, learn why you probably shouldn’t.

12. Why you Should Read Labels

Ever wondered what soy protein isolate is or what’s really in those fast food burgers? Find out if you dare.

13. How to Cook a Whole Chicken and Other Lessons

Innocuous boneless, skinless chicken breasts? Not so much. Discover why they’re not so benign and learn three ways to cook up a whole chicken.

14. How to Make a Sustainable Fish Taco

Did you ever wonder what type of fish is in those fish tacos that you see on menus everywhere? If it doesn’t say, you might not want to know. But then again, you should. Then go ahead and make your own.

This is the latest installment in Vanessa Barrington’s weekly column, The Green Plate,  on the environmental, social, and political issues related to what and how we eat.

Images: Michigan Mom, Ron Dollete, Puuiki Beach, Andrea Nguyen, Wongaboo, Vanessa Barrington

The post How to Eat: 14 Greatest Hits from The Green Plate appeared first on EcoSalon.

Looking for a no-fuss, yet fancy meal to serve company on a cold, winter night? Here’s a take on the classic Southern shrimp ‘n grits that switches out the shrimp for crab meat, and the grits for polenta. I created this to honor our west coast Dungeness crab season, in full swing now. Dungeness crab in season is a sustainable seafood choice, and a real treat.

If Dungeness crab is unavailable in your area, you may substitute other types of crab, shrimp (support Gulf fishermen and buy domestic wild, not farmed from Asia), or scallops.

Cooking the polenta in the oven, rather than the stove top, makes this dish almost criminally easy.

Serves 2

3 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup polenta

About a 1/4 cup heavy cream

About a 1/2 stick of butter

1 small shallot, cut into the tiniest dice possible

1/3 of a celery rib, cut into the tiniest dice possible

About 2 teaspoons good quality spicy ground chile of your choice, to your taste (cayenne or something fancier like Aleppo pepper would both work)

About 1 1/2 cups of picked crab meat

3 green onions (white and green parts), chopped fine

Preheat the oven to 375. Combine the water, salt and polenta in a heavy baking dish with a lid. Stir together. Put it in the oven. Remove from the oven and stir every 15 minutes, cooking for a total of 45 minutes. Turn off the oven, stir in the heavy cream, and return the polenta to the hot oven while you prepare the crab.

In a heavy skillet over medium heat, warm the butter. Add the shallot and celery and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the chile, crab, green onions, and a little salt if you need it (crab can be salty) and stir to warm through. Add more butter if you like.

To serve, spoon the polenta onto warmed plates or shallow bowls. Top with crab mixture, dividing it evenly. Serve immediately.

Recipe Copyright Vanessa Barrington 2010

Image: Vanessa Barrington

The post On a Cold Winter’s Night: Spicy Crab and Polenta appeared first on EcoSalon.

Something just feels right about eating fresh fish in a pirate costume. For weeks, my friends and I had been planning a pirate-themed party, and last weekend we pulled it together: Eye patches, hats, sashes, plastic swords. Oh yes, and ten fully-grown adults calling each other Cap’n and saying things like “Shiver me timbers!” We rented our good ship, a pontoon boat, on Douglas Lake in East Tennessee, and set sail, returning to our friend’s lakeside cabin for amazing meals – including fried catfish, of course.

Hokey? Absolutely. But the next stop on our pirate-themed tour of the South will be anything but. Turns out one of the greenest restaurants in Charleston, South Carolina – which this weekend hosts the extraordinary arts festival Spoleto – is The Buccaneer, a seafood joint with a pirate museum attached.

The Buccaneer, in a warehouse on a cobblestoned street in the city’s wharf district, was in fact the first certified green restaurant in the state of South Carolina. For grub and grog, The Buccaneer serves locally-caught shrimp and crab, vegetables grown on its own Wadmalaw Island farm, and beer made by Charleston’s Palmetto Brewing Company. The small museum includes decidedly un-cheesy pirate artifacts, like cannons, tankards, engravings and coins that the owners collected from around the world. Still, when you run a pirate-themed restaurant, you must tolerate at least a bit of pirate silliness, right? My friends and I will bring an eye patch or two but leave our plastic swords at home.

Image: Courtesy of Tripadvisor

The post For Pirates Like Us, Charleston Ho! appeared first on EcoSalon.

We’ve been trolling around for news and netted some doozies. From fish oil, to updated Seafood Watch recommendations, here’s a sampler platter of recent food news morsels.

Restaurant Greenwashers: We are watching you

Developed by intrepid journalist Charles Clover, who brought us the film End of the Line, Fish to Fork is a spanking new online rating system and interactive website that rates restaurants according to their seafood sourcing policies.

You may be surprised by what you find. There’s a lot of assuming going on out there and I’m guilty, too. Just because your favorite tower of gastronomy serves artisan meats and organic produce from local farms doesn’t mean you can assume their seafood sourcing policies are anything to brag about. And yes, it’s pretty disturbing that there is a restaurant named Bluefin on the list. It reminds me of the subdivisions all over California named after the orchards that once stood in their places.

You can send in information about any restaurant you frequent as well, making Fish to Fork a growing and valuable resource.

Fish Oil Is a Fishy Business

As part of your resolution to eat more sustainably, you’ve downloaded those little seafood wallet cards and now you carry them around and refer to them religiously at the fish counter and in restaurants. Good for you!

You may also have stopped eating certain types of fish due to overfishing concerns and begun taking fish oil pills instead. Whoa there, Nellie! Do you know where that fish oil comes from? There’s no wallet card for that, now is there?

Recently, Time Magazine reported on a little known fish called menhaden that is being overfished for the burgeoning fish oil supplement market. Fish oil contains omega-3 fatty acids, which are good for the heart, brain, joints, and other important body parts.

Though menhaden is a tiny fish, it is nonetheless important for two reasons: It’s a source of food for larger predators (many of which are already endangered) and it’s a filter feeder. It eats algae and can help prevent dead zones caused by algae blooms. Scientists have been working on algae-based Omega-3 supplements that have the same properties as fish oil. It’s my understanding that they don’t have all the same components. My advice: Eat more sardines.

New Salmon and Shrimp Rankings from Seafood Watch

Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Program released new wallet cards this month and there are some important changes you should know about.

If you’ve diligently given up farmed salmon and shrimp due to environmental concerns, you might be happy to know that a certain type of farmed shrimp and a specific type of farmed salmon have been added to the “Green List.”

Responsible aquaculturists have been working hard to improve their practices and the new rankings are proof. US Farmed freshwater Coho salmon is now produced in closed systems that don’t pollute the environment and producers have gotten the feed ratio down to a point that is acceptable to scientists.

Similarly, U.S. farmed freshwater prawns are raised in small-scale operations inland where they cannot escape or pollute the ocean environment. The prawns consume plants and insects rather than large amounts of fish and the water is recirculated for extra green points.

But you still have to do the hard, dirty work of asking questions. Make sure you ask your server or fishmonger if the salmon or shrimp you’re ordering is US freshwater farmed and make sure the salmon is Coho. If you ask those questions and the answer is no, and then you don’t order it, restaurant and store owners will take notice. Remember your power as a consumer.

Pressing the Flesh

You know that pink stuff called krab that you find in cheap sushi? What about fish sticks? Did you ever wonder what that was? It’s pollock, most likely. And pollock is having the certification equivalent of an existential crisis.

On the one hand, The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) has just recertified pollock the pollock fishery as sustainable. On the other hand, the Seafood Watch program has downgraded it from “green” (Best Choice) to “yellow” (Caution). Seafood watch is concerned about bycatch and damage to the ocean floor caused by the fishing methods used.

What should you do? Think about what you’re eating. If you’re going to eat fish, know what it is and appreciate it. Wild foods like fish should not be turned into protein pucks and eaten mindlessly.

Image: SauceSupreme

This is the latest installment in Vanessa Barrington’s weekly column, The Green Plate, on the environmental, social, and political issues related to what and how we eat.

The post Catch of the Day: Food News from Around the Web appeared first on EcoSalon.

Called “the Inconvenient Truth” for the oceans, The End of the Line asks viewers to imagine a world without fish and then proceeds to show them exactly how commercial fisheries are decimating hundreds of wild species that we take for granted as food.

This is the film for people who don’t respond to dry, measured environmental messaging focusing on intangible future effects of current fishing practices. This film uses powerful footage and dramatic music to punch the viewer where it hurts: in the stomach.

The film asks viewers: if you like that fish and chips dinner, or that succulent tuna sushi, or watching your children play in the surf without worrying that the water will cause open sores on their delicate skin, or perhaps enjoying a little snorkeling on your annual vacation, you better sit up and pay attention – now.

In addition to the usually documentary tools – graphs, charts, statistics, and scientists explaining the effects of overfishing – the film is full of exciting, cinematic moments of man (and they are men) vs. fish. Knives flashing and nets heaving in the blood soaked waters of the Mediterranean, as fish are literally beaten to death. It’s gruesome, to be sure, and effective.

There’s also plenty of nourishment for the brain in the form of statistics illustrating just how much fish is caught and eaten worldwide:

Did you know?

The number of long lines set globally every year is enough to circle the globe more than 550 times.

1/10 of what we catch goes overboard every year as waste.

It takes 5 kilos of anchovies to produce 1 kilo of farmed salmon. This practice takes protein directly out of the mouths of poor people in distant countries that depend on this fish for their nourishment – all so middle class people can treat salmon as an everyday commodity food, instead of as the special treat it should be.

The 4,000 ocean reserves that exist cover less than 1% of the ocean.

Bluefin tuna quotas are double what they should be to avoid collapse and triple what they should be to allow a recovery. Even these quotas are ignored. The bluefin situation is so dire that the Japanese company Mitsubishi is stockpiling frozen bluefin in preparation for a collapse.

One bluefin fisherman-turned-whistleblower hangs out on the docks and estimates catches and compares them to what is declared by countries.

He illustrates the crushing immorality of the situation by declaring: “An infamous minority of people are making millions and millions of dollars by decimating a species.”

And it’s definitely just a few people making money. The filmmakers profile artisanal, traditional fisherman who are being squeezed out by the big boats. One fisherman in Africa made $6 from his catch on the day that the filmmakers spoke to him. $4 of those $6 must go to fuel. He has $2 left to feed his family. He’s considering leaving Africa to immigrate to Europe.

If all of this sounds like a downer, it is. But I think it’s necessary to shock some people to get their attention. The best part of the film is the point it makes that, unlike many environmental problems, this problem is eminently solvable. We just need to give the fishing stocks a break and allow them to recover.

All the problem requires is political will and the cooperation of consumers, industry, and governments. We can collectively set quotas and enforce them, we can get restaurants and grocery stores to stop selling overfished species, and we can change our eating habits.

We can eat more tiny fish (they are better for you anyway!), follow the recommendations of the various NGOS like Seafood Watch and Blue Ocean Institute, and we can return to treating wild fish with the reverence it deserves as one of the last wild foods available to humans.

Debuting at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and playing in hundreds of cinemas, aquariums, and universities across the U.S. and the United Kingdom, this film by Rupert Murray was based on the book by award winning British journalist Charles Clover. Screenings are being scheduled in North America at a variety of colleges, and special venues. There’s also a Fish “˜n Flicks restaurant screening tour taking place between Jan. 10 and 24 in and around New York, Washington D.C., San Francisco, Chicago and San Diego. The general North American screening schedule is here.

Check back often for updates, as dates and participating restaurants in the Fish “˜n Flicks tour are still being finalized. A few highlights: Yankee Pier in Lafayette, Calif. on Jan 12, Sea Rocket Bistro in San Diego on January 14, Blue Ridge in Washington D.C. on January 15, Fishtail in New York on January 18, Oliveto in Oakland, Calif. on January 20 and 21.

The post Film Review: The End of the Line appeared first on EcoSalon.

In conjunction with a new report called State of Seafood, Monterey Bay Aquarium has issued a new “Super Green List” of seafood options that are good for both environmental and human health.

The “Super Eight”, as I’m calling them, are low in environmental toxins, high in Omega -3s and farmed or caught in ways that have a low impact on the environment.

Not long ago, here at EcoSalon, I listed my own personal list of 11 sustainable seafood options. It’s interesting to see the differences between my list and Monterey Bay’s.

Tuna is not on my list because it’s hard to get information on where and how tuna is caught, so I tend to avoid it. Some of my other choices are on Seafood Watch’s “almost as good list” and some others are more obscure or don’t contain as many Omega-3s. Other than that, we’re actually not that far off.

I’m glad the aquarium developed this super simplified list. I find the approach helpful for consumers. Instead of telling people what not to eat, it gives consumers a list of tasty options that are okay to eat. But consumers don’t always know where to find and how to prepare these items.

That’s where I come in, giving you the entire “Super Green” list with tips for sourcing, links to recipes or suggestions for preparing.

1. Albacore Tuna (troll- or pole-caught, from the U.S. or British Columbia)

This fish is difficult to find fresh in markets across the country because it is caught by small-scale fishermen. If you live on the West Coast near a harbor, you can sometimes buy it fresh, right off the boats during its season (July-October). Otherwise, you will find it canned year round and across the country in specialty stores. (And it’s not cheap) The can should be clearly marked as troll or pole caught Pacific Albacore, otherwise it’s not the right fish.

Use it to make a classic Niçoise salad with baby lettuces, olives, hard-cooked eggs, boiled small potatoes, and steamed green beans all topped off with a homemade vinaigrette.

2. Mussels (farmed)

Nearly all mussels found in the fish markets these days are farmed. Mussels are easy to prepare and quick cooking. Rinse them well to remove any sand and pull off their beards. Then, put them in a large covered pot over medium-high heat with a mixture of white wine, water and some combination of aromatics like fennel, onions, shallots, garlic, ginger, fresh herbs like parsley or cilantro, lemon, or orange. Steam them until they open (3 to 5 minutes). Finish with a pat of butter or a drizzle of olive oil and serve with salad and bread.

3. Oysters (farmed)

Make sure they are fresh and eat “˜em raw with a simple mignonette made of finely chopped shallots and Champagne vinegar, or just a squeeze of lemon. Don’t know how to shuck? Here’s a tutorial. Why are oysters sustainable? Here’s a piece on EcoSalon that lays it out.

4. Pacific Sardines (wild-caught)

My favorite fish hands-down! Small fish are lower in contaminants than larger, longer-lived fish. The sardine fishery is very healthy, and sardines are flavorful and stand up to robust preparations.  This article has more information and a recipe.

5. Pink Shrimp (wild-caught, from Oregon)

These are the classic shrimp for shrimp cocktail, but you could also use them in a ceviché or make a salad stuffed into an avocado, in a recipe like this one.

6. Rainbow Trout (farmed)

Widely available across the country, farmed trout is mild and versatile. It’s also easy to prepare. I like to stuff the fish with aromatics like fresh herbs and green onions, splash a little white wine or citrus juice on it and inside of it and then grill or bake it whole until the flesh flakes easily with a fork and is no longer translucent (about 15 minutes).

7. Salmon (wild-caught, from Alaska)

There are many species of Pacific salmon including King, Chinook, Chum, and Pink. Atlantic isn’t one of them. Atlantic salmon is code for “farmed.” Simple is best with this special fish. A quick marinade with herbs, chopped garlic, and lemon juice followed by a turn on the grill or under the broiler; or a simple treatment of salt and pepper followed by a sear in a very hot cast-iron pan always does the trick for me.

8. Spot Prawns (wild-caught, from British Columbia)

These are large prawns sold with the head on. They are available in small specialty fish markets on the West Coast, but I’m not sure how available they are in the East. They have a sweet flavor reminiscent of lobster. And if you should be so lucky as to find them, you should do nothing more than throw them on the grill as is and then peel, squeeze a little lemon juice on them, and eat. Or, you could dip them in butter. And yes, you are supposed to suck the heads. Which also (along with the leftover shells) make a great fish broth.

Image: koadmonkee

This is the latest installment in Vanessa Barrington’s weekly column, The Green Plate, on the environmental, social, and political issues related to what and how we eat.

The post How to Cook Fish: Seafood Watch’s New “Super Green” List with Serving Suggestions appeared first on EcoSalon.