That was back in 1960 and according to Dr. Seuss. Today
however with so many varieties and elements to consider, what's the best fish
to eat? The answer may vary depending on what you're looking for, i.e.
nutritional benefit, heavy metal contamination or the ecological and economic
effects of seafood, according to a review by Environmental Health Perspectives.
The answer can also change depending on who you ask. Below is the answer of
what fish to be eating based on all various considerations.
On varying extents, the truth is almost all fish can be
contaminated with environmental pollutants, like heavy metals, and some
obviously more than others. There is no need to fear though. Public health
officials keep a close eye on this and provide us with guidelines to help us
eat a variety of fish safely. As a general rule of thumb to limit heavy metals
adults should limit fresh/frozen choices of
tuna, shark and swordfish to palm size servings twice weekly (and less
for all other population groups). If you want to consider a fish higher in
omega 3 fatty acids try: salmon, anchovy, char, herring, mackerel, pollock,
smelt, rainbow trout, shrimp, clam, mussel, or oyster. Other safe seafood to
include in your diet regularly include: cod, haddock, halibut, sole, scallops,
squid and tilapia. When it comes to canned tuna choose light tuna, and look for
skipjack, yellowfin or tongol on the label. It will have less mercury than
white (or albacore) varieties. Even within species, nutritional, contaminant,
and ecological attributes can vary widely depending on the size or variant or
where the fish is harvested or farmed. More locally, various provincial fish
consumption advisories have been issued for our water bodies from Environment Canada.
At some locations across the island artic char, ouananiche and brook trout, and
for Labrador, specifically lake trout and northern pike may be suggested to be
consumed no more than once per week. For specific areas, updated and more
information you can visit http://www.ec.gc.ca
Economic viability of fish depends on having enough stocks.
We've had or fair share of crisis' in our province and across the globe it's
also been an issue. As an estimate a 50% increase in global fish production is
needed by 2050 in order to meet the basic nutrition for growing populations and
world food security. Although fish consumption may directly influence human
health, and the harvesting of wild or farmed fish can certainly affect the
health of oceans. Abundance of wild fish stocks is expected to decline further
in the future with the added stress of climate variability and habitat
alteration. If you're interested to
purchase seafood more close to home your best bets might be snow crab, shrimp,
scallops and farmed Atlantic salmon, steelhead trout, cod and blue mussels. If
you're considering sustainability one thing you can look for is a MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) ecolabel on
packaging, menus or marketing materials. This will mean the fish comes from a
certified sustainable source. You can also try to become more aware of where
your food is coming from, and ask your local grocer the same.
It's certainly a lot of information to consider, so let's
consider a commonly consumed, local diet staple. Farm raised salmon. Nutrition
wise it's higher in heart healthy omega 3 fatty acids (even more so than wild)
and very low in mercury. It may however have higher levels of certain
contaminants, and some environmental groups
have suggested to avoid it based on the thought that the aquaculture may
harm the ecosystem and wild fish stocks. All in all, it's very likely we
overestimate some of these risks, and underestimate some benefits, such as the
risk of nutritional harm from avoiding fish. Why eat fish? We know that fish
are a great source of lean protein, vitamin D, calcium (if you eat the bones)
and heart healthy omega fats (as long as we're not only consuming the fish and
chips style fish of course)! There's also the fact it's part of our culture,
we've been consuming fish in our diets for centuries. Weighing out the pros and
cons, all in all it's likely something to eat more of. Most of us don't reach
the national food guide suggestion consuming fish at least twice a week.
As seen in The Telegram June 11, 2012
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