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Monterey Bay Connects Health and Sustainability

With seafood consumption on the rise and many ocean fisheries diminishing, Monterey Bay Aquarium recently created a new list of Super Green seafood that highlights species that are good for both human health and ocean health. In 2006, the total world seafood supply was estimated at 110 million tons, eight times what it was in 1950, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

With seafood consumption on the rise and many ocean fisheries diminishing, Monterey Bay Aquarium recently created a new list of “Super Green” seafood that highlights species that are good for both human health and ocean health.

In 2006, the total world seafood supply was estimated at 110 million tons, eight times what it was in 1950, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. To meet global demand in 2030, the FAO predicts the world will need an additional 37 million tons of farmed fish.

The Super Green list was compiled by the Harvard School of Public Health and the Environmental Defense Fund, and includes products that are currently on the Seafood Watch “Best Choices” list, are low in contaminants like mercury and are good sources of healthy omega-3 fatty acids, providing the equivalent of at least 250 milligrams of omega-3s per day. A separate list of “Other Healthy Best Choices” are low in contaminants and provide a smaller amount of omega-3s (between 100 and 250 milligrams per day).

The Best of the Best: October 2009

  • Albacore Tuna (troll- or pole-caught, from the U.S. or British Columbia)
  • Mussels (farmed)
  • Oysters (farmed)
  • Pacific Sardines (wild-caught)
  • Pink Shrimp (wild-caught, from Oregon)
  • Rainbow Trout (farmed)
  • Salmon (wild-caught, from Alaska)
  • Spot Prawns (wild-caught, from British Columbia)

Other Healthy Best Choices

  • Arctic Char (farmed)
  • Bay Scallops (farmed)
  • Crayfish (farmed, from the U.S.)
  • Dungeness Crab (wild-caught, from California, Oregon or Washington)
  • Longfin Squid (wild-caught, from the U.S. Atlantic)
  • Pacific Cod (longline-caught, from Alaska)