Are you eating sustainable fish or are they endangered?

So what fish should you avoid buying and eating?

And why are endangered fish still being sold?

Being a responsible consumer

Seafood Watch

When I was in San Fransisco last year, a friend who works at a local farmers market handed me this little pocket 'SeaFood Watch' card with 3 lists of fish on it:- best choices, good alternatives and fish to avoid because they are endangered.

On the back it encouraged the consumer, me, to ask in restaurants if the fish they cooked were sustainable, something I had never done before.

I eat a lot of fish and I have been guilty of quickly buying some salmon, mackerel or hake and not thinking whether or not I could be part of a bigger problem called over-fishing.  I have since joined the Marine conservation society which has made it very clear to me that I need to be a more responsible food consumer!

Endangered fish

This list of endangered fish is taken from the Marine conservation society website.  It gives you some control over protecting fish in our oceans.  The Marine conservation society do not advocate that we stop eating fish, but want to let people know what fish to buy.

This list does change so its worth having a look at the website every year.

Endangered fish

  • All deepwater species e.g. Orange Roughy, Redfish

  • Eel, European &  Conger

  • Halibut, Atlantic-wild

  • Marlin, Blue- Atlantic

  • Prawn, King or Tiger- trawled or non-certified farmed

  • Salmon, Atlantic -wild

  • Seabass- trawled

  • Shark

  • Spurdog or Rock Salmon

  • Skate, Common & White

  • Sturgeon (Caviar) - wild

  • Swordfish - Mediterranean

  • Tuna, Bluefin

  • Whitebait

  • Wolffish

You can download a pocket guide with 2015's list of fish to eat and fish to avoid.

Best choices, good alternatives and fish to avoid.

Best choices, good alternatives and fish to avoid.

There is a long list of fish you can eat safely.  Why not print off the FREE PDf and put it on your fridge!

Why should I avoid endangered fish?

Once these fish are gone they are gone for ever and your children will never get to see them or taste them.  Everything in our ecosystem is connected, as a result there will be serious repercussions from extinction of any fish species.

You can spread the word by sharing this and by joining the Marine conservation society.


health, food, dietSiobhan GrahamMonterey aquariumfish, sustainable food