Do the right thing: eat less fish

It’s such a hassle to do the right thing. You may say you’re going to be a strict locavore, for example, and eat food that is grown only within a 30-mile radius from your home; chances are you’re going to slip and eventually eat something that was shipped from elsewhere in the United States or abroad.

When it comes to fish, my favorite protein, doing the right thing can be especially difficult. Consider the tuna, which is now overfished (but may soon receive some protection). It was apparently considered a “garbage fish” among the Japanese for sushi purposes until very recently. Now, however, tuna is sold for tens of thousands of dollars at Hunt’s Point and the Tsukiji fish markets.

Consider, also, salmon. To eat wild salmon from anywhere except Alaska is an ecological no-no. But locavores and other hippies say that farmed salmon is also a no-no because it is fed high levels of corn. Such fish are often white, and then “tinted” pink with food coloring to make it more appealing to Joe Consumer.

Many fish restaurants need to included endangered fish species to attract customers, though some, like Le Bernardin, do the right thing and keep threatened fish like monkfish and blue fin tuna off their menus. Other restaurants may be doing the right thing unintentionally by switching crappy fish for endangered species that are in high demand, or so says this researcher. Think the Komodo Dragon scam the Marlon Brando flick, “The Freshman."

One great resource to figure out which fish are okay to eat and which aren’t is the Environmental Defense Fund’s Oceans Alive site, which tracks fish populations. Check it out, and try to pass on Chilean sea bass next time in favor of some Artic char next time you have a chance.