Environmentally-Friendly Shopping - A Seafood Primer

While shopping green might not have been as important before, more and more Americans are concerned about the state of their oceans and therefore interested in whether or not the seafood being purchased is healthy and safe for consumption.
And while focusing on ecological troubles might not be the most productive way to get interested in why it makes sense to purchase seafood from natural sources, the fact is that it's always important to wonder where a piece of salmon or a can of tuna is coming from.
While it might seem entirely too overwhelming to figure out what various watch lists mean and whether or not it's the right season to purchase crabs, thinking about seafood in a couple of different ways, with the right tools, makes environmentally-friendly shopping a whole lot easier.
For anyone who is interested in taking the guesswork out of whether or not a particular type of fish is right to buy, it makes sense to consult with lists that have already done that work.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium goes out of its way to consistently update their seafood watch list, which means that if it says it's a good idea to purchase something, chances are, that's the fact.
Likewise, checking to see whether or not the Marine Stewardship Council has certified a particular type of seafood is another great resource for whether or not to buy from one source or nix it in favor of another.
With an emphasis on seafood from natural sources and unpolluted waters, like Alaska, the MSC is a great indicator for whether or not one is shopping smart.
Generally speaking, the two most important steps towards smarter seafood shopping are to avoid those fish on the "do not eat" lists and to move away from factory farmed seafood.
With cod populations overfished to the brink of extinction and China-based factory farms producing sub-par product, turning to areas where standards are higher is the best way to get the healthiest, safest seafood from natural sources.