Audubon: The Audubon Guide to Seafood

What's a Fish Lover to Eat?

The Audubon Guide to Seafood

Photography by David Doubilet

Before slapping a swordfish steak on the barbecue grill this summer, you might hear out a group of the nation's preeminent chefs. Earlier this year, they gathered at a New York City restaurant to announce their participation in a nationwide campaign to "give swordfish a break" by striking it from their menus. The chefs fear that unless swordfish are protected now, there won't be enough of them around to serve in the future.

Many other fish need a break, too. So what's a fish lover to eat? The good news is that there are plenty of alternatives to swordfish and other depleted species. Some fish, such as striped bass, are on their way to recovery. Even better are certain farm-raised fish. Tilapia, for instance, are raised in enclosed tanks on land, where water pollution can be controlled and fish don't escape. (Escaped fish can cause problems for wild fish, including disease.)

The following guide will help you make informed choices. It was compiled by Carl Safina, Ph.D., director of the National Audubon Society's Living Oceans Program, author of the recently published Song for the Blue Ocean, and a contributing editor to Audubon magazine. He drew on research from a variety of sources, from governmental agencies to environmental groups, as well as years of personal experience on the front lines of fisheries management.

The guide's color spectrum reflects the state of the fish, roughly in order from red (most problematic) to green (least problematic). Two or three problems (i.e., overfishing or poor management) put a fish into the red category. Significant concern about a single factor puts it in the yellow category. Abundant, relatively well-managed species rate the green category.

In the "status" column, means the population is low; is fairly stable; is high. In the "management" column, means regulation is good; , fair; , poor. In the "bycatch & habitat concerns" column, means the fishery has a low impact on other species; , moderate; , high.

A century ago, meat markets in American cities regularly offered buffaloes, cranes, and other wildlife. Today marine creatures are the last wildlife commercially hunted on a large scale. It's worth pondering the ripple effect that consumption of seafood creates in the ocean. And the next time you have a hankering for fish, try selecting your meal from a properly managed fishery.

Note: This Guide originally appeared in the May-June 1998 issue of Audubon magazine. You can subscribe on-line.

The Audubon Guide to Seafood
	Species or Group	Background	Status	Management	Bycatch & Habitat Concerns
	Sharks (400 species worldwide, including mako, thresher, dogfish, a.k.a. cape shark)	Sharks mature late in life, grow slowly, and produce few offspring. As a result, their populations require decades to recover from intensive fishing. Sharks are often caught for shark-fin soup, sold in China for $90 a bowl. Shark cartilage is now being exploited for "miracle" drugs.	Many populations are declining. Most species on the East Coast are overfished and depleted.	Poor in the Pacific Ocean. Management is fair to good in U.S. Atlantic waters. Almost no management elsewhere.	Moderate to high. Most shark fisheries use longlines or gill nets, which also catch unwanted fishes and creatures such as turtles and marine mammals. Many sharks are killed just for their fins, then dumped.
	Swordfish, marlins (one species of swordfish; several marlin species, in tropical to temperate seas)	Their impressive size, sleek appearance, and superb hunting skills make these billfishes perhaps the most spectacular sea fishes. But their popularity as pricey steaks is depleting the species.	Overfished and depleted in the Atlantic. Their status is unknown in most of the Pacific.	Ineffective in the Atlantic. Virtually nonexistent in the Pacific. Atlantic marlins may not legally be sold in the U.S., although that has not stopped their decline.	High. Most swordfish and marlins are caught with longlines, which bear thousands of hooks, or in drift nets. Both methods take high numbers of juveniles, sharks, turtles, and some marine mammals.
	Shrimps	A wide variety of shrimps come from all over the world, from the tropics to temperate climes. About half are farmed, mostly in the tropics. Shrimp farms pollute and destroy habitat -- so much so that the Indian government recently ordered more than 100 farms closed.	Plentiful in some regions, depleted in others (such as Mexico's Gulf of California). Their status is not well known elsewhere.	Generally poor in the U.S., and even worse in many other countries. Regulation of farming, the effects of bottom-trawl nets, and bycatch are the main issues.	The highest of any fishery in the world. For every pound of shrimp you buy, an average of seven pounds of other sea life was killed and shoveled overboard. West Coast spot prawns are a rare exception; they are caught by traps that let other creatures escape.
	Orange roughy	Most orange roughies come from deep waters off New Zealand and Australia. Depleted populations require many years to recover. Orange roughies grow very slowly, taking 20 years to reach spawning age. They can live more than 100 years.	Many populations were severely overfished when the mild-tasting species' popularity soared, in the 1980s.	Poor in New Zealand, where successive populations are being completely fished out. Good in Australia. Nonexistent in international waters.	Significant. The trawls used to catch orange roughies cause serious damage to ocean-floor habitat.
	Groupers	Overfishing threatens this large tribe of predominantly tropical species. Fishing in some spawning areas has depleted many populations. Groupers change sex with age, so heavy fishing -- which takes most of the old fish -- can wipe out an entire sex.	The Nassau grouper is one of the few ocean fishes ever proposed for listing in the U.S. as an endangered species. Many other species are overfished and depleted.	Poor. Many groupers, especially in the tropics, are taken in unregulated fisheries. Management in the southeastern U.S. is improving.	High. Groupers are frequently caught with wire traps, which keep killing even if lost at sea. Bycatch is also high from hook and line. Juvenile groupers tossed back into the sea don't necessarily survive, because pressure changes cause injury when they are hauled up from deep water.
	Atlantic groundfishes (Atlantic cod, haddock, pollack, "scrod," yellowtail flounder, monkfish)	These species are mainly caught off Newfoundland, New England, and Europe. After several decades of overfishing and mismanagement, their collapse probably ranks as the world's greatest fishery-management disaster.	Overfished and depleted, to the point of disrupting fishing communities in New England and Canada.	Poor. Mortality rates are high in many areas, such as the Gulf of Maine. In large areas that have recently been closed to fishing, depleted populations are slowly increasing.	High. The bottom-trawl nets used for these species sometimes entail the highest rates of bycatch of any fishery, except shrimping. The nets also scour the seabed, which degrades the habitat, lowering the potential for recovery in vast areas.
	Scallops	Two varieties are usually sold: sea scallops, which are from deeper waters, and bay scallops, from shallow East Coast estuaries. Some scallops are farmed.	Atlantic sea scallops are overfished and depleted. Bay scallops are having trouble with harmful algal blooms.	Generally poor. Varies on a regional basis.	High. Dredging for scallops takes many other species and severely disrupts habitat on the ocean's bottom. The exception is farmed scallops, which are grown indoors.
	Salmons (one Atlantic species, six Pacific species)	Nearly all salmon hatch in rivers and grow in the sea, then return to the river to spawn. They are native only to the Northern Hemisphere but have been introduced to South America, New Zealand, and the Great Lakes. Nearly half of all salmon sold is farmed.	Healthy in Alaska; most wild salmon elsewhere are in severe trouble. Several salmon populations are listed as endangered, and many are extinct.	Good in Alaska; poor elsewhere. Salmon are most at risk not from fishers -- who are the chief economic force behind their protection -- but from logging, agriculture, and dams.	Low bycatch. But salmon farming pollutes, displaces wild fish, and prompts the shooting of predatory seals near farms.
	Tunas (five major species: bluefin, bigeye, yellowfin, albacore, skipjack)	Almost all large bluefins are shipped to Japan for sushi. There, bluefins are often worth $10,000 to $20,000 each (the record is $80,000), making them one of the world's most valuable animals. Canned "white tuna" is albacore; "chunk light" is yellowfin or skipjack.	Bluefins are severely overfished. Bigeyes, yellowfins, and albacores are declining in some regions. Skipjack populations are still large.	Poor in the Atlantic, where populations are most depleted. Current management in the Pacific is not adequate to prevent future depletion.	Moderate. Tunas sold in the U.S. must be "dolphin-safe" (no dolphins killed), but many dolphin-safe netting methods catch juvenile tunas and unwanted species. Bigeyes and Atlantic yellowfins are often taken on high-bycatch longlines. Troll-caught tuna is OK.
	Pacific rockfishes (more than 50 species)	Pacific rockfishes are a valuable commodity on the West Coast. Often marketed as Pacific red snapper.	Poorly known for many species. Pacific rockfishes are especially vulnerable to overfishing: They can live more than 100 years and may take decades to recover.	Fair to poor. But overfishing of a number of key species is now forcing managers to sharply reduce the catch.	Moderate. Pacific rockfishes are caught with either nets or longlines, both of which also take a number of other sea creatures.
	Snappers	Snappers are a very large, widely distributed group; most live in the tropics or subtropics. The two best known are yellowtail snapper (not to be confused with Pacific yellowtail, called hamachi in sushi bars) and red snapper.	Red snapper is depleted. The status of yellowtail snapper is unknown, but it is probably in fair shape.	Fisheries are unmonitored in most countries. Management in the U.S. is generally poor. Red snapper is overfished in the U.S., primarily because shrimp nets kill billions of juveniles.	High. Fishing for snappers entails significant bycatch of juveniles and nontargeted species.
	Clams, oysters	Clams and oysters are a big, diverse group living throughout the world; there is a vast array of fisheries and methods for catching them. Many clams and oysters are farm-raised.	Some populations are strong; others are depleted.	The adequacy of management and monitoring varies widely from region to region.	Significant. Taking shellfish often involves serious destruction of habitat on the ocean bottom. But many farmed oysters, especially on the West Coast, are grown on racks, which does not affect the bottom.
	Lobsters (two types: American, or "Maine," and various spiny lobster species)	Relatively slow growth and late maturation leave lobsters vulnerable to heavy fishing pressure.	American lobsters are overfished, though not depleted. Spiny lobsters are overfished in many parts of the tropics.	Poor for spiny lobsters. Intense fishing pressure takes nearly all American lobsters as soon as they attain legal size, leaving the species vulnerable to one bad year of reproduction.	Low. Most American lobsters are caught in habitat-friendly, low-bycatch traps. In some tropical countries the main bycatch is fishers themselves, who dive with bad equipment and little training; they often get the bends.
	Summer flounder (a.k.a. fluke)	This East Coast flatfish inhabits estuaries in summer and deep waters on the continental shelf in winter.	Increasing from very low levels.	Good. Strict management is resulting in a recovery, although the summer flounder is still considered overfished.	Moderate. Bottom-trawl nets are hard on habitat and take moderate to high bycatch. There's less bycatch and no habitat damage if the fish is caught on a rod and reel.
	Halibuts (three species: Atlantic, California, Pacific)	Largest of the flounderlike flatfishes. Atlantic and Pacific halibuts can reach 700 pounds.	Severely depleted in the Atlantic by trawl nets that target fish from the cod family and others. Halibuts are faring better in the Pacific, especially off Alaska.	No regulation in the Atlantic; halibuts are well managed off the Pacific coast.	High in the Atlantic, from bottom-trawl nets, and off California, from gill nets. Little bycatch in Alaska's well-managed longline fishery. Alaska longliners asked for regulations requiring devices to prevent albatrosses from getting hooked -- a big plus.
	Dolphinfish (a.k.a. mahimahi or dorado)	Found in offshore waters in the tropics and subtropics, the acrobatic dolphinfish is probably the world's most beautiful fish. Its vibrant colors -- yellow, green, and blue -- flash in life but fade upon death.	Widespread and abundant. The dolphinfish is fast-growing and highly fecund.	Poor. Virtually no management anywhere, even though fishing is intensifying in some areas -- largely to make up for the depletion of billfishes and tunas.	Moderate. In U.S. waters, most are caught by anglers using a rod and reel. However, the increasing use of longlines is causing higher bycatch.
	Bluefish	Recreational anglers catch more of this active, voracious species than any other on the East Coast. Bluefish appear subject to large fluctuations in their natural population.	Technically overfished. Bluefish have declined from very high populations in the 1980s, because of overfishing and also, perhaps, declines in availability of prey.	Fair. One of the very few fish for which a management plan was enacted before problems began. Regulators are now addressing overfishing.	Low. Most bluefish are caught on a rod and reel.
	Mackerels (many species, including Atlantic, Pacific, Spanish, and king)	Mackerels are related to tunas and are found worldwide in warm and temperate seas. Many are important prey for other fish.	Most mackerels are in the safe zone. But the king mackerel is overfished in the Gulf of Mexico.	Variable. Some species are well managed, others not. King, Atlantic, and Spanish mackerels have all been overfished in the past. Management has generally improved.	Low to moderate in offshore purse-seine nets and coastal gill nets.
	Squids	Many species exist worldwide, in habitats ranging from shallow bays to abyssal depths.	Squids are generally abundant, because they mature fast. High fecundity allows them to withstand heavy fishing pressure.	Highly variable. Squid fisheries are generally well-managed off the East Coast of the U.S. But the lack of management off the West Coast is raising concerns about overfishing.	Low to moderate. Some commercial squid fisheries use nets; others, hook and line. New methods can reduce bycatch because fish behave differently from squid when encountering nets.
	Crabs	A very large and diverse group from many regions. They inhabit shallow to deep water.	Though crabs are generally in good shape, they are suffering from pollution in certain regions. Alaska king crabs are overfished.	Mostly good, particularly for Dungeness crabs. Poor for Alaska king crabs.	Low for most species. But the king and tanner crab fisheries in the Bering Sea entail high bycatch.
	Striped bass	Abundant, after severe depletion in the 1980s. Half of all fish sold now are farmed, and the share may soon increase to 75 percent. Striped bass farms tend to be relatively benign, because they grow the fish in tanks, where water pollution is controllable and the fish can't escape.	The striped bass remains abundant on its native East Coast. On the West Coast, where it was introduced in the 1800s, it is suffering from damage to its habitat.	Good. This is the greatest success story in fishery management, achieved through fishery closures, lower catch limits, and increased protection of juveniles.	Most nets used for wild striped bass entail moderate bycatch. Bycatch is not an issue if striped bass is farmed in tanks.
	Species or Group	Background	Status	Management	Bycatch & Habitat Concerns
Compiled by Carl Safina, Ph.D., director of the National Audubon Society's Living Oceans Program Research assistance by Rachel X. Weissman ©1998 Audubon magazine (To order, call 800-274-4201.)		The number of fish -- from one (low) to three (relatively high) -- denotes the status of the population(s).	An upward arrow means good management; sideways, fair; downward, poor.	The number of hooks -- from one (low) to three (high) -- indicates the number of other marine animals unintentionally killed in catching this fish, as well as other negative effects of the fishery.