Sea life

Karey Burek Photo

I haven’t had a good piece of fish, or anything from the ocean for that matter, in a really long time. When we would vacation to Sanibel Island when I was younger, I was a blur with the peel-and-eat shrimp. I probably ate my weight in seafood—don’t get me started on the al-you-can-eat steamed crab legs. But my relationship with seafood has changed over the years; we don’t get along as well as we used to. The main reason is because I have learned too much about toxins in fish and overfishing resulting in destruction of habitat.  These things have caused me to get a queasy stomach whenever I think about eating anything from the sea, gulf, ocean or lake.
The Ocean Project is one of my main resources for the “how-to” on fish consumption. For instance, did you know that large fish that are at the top of the food chain (like tuna, swordfish, shark and sea bass) accumulate toxins and heavy metals including mercury? These contaminants are in the flesh of the fish and come from land-based pollution and cooking does not get rid of them! I always thought you could cook out the bad, but I was wrong.  Even farmed salmon, which I learned about in Alaska, is bad news because they can also harbor organic pollutants. So what is safe to eat? The Ocean Project suggests smaller “schooling” fishies like sardines and anchovies—I might have to give those a try.

Whenever you shop for your seafood fix, always make sure that it is sustainable. You can visit The Ocean Project website to get a checklist for your next fish BBQ.  The “sustainable” seafood is fished in a way that makes sure the habitat and environment is not harmed, leaving a lot of fish behind so that the population still grows. Another suggestion, which shouldn’t be too hard for those of us living close to the water, is to buy locally caught fish. Imagine how far food has to travel to make it to our stores?  The greenhouse gases produced by the shipping of seafood from faraway causes tremendous pollution. By eating something caught locally, you are not only helping the economy in your community, but you are protecting the ecosystems and reefs. Not bad for just choosing the right fish fillet.     
 

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