The "Dirty Dozen" Fish

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Sep 10th 2010 @ 1:00PM

seafood counter Photo: Mr. T in DC, Flickr

You've seen the "dirty dozen" list for produce -- fruits and vegetables that are laden with pesticides, making it worth the cost of buying organic. But did you know there's also a dirty dozen list for fish? Food & Water Watch -- a non-profit group that works to ensure the food, water and fish we consume is safe, accessible and sustainably produced -- publishes an annual "do not eat" list.

Why is it noteworthy? As Barry Estabrook, writer at The Atlantic, explains in a recent article, "Seafood guides tend to focus either on species that should be avoided for reasons related to environmental health (overfishing) or species that should be avoided for reasons related to human health (their flesh is contaminated with chemicals). Food and Water Watch publishes a useful guide that takes both concerns into account."

The below fish fail at least two of their criteria for safe and sustainable seafood. The five criteria are: contaminants; status of the stock; catch method or farming method; economic/social/cultural significance (a community predominantly fishes for this species and depends on it); and key species (it's a primary food source for other wildlife or does it create critical habitat for other wildlife).

• Imported catfish
• Caviar from wild-caught sturgeon
• Atlantic cod
• American eel
• Atlantic flounder, sole, and halibut
• Imported king crab
• Imported shrimp
• Farmed salmon
• Chilean seabass
• Shark
• Atlantic bluefin tuna

The good news? Food & Water Watch offers a downloadable wallet-size guide to "smart" seafood, and also has resources on the site to help you find sustainable alternatives based on your fish tastes (mild, thick and flavorful, etc.).

Filed Under: Food News, Eco-Friendly
Tags: bluefin tuna, BluefinTuna, catfish, cod, Dirty Dozen, DirtyDozen, eel, farmed salmon, FarmedSalmon, halibut, king crab, KingCrab, SeaBass, shark, sturgeon, sustainable, Sustainable fish, sustainable fishing, SustainableFish, SustainableFishing

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 2)

9-12-2010 @11:20AM Fish Phd said... Gotta speak on "shark" it depends on species. Spiny dogfish are doing well, but larger sharks aren't. If you're served dogfish as shark (they're taking over in places), it's not the same as pelagic sharks which you might be eating as shark fin.

From what I can see on Atlantic flounder, the fights are more about allocation - there's a big battle between recreational and commercial fishermen, with high demand from the recreational side.

This is from somebody with background in fisheries and marine policy.
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9-13-2010 @11:21AM bigO said... Super Lame article with no specific reasons why this is a list of "dirty Fish". I enjoy some of these interesting articles but this one "Smells like a bad fish!"

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9-13-2010 @7:33AM insightful guru said... This is really lame when they give a list of reasons that is so non-specific. What do you mean, 'farming method?' What farming method is ok and what is not OK? Define your terms or how can I know if I agree with your conclusions!?!

So I went to the actual website. Just as lame. It gives some more reasons, but they are simply theoretical and not backed up by specific statistics with references.
Completely lame. If you are going to make a supposedly-scientific statement, you have got to back yourself up. Otherwise I can equally claim the moon is made of green cheese.
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9-13-2010 @9:19AM kevin said... Well, anyway, my doctor agrees with the article. He says more people are starting to show higher levels of mercury in their blood. So I've nixed my weekly tuna fish sandwich.

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9-13-2010 @8:18AM Ted said... whoever put this list together should do some actual research before they write such trash. All farmed fish is condisered sustainable since you know exactly how much product is being put to market. Maybe take a look at the Monteray Bay Aquarium' s list of "safe seafood" and you will plainly see that wild Halibut is on there. The environmentalist hippies are trying to srcew everything up that we like just out of spite, and this atricle proves it.
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9-13-2010 @9:01AM Brian said... Maryanne. Ted was expressing his opinion, not trying to win a spelling bee. We still got his point. I'll bet you were the tattle-tale in school with no friends... Lighten up...

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9-13-2010 @9:10AM Fishy said... Maryanne, you only attack the spelling not the idea. Are you one of those environmentalist hippies.

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9-13-2010 @8:29AM gde said... The "list" has been made worthless by intermixing what is humanly unhealthy to eat, ... and what is on the list because it is bad for other reasons. ...
The "Dirty Dozen" list should ONLY be a list of what is unhealthy for humans ... for it to have any merit.
Poor call, "Food and Water Watch"
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9-13-2010 @9:45AM fixinbooboos said... Couldnt agree with you more....the title is catchy but inaccurate. It teases you to read yet another piece of trash that wasn't worth opening. Why can't we have fact rather than fiction when writing online? Does this count for 'publication' under someone's microscope?

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9-13-2010 @8:39AM terry said... I am curious.. in your third paragraph, what is a 'below fish'?? Not only are your selections of fish for the dirty dozen list tainted by lack of scientific data, your grammar isn't so good either.
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9-13-2010 @8:47AM emma said... don't say we ALL eat anything. some of us are intelligent enough to be vegetarian. a true vegetarian -- or as the world now calls us -- VEGAN -- wouldn't tough filth like that. get a handle on your use of the words, "We ALL," do anything.
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9-13-2010 @8:50AM Brian said... You guys are right. Not enough information here to understand what is good or bad and WHY. At least it will make us do more of our own research.
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9-13-2010 @9:39AM TEVA said... This article really managed to clutter the issue. It seems as if it had very little to do with what is healthy. I want to know what fish are bad for your health and that seemed to be a minor concern
in the list of dirty dozen fish.
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9-13-2010 @9:50AM Vinnie said... I know nothing more after reading this than I knew before. As a glass half full kinda person, at least I got a chuckle out of the responses. Outside of that, let's be a little more prudent in publishing than something my kindergartener could have cut and pasted.
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9-13-2010 @10:26AM cathy said... I suppose this is a catchy headline. But, like many others here I would like to know exactly what is harmful for my family. I'm not up on all these eco terms and maybe I'm just ignorant but I do know what the term research means, and I don't see much in this article. http://newsy1.wordpress.com
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9-13-2010 @10:31AM PRUSH said... YOUR ARTICLE IS TRASH. EATING FISH IS MUCH HEALTHIER THAN READING YOUR DRIVLE.
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9-13-2010 @10:25AM Bill said... Hey guys, this all "candy" for the paranoid.
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9-13-2010 @10:29AM codeofhonor138 said... hey guru-"farm means chemicals-tetrac/steriods++++ usually imported Chinese go figure?. Cali has banned,florida is about to.... these chemically induced with how many other chems. Bottom feeder / junk fish -catfish, missing is spanish mackeral,flounder =bottom again Safer is amberjack, pompano a middle level runner of the waters,yellowfin tuna/snapper. grouper scamp( asmaller version) and certainly NOT THE LARGER OLDER-for their species because worms are inevitable.
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