"Organic" fish and seafood?

[Bastelmutti]

Dumb question - What does it mean when fish or seafood is labeled "organic"? I was at a restaurant recently that had organic salmon. How does that differ from regular salmon. I do understand the difference between farmed and wild-caught.

[KayLR]

Farmed fish are raised by someone, in manmade ponds. Wild-caught are just that, caught in the ocean or rivers in their natural habitat. I would guess one could farm-raise salmon by feeding them only organic food. That is, with no preservatives, etc. Not really sure on that.

[ApatheticNoMore]

I think it's a scam. I don't think there is any legally defined organic labeling for fish (and organic is a legal definition). I can certainly see how farmed fish could be fed organically or not, but I have never seen this labeling (on farmed fish at Whole Foods I've seen "sustainably farmed". This has no legal definition either, but I have no real reason to believe they are lying).

[sweetana3]

Salmon:
"Nearly all salmon Americans eat are farm-raised -- grown in dense-packed pens near ocean shores, fed fish meal that can be polluted with toxic PCB chemicals, awash in excrement flushed out to sea and infused with antibiotics to combat unsanitary conditions. Some salmon are raised on farms that use more sustainable methods, but you can't tell from the packaging.

Eating farmed salmon occasionally is not a great health concern, but risks can add up if you eat salmon often. But the long-term environmental damage caused by the industry is substantial. We recommend wild salmon over farmed whenever possible."

A 2003 report by the EWG showed that farmed salmon in the U.S. has the highest levels of PCBs, toxic man-made chemicals, so Canadian salmon may be slightly better. I suggest that you limit farmed salmon consumption to once a week at most if you are unable to find fresh, wild salmon. In addition, trim the skin and fat as much as possible and use cooking methods such as grilling and boiling to reduce fat, as this is where the toxics are stored.

There are a lot of other articles.

But a proposed guideline at the Agriculture Department for calling certain farmed fish “organic” is controversial on all sides. Environmentalists argue that many farm-raised fish live in cramped nets in conditions that can pollute the water, and that calling them organic is a perversion of the label. Those who catch and sell wild fish say that their products should be called organic and worry that if they are not, fish farmers will gain a huge leg up.

Even among people who favor the designation of farmed fish as organic, there are disputes over which types of fish should be included.

Trying to define what makes a fish organic “is a strange concept,” said George H. Leonard, science manager for the Seafood Watch Program at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which offers a consumer guide to picking seafood. “I think the more you look at it, particularly for particular kinds of fish, it gets even stranger.”

The issue comes down largely to what a fish eats, and whether the fish can be fed an organic diet. There is broad agreement that the organic label is no problem for fish that are primarily vegetarians, like catfish and tilapia, because organic feed is available (though expensive).

Another one:

For the first time, a federal advisory board has approved criteria that clear the way for farmed fish to be labeled "organic," a move that pleased aquaculture producers even as it angered environmentalists and consumer advocates.

The question of whether farmed fish could be labeled organic -- especially carnivorous species such as salmon that live in open-ocean net pens and consume vast amounts of smaller fish -- has vexed scientists and federal regulators for years. The standards approved yesterday by the National Organic Standards Board would allow organic fish farmers to use wild fish as part of their feed mix provided it did not exceed 25 percent of the total and did not come from forage species, such as menhaden, that have declined sharply as the demand for farmed fish has skyrocketed.

"Finally, maybe there's a light at the end of the tunnel in terms of defining what's organic," said Wally Stevens, executive director of the Global Aquaculture Alliance. "The challenge is to figure out how we can produce a healthy protein product with a proper regard to where the feed comes from."

Environmentalists and consumer advocates blasted the recommendations, which would serve as the basis for regulations to be issued by the Agriculture Department. Activists questioned why up to 25 percent of fish feed could be made up of non-organic material, while all other animals certified as organic must eat 100 percent organic feed. They also noted that open-net pens can harm the environment by allowing fish waste and disease to pollute the ocean.

You will need to make up your own mind. I feel better making a variety of protein choices and not eating one thing a lot.

[Bastelmutti]

Eek. We are in the Midwest & fish at stores is just not super-fresh, so the only types we eat are canned wild-caught salmon and the occasional frozen tilapia or shrimp. After reading that, I think that's what I will stick with! And your reply reflected what I was thinking about the organic seafood issue - how is that even possible as a label. Thanks!

[IshbelRobertson]

It's NOT A SCAM here in the UK! Most of our salmon is raised in 'fish farms' where they are fed on pelleted foodstuffs. They have that strange, bright pinky-orange hue. Farmed or wild salmon are a very pale, almost peach colour. I only buy organic salmon. Fish from the sea? Well, it's organic!

[Bastelmutti]

I was thinking it basically meant "fish from the sea" but then see above. And what about fish like swordfish that is so high in mercury? I wonder about calling that organic at all.

[IshbelRobertson]

I only eat fish from our colder, northern waters, Bastelmutti. I was told so many horror stories in Australia last year about the levels of pollution from so much of their imported fish, mostly from Asia and with proven levels of pollution, that it gave me the willies!