What does sustainably sourced seafood mean?

Overfishing is warming the world's oceans, decimating fish populations, and even leading some scientists to predict that by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the sea, which means that now is a critical moment to reconsider human consumption of marine animals.

In recent years, certifications such as «sustainable seafood» have grown in popularity. Yet the long list of problems in the fishing industry is enough to give any environmentalist pause for thought: what does sustainable seafood actually mean? Are sustainable fishery products really that much better for the environment? Or is sustainable seafood merely a form of greenwashing?

What is seafood?

Seafood refers to all aquatic animals that humans kill in order to eat. This includes primarily various species of fish (e.g. tuna, salmon, trout and mackerel) and shellfish (e.g. lobster, shrimp, clams and mussels).

Most fish are caught from the sea using trawl nets, which employ large nets to collect marine animals. Unfortunately, this method is inherently unsustainable, as it causes unimaginable quantities of plastic to enter the oceans, and bycatch is almost always a consequence.

What is bycatch?

Bycatch occurs when trawl nets (enormous nets dragged through the ocean by boats, often the size of football fields) accidentally catch marine creatures that are not the target species, such as sea turtles, seabirds, dolphins, porpoises, whales, sharks and juvenile fish. Animals caught as bycatch typically perish because they become entangled in the nets or drown.

According to Oceana an estimated 40% of all marine animals caught worldwide are bycatch. It is also estimated that trawlers can catch up to 10 kilos of bycatch for every kilo of fish.

What is sustainable seafood?

When seafood packaging states that its contents are certified as sustainable, this means that the fish has been declared sustainably caught by either an organisation, a private company, or a government agency.

Essentially, “sustainable seafood” means that the fishing industry claims to make efforts to kill fish in a manner and at a scale that our oceans can sustain.

However, one must not forget that the fishing industry, like any other sector of the economy, exists primarily for economic reasons. The 2021 documentary Seaspiracy examined the popular Dolphin Safe label. According to the film, the label is essentially just a marketing strategy, with a former employee even describing the company as “fraud”.

Is there truly such a thing as sustainable seafood?

What gives people the right, in light of the alarming decline in fish populations, to remove fish from the oceans at all? If people were to drastically reduce the extraction of fish from the seas, we could help to restore biodiversity in the oceans, halt the warming of the seas, and mitigate the climate crisis.

A landmark study by the University of Oxford from 2018 concluded that a vegan diet is the single most important lifestyle choice an individual can make for the benefit of the environment.

Beyond the sustainability aspects, there are also ethical and health considerations. Fish can feel pain, just like land animals. Once caught, fish typically remain trapped in trawl nets or are thrown on ice, where they slowly freeze or suffocate. Not to mention that fish contains cholesterol, mercury, other pollutants, and even plastic.

Plant-based seafood is a delicious, sustainable alternative to eating fish. Fortunately, there are countless vegan fish products on the market, and they have come a long way.

You can help all animals and our planet with compassion. Choose compassion on your plate and in your glass. Go vegan.