Food for thought... a guide to eating with a clear conscience

Swordfish is the latest to join the list of guilt-inducing foods. So just what can we eat these days? Felicity Lawrence offers a handy cribsheet

Thursday February 20, 2003
The Guardian

Tuna

Environment
All commercially fished species of tuna (above) are endangered. Southern bluefin are critically endangered. Tuna fishing, especially for yellowfin with nets, still commonly results in the death of dolphins. Line-caught tuna is preferable but the Marine Conservation Society puts tuna on its top 20 list of fish to avoid because of overfishing and damage to marine habitats.

Health
Uncontaminated fish oils help,prevent heart disease. Unfortunately, oily fish such as tuna contains traces of mercury, dioxins, PCBs (cancer-causing toxins) and organochlorine pesticides such as DDT. The food standards agency warns pregnant women to eat only one portion of fresh or two tins of tinned a week. Tinned has lower concentrations of contaminants but this is because most of the good oil has been squeezed out for animal feed.

Social impact
As stocks in the ocean dwindle, tuna are being increasingly sea-farmed in in the Mediterranean and Pacific. Independent fishermen who owned their own boats in the past are now dependent on poorly paid labouring jobs on fish farms. The craze for sushi has put particular pressure on bluefin tuna stocks.

Animal health
Farming of migratory fish is condemned by welfare groups such as Compassion in World Farming as cruel and liable to encourage disease and parasites.

Verdict
Avoid all species except skipjack, and make sure it is dolphin-friendly.

Full article: Guardian