Fish Tales - When Organic May Not Be Organic
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Fish Tales
When Organic May Not Be Organic
Official designation of fish—farm-raised or wild-caught—as "organic" is years away. Domestic farmers say the new U.S. Department of Agriculture rules can’t come soon enough. Debate continues over loosely-defined and often arbitrary labeling practices broad enough for abuse. Meanwhile much of the supply for escalating U.S. seafood sales continues to come from overseas, mainly from China.
While most consumers say they prefer wild-caught fish, 72 percent would buy organic fish at least some of the time, reports a recent survey by the New Jersey Department of Agriculture and Rutgers. Yet, currently, only farm-raised fish where food is controlled can qualify as organic. As Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska queries, "If you can’t call a wild Alaska salmon true and organic, what can you call organic?"
The conundrum intensifies considering that salmon are carnivores. Raising and rating vegetarians like catfish and tilapia is a bit more clear cut. "What it comes down to is that organic is about agriculture, and catching wild animals isn’t agriculture," observes Rebecca J. Goldburg, a senior scientist at Environmental Defense.
For current assessment of fishes see KidSafeSeafood.org and mbayaq.org/cr/seafoodwatch.asp.
