Sustainable Seafood: What to Eat and What to Avoid

Our guide to the most and least sustainable seafood species in the sea.

What are the best (and worst) fish to eat for the planet’s health? Here’s a guide to help you decide. For more information on sustainable species and to download a seafood guide for your region, visit seafoodwatch.org or download Monterey Bay Aquarium’s free Seafood Watch app.

Best Choices

1. Bass: striped (US hook & line, farmed)
2. Catfish (US)
3. Clams, mussels, and oysters
4. Sablefish/black cod
5. Salmon (wild Alaskan)
6. Sardines (Pacific)
7. Shrimp (wild Alaskan, US farmed)
8. Tilapia (US and Ecuador)
9. Trout: rainbow (US farmed)
10. Tuna: albacore/white canned (US and Canada, troll, pole), skipjack/light canned (FAD free,US troll, pole) and yellowfin (US troll, pole)

See also Good Catch: How to Find the Healthiest Eco-friendly Fish

Worst Choices

1. Abalone (China and Japan only)
2. Crab: canned (imported)
3. Mahi Mahi (imported; US and Ecuador are OK)
4. Orange roughy
5. Rockfish (Canada trawl)
6. Salmon (farmed Atlantic)
7. Sharks
8. Squid (imported; US is OK)
9. Swordfish (imported; US is OK)
10. Tuna: albacore/white canned (except Canada & US troll, pole, and US longline), bluefin & skipjack/light canned (imported longline and purse seine), and yellowfin (except troll, pole, and US longline)

See also 3 Simple Seafood Shopping Strategies