How to Be a Conscious Eater

which is especially useful if you’re not sure where an item

stands in Seafood Watch’s book. You can find it at the fish

counter and on fish products, supplements (like fish oil), and

even pet food.

What it doesn’t mean: That the same standards apply to farmed

fish and seafood. For those, refer to Seafood Watch, again,

or to the Aquaculture Stewardship Council’s certification

scheme.

Who’s behind it: Marine Stewardship Council, a UK-based

organization that developed the first certification for wild,

sustainable seafood

Why it’s legit: To be certified, fisheries must meet twenty-

eight carefully audited criteria across three key principles

that make up their definition of sustainable: fish caught

from stocks whose populations are thriving, in ways that

minimally impact the surrounding environment, and from

regions where fishery management is up to snuff. No wonder

Monterey Bay Aquarium endorses them, since their standards

are clearly aligned.

AQUACULTURE STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL CERTIFICATION

What it means: It provides

third-party assurance that

farmed fish and seafood

products have been certified

as environmentally sustainable

and socially responsible, which is especially useful if you’re

not sure where an item stands in Seafood Watch’s book. Their

strict standards minimize the impact of fish farming on water

quality and surrounding habitats and marine life, require

responsible disease management, and enforce fair wages

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