Ever since WWF launched its first fish guide in 2002, farmed salmon in sea cages has been given a yellow light, which means avoid. But a new, land-based method gets a green light in this year's update of the Fish Guide.
The risk of escapees and the spread of diseases to marine ecosystems is reduced for natural reasons on land, which contributes to farmed salmon being considered okay to eat. The cod-like Alaska pollock, which is fished in the Bering Sea, is also upgraded from yellow to green this year.
It's not so big changes in the Fish Guide from year to year, and that's actually the problem. We want to see a shift, that more species that are on yellow and red should move towards green, says Inger Melander, fish expert at WWF.
Labeling is not enough
Other green fish are saithe fished with longline at Iceland and in the North Atlantic, saithe trawled at the Faroe Islands, and line-caught tonggol tuna from the Pacific Ocean.
Another change is white tuna, or albacore as it is also called, which gets a green light as long as it is fished in the southern Pacific Ocean. However, one should be cautious, as the one fished in the northern Pacific Ocean has instead moved from green to yellow due to inefficient management and bycatch problems.
As a conscious consumer, one should first look at the packaging and compare with the Fish Guide, according to WWF. Environmental labels such as MSC, ASC, and Krav can be used as a second option.
But they are not to be equated with the green light. We do not think that these three certifications always necessarily represent sustainable fishing or aquaculture, says Melander.
"A lot of traffic"
If you want to achieve the National Food Agency's recommendations to eat fish two to three times a week, you should aim for the green-labeled fish. Yellow-labeled fish can be okay to eat three to four times per species and year.
If you make sure to vary – and dare to try different fish and shellfish species – you can most likely ensure that you can fulfill the National Food Agency's recommendations, says Melander.
Considering that the Fish Guide has existed for 22 years – does it have any significance?
Yes, it is used. We have a lot of web traffic. But those who really care, which I think is very positive, are the industry. Several food chains have, for example, written into their sustainability policy that they strive to follow WWF's Fish Guide, says Melander.
Ten fish species get a red light, which means they should not be eaten. These are eel, sea eel, shark, ray, Swedish crayfish, Argentine red shrimp, Chilean shrimp, glans shrimp, flounder/skädda, and Pacific halibut.
31 fish species get either a red or yellow light. The yellow-labeled ones stand for avoid, and should be eaten at most three to four times a year. These include, among others, haddock, pike, pikeperch, marulk, redfish, red tongue, swordfish, cod, and ling.
