Smart seafood selections

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Seafood has long been praised for its nutritional virtues, particularly for its high levels of protein and omega-3 fatty acids and low levels of saturated fat.

Chefs and home cooks extol its versatility. As a result, Americans are eating seafood at an escalating rate. The National Marine Fisheries Service estimates we are consuming about 16 pounds of seafood per person, per year. Yet only recently has it occurred to most of us that bringing large quantities of seafood to our tables can damage the delicate ecosystem of our oceans and seas.

Responding to high demand, many seafood producers are abandoning ecologically friendly fishing practices and adopting methods that destroy the ocean floor, take in too much by-catch (seafood that trawling nets collect by mistake), and deny slow-growing species time to regenerate. The result is that some of our favorite seafood is in danger of extinction.

The Fisheries Service estimates that 92 domestic fish stocks are overfished, but declining wild populations can recover if their breeding habitats are protected and fishing methods are used that prevent overfishing, by-catch and habitat destruction.

Fish farming, also called aquaculture, is one alternative, but it, too, is controversial because of the possible harm it causes by releasing waste into rivers and oceans. There also is concern that farmed fish might escape their habitats and spread disease and destroy wild genetic strains by mating in the wild.

This does not mean that seafood lovers must cut fish from their diets. Informed consumers can exercise responsible buying power, whether they're eating at home or in restaurants, and choose fish that are plentiful.

If you live near a fresh seafood supplier, get to know the people there and ask questions. Ask how, when and where the fish were caught. If you decide to use only fresh, seasonal and sustainably caught or raised fish, you probably will have to be flexible in deciding what to make for dinner. However, because fish are so versatile, it is unlikely that selecting only sustainable fish will derail meal planning.

Various online guides offer printable wallet cards that can be carried along for reference. The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Program has an online seafood guide called Seafood Watch. It is searchable by region and also has a printable wallet card at www.seafoodwatch.org.

The Blue Ocean Institute, a nonprofit ocean conservation organization, has a similar guide as part of its From Sea to Table program at www.blueoceaninstitute.org/From_Sea_to_Table/25.

Cookbooks, too, sometimes provide details on the state of the oceans and how our eating habits affect the ecosystem. "One Fish, Two Fish, Crawfish, Bluefish: The Smithsonian Sustainable Seafood Cookbook" (Smithsonian Books) is one good resource. "The Sustainable Kitchen" (New Society Publishers) is another.