Edible Ocean Fish

Most of the fish sold in the market come from the sea, called saltwater fish. While there are hundreds of saltwater fish species, not all are good to eat, so it is essential to know which ones are edible and which are not.

Below are some of the best tasting and nutritious sea fish I recommend you try throughout the years, including fish.

What sea fish can you eat? It is safe to eat Alaskan salmon, cod, swordfish, orange roughy, herring, mahi-mahi, mackerel, perch, rainbow trout, sardines, Chilean sea bass, tuna, wild Alaskan pollock, Arctic char, and eel. But make sure to consume only the recommended amount.

Saltwater Fish That You Can Eat

Alaskan Salmon

The Alaskan salmon is one of the best-tasting saltwater fish that you can find. It is considered a fatty fish because its body mass contains 5% more fat than its weight, and it is ideal for dry-heat cooking techniques like grilling and sauteing.

Like any other fatty saltwater fish, the fat content of the Alaskan salmon varies. But generally, farmed fish contain higher fat content than those caught in the wild.

Meanwhile, farmed salmon is a cheaper option. It might be fattier than wild-caught salmon, but it could also contain fewer omega-3s, minerals, and vitamins.

Overall, salmon is a tasty option for a healthy diet. Aim for wild-caught variety if your budget is flexible. You can try grilled salmon with sweet-tangy glaze among the best salmon dishes. It is easy to prepare and is mouthwatering.

Cod

Another sea fish you can eat is cod. Unlike salmon, cod is considered lean, which means it contains less than 5% fat by weight. All lean fish are ideal for cooking using wet techniques like poaching, steaming, and rich, creamy sauces.

Cod is characterized as a flaky white fish having a good amount of niacin, phosphorus, and vitamin B-12. A 3-ounce cooked cod is packed with 15 to 20 grams of healthy protein.

This saltwater fish has a very mild and milky taste. Atlantic cod, for example, is a little softer and sweeter than the Pacific cod, which is savory and firm.

You would like to add flavor to this saltwater fish using spices, herbs, and citrus as it tastes mild. Texture-wise, the cod is flaky, nice, and firm enough to be cooked well with boiling and baking. It also cooks in under 15 minutes, and to test when it’s done, use a fork and see if it flakes in one touch.

Swordfish

Another lean saltwater fish you can eat is the swordfish. The distinct feature of this fish is its sword-like bills, sticking out from its upper jaws that it utilizes to slash its prey.

Swordfish are enormous, having an average weight of 50 to 200 pounds. It also has meaty, dense, nearly boneless flesh that is either pink or white.

If you want a fresh-tasting swordfish, try to catch it from August to October, as these months are the ideal time to catch them. It will also taste delicious when pan-roasted using compound butter.

Like cod, swordfish has a mild and a little sweet taste. It provides a moist texture that is usually compared to beef steak. Also, you can tell that it is cooked when its pink or white meat turns beige.

Orange Roughy

This saltwater fish is another lean fish on the list. It features a white, moist flesh that becomes flaky in texture and mild sweetness when cooked.

Orange Roughy is found in Australia and New Zealand and belongs to the slimehead family. It is also slow to mature and can live for over a hundred years.

This saltwater fish features a delicate, mild, slightly sweet flavor similar to pollock or tilapia when properly cooked. Some people also compare its taste and white flesh to a lobster called “poor man’s lobster.”

In addition, it has a moderate oil content, allowing it not to overcook easily. When buying orange roughy, choose the one with whiter meat to avoid low-quality ingredients.

Herring

You might have tasted herring before, and it is one of the best sea fish you can eat. So this fatty fish is quite similar to sardines, and many usually confuse the two with each other.

For instance, the two have a similar distinct flavor when eaten fresh. Herring also has oily meat, flaking off in moist chunks like sardines.

The fatty, rich meat of herring makes it satisfying and coats the palate. One way to get the best out of this saltwater fish is to smoke it. This technique will give a pleasant salty taste to the fish meat, and consume it in moderation as it contains high sodium.

Mahi-mahi

Mahi-mahi is another saltwater fish that might satisfy your palate. This fish thrives in both subtropical and tropical glasses of water, usually in water above 68℉.

They live year-round in tropical areas while seasonal in more temperate water. Anglers can also easily spot mahi-mahi when the water is warm.

One of the best things about cooking mahi-mahi is that it can bear any preparation. It has a sweet, distinct, moderately mild taste and a firm texture.

If you had swordfish before, you would know what mahi-mahi tastes like as the two almost taste similar. Although, the latter has a milder taste and has large, moist flakes.

Another thing about this saltwater fish is its strong taste profile compared to other fish species like cod. You should also remove its skin before cooking as those are thick.

Mackerel

If you want to try another fatty sea fish, mackerel is ideal. Compared to leaner white fish, this saltwater fish has high healthy fats. In addition, it has a strong flavor and exceptionally fatty meat. Its texture and flavor are similar to salmon, incredibly when fresh.

One of the easiest ways to taste mackerel is to buy a canned mackerel in a grocery store. It gives a good amount of protein, and even the tiny bones are soft enough to eat.

Mackerel is also good when paired with acidic sauces, including capers, tomatoes, or citrus fruits. It is also a great pair of curry and teriyaki. This saltwater fish is also great to steam, bake, broil, pan-sear, or dish with only a tiny amount of salt, pepper, and oil with its flavor.

Perch

Perch is another white fish you can eat. While it is a saltwater fish, it can also be found in freshwaters. It features a medium texture, and because of that, you can pair it well with panko breading. It has a sweet taste, and its flesh is firm and crumby, having a flavor similar to walleye but more appealing.

A cooked perch fish provides a pleasant mouthfeel that you can’t compare with other fish. Its tender flakes break down delicately upon every bite.

If you’ve never had a perch before, this experience will surprise you. This fish also goes well with most recipes that you can cook without notable changes in the flavor.

Rainbow Trout

The mat of rainbow trout has a mild, delicate, and nutty taste. It is also tender, soft, and flaky, available in orange, white, or pink. If you want a safer option for this saltwater fish, opt for the farmed variety as it is raised while protected from contaminants.

You can tell that rainbow trout is well cooked when the color pales and has a delicate flake. When shopping for this sea fish, look for firm, resilient fillets that look fresh.

Its skin should also appear shiny, dark, and feel slippery. It is also best to avoid frozen rainbow trout with gray flesh and look dried out.

The fillets have to be firm, resilient, and fresh. The skin of the rainbow trout should be dark, shiny, and have a slippery feel. Avoid frozen fish that looks dried out or has gray flesh.

Sardines

Another fatty fish on the list of sea fish you can eat is sardines. It is loaded with many vitamins and is easy to find since it is available in a canned version.

This fish is very nutritious because you can eat its bones and skin and its meat. It is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, vitamin B-12, protein, etc.

Chilean Sea Bass

Also known as Patagonian Toothfish, Chilean Sea Bass is another fatty fish with a firm, white flesh. Despite its name, this saltwater fish is not a part of the brass family.

It is a species of notothen living in cold waters between 45 and 3,850 meters in the southern Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. It can also be found on continental shelves around Subantarctic islands and seamounts in the Southern Ocean.

If you want to taste the best Chilean Sea Bass, try pan-seared to achieve crispy skin. It is also best served with spinach, peas, asparagus, or bok choy.

Tuna

Tuna would never miss the list of the top sea fish you can eat. Most people love to eat canned or fresh tuna. When buying tuna, choose the fresh one with glossy skin and an ocean-fresh smell. It is also easy to cook and is suitable for a quick sear over high heat.

Wild Alaskan Pollock

In the northern area of the Pacific Ocean, Alaskan Pollock is always wild-caught. Its light texture and mild taste make it often used for battered fish products and fish sticks. It also has white flesh and low oil content, perfect for those who don’t prefer fatty fish.

Arctic Char

This saltwater fish belongs to the salmon family. It looks and tastes a little similar to salmon but slightly more like trout. Its meat is also firm, has fine flakes, and is high in fat. You can also see Arctic Char with dark red to pale pink flesh colors.

Eel

Eel might be a strange-looking fish, but many love it because of its delicious taste. They live in shallow waters, settle at the bottom part of the ocean, or hide in eel pits holes.

Many countries, including Japan, love eel, especially the freshwater variety unagi. The country is said to consume about 70% of the world’s eel stock, which placed the said saltwater fish on the red list of fish species at risk of extinction.

Insight On Eating Saltwater Fish

Generally, fish is a healthy option for acquiring the beneficial protein needed by the body. It is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, essential fats the body can’t produce independently.

This substance has a vital role to play in heart and brain health. It also helps reduce the risk of heart disease and inflammation and assists in prenatal development in babies.

The American Heart Association or AHA says that including fish in your diet at least twice weekly, particularly fatty fish, can help you acquire omega-3s. Fatty fish like lake trout, salmon, albacore tuna, and sardines are your best options.

Consuming fish at a recommended amount can help you reap benefits, but some risks are also associated with consuming it regularly.

Polychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs and mercury are contaminants that might get into ocean, ground, and lake water from industrial waste and homes. These contaminants will somehow get their way into fish that live in those water bodies.

The FDA and the Environmental Protection Agency or EPA issued combined guidelines about fish consumption for women of childbearing age, breastfeeding women, pregnant, and children.

According to the guidelines, these groups should avoid eating fish that might contain high levels of mercury contamination, such as:

• King mackerel
• Shark
• Tilefish
• Swordfish

Fish You Should Avoid

As mentioned earlier, some fish species might contain mercury and other contaminants that can harm the body. Mercury is a toxic metal contaminant that can be a source of genetic abnormalities or damage to kidneys or the brain.

However, these contaminants are not the only reason you avoid particular saltwater fish species. Some of them are endangered due to overfishing and low population.

Below are some of the fish you should not eat:

Monkfish

This fish is one of those strange-looking fish that looks like catfish because of its whiskers. It lives at the bottom sea and has a fresh, light flavor, making it a staple for gourmets. However, the demand for this fish is so high that its depleted population is still recovering.

Bluefin Tuna

Another sea fish you should avoid eating is bluefin tuna. In December 2009, it was included in the World Wildlife Fund’s “10 for 2010” threatened species. The list also includes tigers, giant pandas, and leatherback turtles.

Yet, despite the warning of EDF that this saltwater fish has high levels of PCBs and mercury, the bluefin tuna continues to command around $177,000 a fish.

These fish are only two of those that you should avoid eating. Instead, eat saltwater fish from a sustainable source and turn down varieties at risk of extinction.

How To Buy The Best Sea Fish

Eating fish doesn’t initially cause harmful effects on the environment. But because of high demands and overfishing, there is an increasing risk of extinction for different fish species.

It is vital to know which varieties of fish are suitable to eat according to their season. Make sure to plan your meals according to their availability to ensure that you’re not contributing to the practice of overfishing.

Choose a fish with bright red gills and not sunken eyes in terms of freshness. These characteristics indicate that the fish is still fresh. It is also ideal that the fish smell fresh and not too fishy, indicating bacteria.

Also, look for whole shiny fish and taut, not wrinkly and dull ones.

The Right Way To Prepare Fish

Before cooking the fish, rinse it using cold water to remove any bacteria on the surface once you get home. Next, use a clean kitchen towel or paper towels to blot the fish dry, then use plastic or wax paper to wrap the fish. This technique will minimize the fish’s oxygen exposure.

Refrigerate the plastic-wrapped fish over chopped ice if you plan to eat the fish the next day. Fish is also quite challenging to cook as it easily tastes dry when overcooked. So, follow the fitting cooking instructions on a particular fish as they quickly become cooked compared to other proteins.

Conclusion

Eating various fish several times weekly can help you acquire many essential nutrients. But, people who are breastfeeding, pregnant, or those with a health condition should ask their doctor first before adding any saltwater fish to their diet.

Best Fish In Florida

Florida is where you can find a paradise for recreational and professional aquatic activities, thanks to its bounty of fisheries. If you are familiar with fishing in Florida, you might have an idea of what tastes fantastic and what is not supposed to be edible.

However, if you are fishing and looking for some seafood delicacies for the first time, you might get overwhelmed with the abundance of fish available.

What is the best-eating fish in Florida? Grouper is the best eating fish you can find in Florida. You need to try it and taste this popular fish in this state. While most fish species under the grouper family are best-eating fish, the black grouper might be the first one you should try.

This post will help you learn more about what tasteful fish should be served on your table. You might be surprised by the abundance of different fish species you can try in restaurants or fishing.

Best Tasting Fish In Florida

There are 70-plus species of fish found in Florida, and it might be challenging to rank them appropriately. They are unique in their way, and they might be delicious to some people, and some have different opinions about them.

Taste is a preference, and no science can prove that one is better than the other factually.

Remember that the best-eating fish will always be the fish caught and served on the same day and prepared to perfection. Here are some of the best eating fish you can find in this Sunshine State:

Grouper

Grouper is considered one of the top fish in many dinner menus aside from mahi-mahi. Grouper has the leanest white meat with a distinct but wild flavor, large flakes, and firm texture.

Black and red grouper are the most widely distributed fish all over Florida waters, and Goliath and Nassau Grouper are the ones that are being protected. Grouper is usually speared by many divers or caught drift fishing over a reef offshore with some bait.

Kingfish

Some people might be wondering why Kingfish even made it on this list, but the truth is that South Florida consumes a more significant amount of it. It is also known as the King Mackerel. Kingfish is not technically the best fish to eat as a main course. It is because it tastes pretty gamey.

After all, it does have a high oil content. However, commercial king fishing is getting more popular lately for a big reason. It is all thanks to smoked fish dip.

You can expect that every restaurant in South Florida does have this delectable appetizer. This appetizer consists of shredded smoked Kingfish, mayonnaise, or sour cream, and each chef has a blend of spices.

Just beware of these toothy critters as their teeth are razor-sharp, and check your current recreational regulations.

Mahi-Mahi

Mahi-mahi, also known as dolphin or dorado, is a very mild white fish with a lean and firm texture. It can hold together very well when you fry it or even grill it, and for many fish fingers in restaurants, you can expect it is Mahi.

In addition, Mahi can be caught trolling offshore with dead bait rigged to some ballyhoo or Bonita strips. 

Usually, they are found in schools feeding on baitfish under floating seaweed or some debris. However, if you spotted a Mahi, you could also catch them using some sight-casting with bucktails or ballyhoo and a spinning rod.

Snook

Snook is considered to be illegal to be commercially sold or fish. It is because it is tagged for its wide restaurant distribution. This began in the early 1900s because it has a delicious mat and can be easily caught from a dock.

As a result, they are highly regulated as tropical fish, and for more information, you can check the Florida Wildlife Center website.

Once you have enough knowledge and permits, you can harvest a daily limit of one per day during the season.

Some restaurants will clean, prepare, and cook your catch for you, and its meat has a medium firmness and mild flavor. It has largely chunky flakes so it can absorb dressings and marinades well.

Swordfish

Swordfish, a high-end fish considered a premium entrée, is mainly sold exclusively as thick steaks. It has thick white meat with moderate fat content and a slightly sweet flavor.

Swordfishing is an artful form of fishing, as it requires extensive research and experience to get one.

Fishing swordfish requires a highly migratory species permit that NOAA mainly issues, and if you would like to catch your swordfish, you can avail different charter.

Booking a charter with a professional captain will give you more of the experience you are looking for. Many people are getting into swordfishing because of the thrill of catching it rather than the taste. 

Cobia

Cobia can be hard to find in some restaurants, and if you have the chance, you need to try it. Cobia’s meat is slightly firmer than snapper, grouper, Mahi, or even a snook.

It has a clean, fresh, buttery flavor without the high oil content you find in most swordfish. Unfortunately, Cobia is relatively rare, and there is a small window at the beginning of a fall when they migrate from the south for warmer waters.

Many cobia move closer to the shore during the first warm spring days when the water temperature rises. They might pop up when you first approach a reef, but it is usually gone for good if you do not pitch a live bait.

Cobias are considered powerful fish and would be sad if you lose them; be ready with two gaffs if you’ve got one on.

Snapper

Some may argue that snapper is equal to having a grouper, but the deciding factor is that the snapper can be fried whole. If you fry a snapper, its skin comes out super thin, and it can get crispy while the meat inside stays moist and flaky.

So if you want to try this dish in its glory, you can try it in many restaurants in Juno Beach.

There are many kinds of snapper, but the most snapper you can find on many menus is yellowtail and red.

Snapper has some firm, lean white meat with a sweet and fresh taste. Mangrove snapper is also popular, but they are much smaller filets since they live and feed in shallow mangroves.

Hogfish

Hogfish is most commonly known as hog snapper, and it has a mild flavor that consists of some sweet undertones. It is more like a grouper as it has a bit flakier texture than a Mahi and is one of the best-tasting cooked fish in Florida.

You can find many Hogfish in natural and artificial reefs, and many divers most commonly spear them. But according to experts, you can still catch them by hook and line method.

Yellowfin Tuna

Yellowfin Tuna is known on many restaurants’ menus as ahi tuna, considered the world’s most famous delicacy. The reason is that this fish is mainly used in sushi all over the globe.

You can expect its meat to range from dark red to light pink, and it is usually enjoyed raw with some soy sauce and wasabi. Yellowfin Tuna is most caught on day trips to the Bahamas but considering it’s on every seafood menu in Florida, this has to be on this list.

Tuna fishing season starts around April when more advanced sportfishing teams use radar to find birds. This indicates where schools of tuna are actually feeding, and they usually follow these powerful fish to catch them using live bait on rod and reel.

Some people will argue that the blackfin tuna is just as good as the yellowfin one, but everyone has different preferences. Do not confuse blackfin tuna with a Bonito or Skipjack Tuna, which are not very good to eat.

Also, a blackfin tuna does not have stripes, while Bonita has distinct longitudinal stripes.

Wahoo

Wahoo is on the list because it is known for its fresh wahoo ceviche, one of the most popular delicacies in this state.

Wahoo, most commonly known as Oho, gets its name from the Hawaiian word, which means good to eat, and that is for a good reason. It has high-end white flesh and is best served as fresh sashimi or cooked meals.

These highly desirable fish are generally caught at high speed trolling offshore with some brightly colored lures. Unfortunately, Wahoo is considered an unregulated species in Florida, meaning the default bag limit is two fish or at least 100 pounds per person daily.

Catfish

Catfish is the close second choice by many people as the best-eating freshwater fish of Florida. It seems like there are more and more varieties of catfish you can find in this state every year. Some blue, brown, bullhead, flathead, and yellow bullhead varieties can be found.

As a result, it is an advantage for many anglers because catfish fillets are tender and delicate to your mouth. The flavor is mild, and sometimes it hints at wildness from the waters where they used to live.

The good thing about catfish is that even a small one can yield a lot of meat too, and they are considered food, simple and comfort food to many people.

Tripletail

If you are looking for nice white, flakey fish, you might need to try some tripletail. The meat is delicate, has a rich flakey taste, and overall exquisite flavor.

It melts in your mouth, adds some shimmer of sea flavor, and wants you to have more after each bite. The best thing about tripletail meat is that it offers many contradictions like many of the best meats.

It is considered meat with an intense flavor but still can be mild. It has a distinctive flavor resulting from an echo of many briny creatures under the sea. It is also dense, but it tastes so light to your tongue, not to mention compact, firm, flakey, and light.

Tripletail can be found in many local markets, but often you will see tripletail being imported from Central America. It is still quite good but minus the luminosity of a fresh-caught fish, and you will still find plenty of people who will say pompano is the best. But tripletail is a triple threat.

Mackerel

Mackerel is a popular fish primarily part of the Mediterranean diet but is also well known among Florida fish. Mackerel might tend to get very oily and boney, but it is worth the trouble, and if you catch a Spanish Mackerel, you can either roast them or fry them whole.

Another option to try is to add some herbs, spices, and sauces, then try to grill them, and you will get the best out of it.

If you ever catch a King Mackerel, you can roast the filets or even the whole fish. Smoking and grilling the whole will give you more flavor when you try to eat them. Spanish Mackerel is also plentiful if you make Spanish-style or Italian-style fish soups or stews.

Flounder

Flounder is a popular fish you can catch, cook, and eat worldwide. However, you can also catch it in Florida, and the flesh of the flounder, when cooked, is very white, tender, and sweet, with small flakes, so it is best to season it and not try to overcook it.

It is recommended that flounder tastes be either broiled or sauteed using salt, pepper, butter, or olive oil. You can also add some spice or herb and efficiently serve it with rice, potatoes, and salad/ vegetables.

Mullet

Mullet is Florida’s state dish, it might vary depending on who you talk to, but Mullet will always be on top of everyone’s list. Mullet is very oily with firm flesh and great skin, so this is a popular choice for smoking.

If you can smoke the Mullet you catch, do it, and you can transform it in so many ways in terms of taste.

You can also serve them on their own as an appetizer or light dinner and then put them on salads. If you are not a fan of smoking, you can try grilling or baking them, seasoning them with a marinade, and adding some aromatics.

What Makes A Fish Taste Good?

Before diving into the list of available and best-tasting fish found in Florida, you might be wondering what makes a fish taste good.

For the most part, fish is not all that great, but there are plenty of ways to make it flavorful. Likewise, there are ways that you can make any fish taste decent as long as you have the proper knowledge of taking care of it.

A Cajun blackened fish food can be done with any fish of your choice for a recipe. You need to catch something and cook it this way, and you will have a blast if you serve it at your table.

You are into your culinary realm if you use a fish with a natural umami taste and nice texture.

Take a blackened grouper sandwich as an example. It is one of the greatest foods you can find in Florida. Mahi can also be incredible when you don’t have the means to get a grouper.

Some fish naturally taste amazing with just butter, and some you all need to add some spices to it.

Conclusion

To conclude, when you book a trip to Florida, you will have many choices of fish that you want to try. You can have it cooked in many different ways, too, making the list of the variety of delicacies you can try a little bit longer.

Simply put, you will never run out of fish to try in Florida. During your visit, you can try grouper, snapper, Hogfish, and tuna, to name a few of the top best-tasting fish.

If you’re into fishing, you may arrange a charter where you can easily catch your dinner. Most charters can clean and fillet your fish so you can take it back and cook it on your grill.

Overfishing In Canada

Do you consider where your seafood comes from when you eat it? While ecosystems are complex, the math is straightforward. The amount of fish in the water decreases when more people fish more than the water can naturally replace.

Is overfishing still a problem in Canada? Overfishing is still a problem in Canada in various forms. Bycatch is one type. The fish and other sea creatures get caught in nets and lines intended for other species. Even small fish are trapped legally when the nets have just tiny openings.

Some people still do not realize that the supply of fish is not unlimited. This article tackles overfishing in Canada and its effect on its coast.

Overfishing And Bycatch Problems

Overfishing is a major environmental issue in which too many fish get caught. It depletes the adult fish population. It leaves insufficient fish to spawn and replenish their numbers for them to remain sustainable.

Overfishing is fishing done aggressively. It depletes stock levels to the point where they can no longer support the required amount for harvest.

Overfishing is caused in part by global fishing fleets. These fleets are five times larger than what is required to catch fish that our seas can sustain. Most operational fishing fleets can cover at least four planets the size of earth on a global scale.

In addition to overcapacity, several fishing methods are making fish unsustainable. These tactics devastate ecosystems and wreak havoc on our marine life.

Bottom trawling is an example of this. It causes massive harm to non-target species due to its non-selective fishing approach and heavy gear use.

Bycatch contributes to overfishing. It occurs when the fishermen use large nets to catch larger fish. Larger fish and mammals, such as dolphins, sharks, sea lions, and porpoises, are frequently trapped in the nets.

Many of these magnificent species are made available for market bidding. Some fishermen dispose of them rather than being released back into their natural habitat.

Every year, more than 300,000 whales, dolphins, and porpoises die from fishing gear and nets. It is the world’s leading killer of these animals. If the animal survives in the fishing gear or fishing net, it suffers severe, life-threatening damage. If they can escape, they usually suffer from amputations and other consequences that lead to death.

Bycatch is employed to supply restaurants with fish. Other than that, overfishing harms humans and the labor market. Fishing is a top source of income for many people.

Fishing jobs will become scarcer as the fish population declines. It will cause individuals to lose their jobs and have to look for alternative labor.

Overfishing is evident in the winter skate, an endangered fish species. It’s a remarkable animal that uses a brief zap of electricity to dissuade predators and stun prey. The majority of them can live in the northwest Atlantic Ocean, from Canada’s Gulf of St. Lawrence to North Carolina’s coast.

Winter skate is being caught and processed into fishmeal and lobster bait, despite its reputation as a garbage fish. They’re even for sale as food for humans. Increased trawling for the species has led to young capture.

It has resulted in a dramatic decrease in the number of winter skaters. These variables, according to experts, are to blame for a 90 percent drop in mature people since the 1970s. The IUCN has classified the winter skate as critically endangered due to its rapid decrease.

Damage To Coasts

Coastal locations are home to the top diversity of marine life. That’s because they have some incredible ecosystems where watery creatures live, including reefs, mangrove swamps, and kelp forests.

Humans enjoy the coastline as well. They are home to over 60% of the population.

Many bird species travel great distances to breed. They utilize the coastline to refuel before a long flight or to stop and eat along the trip.

Semipalmated sandpipers, for example, gorge themselves on the food-rich mudflats of Canada’s East Coast’s Bay of Fundy every August. Then they travel nonstop to South America for three or four days. Seals, sea lions, and other migratory animals that rely on healthy coastlines include:

• The most abused area of our waters is the world’s wildlife-rich coastline. 90% of all ocean waste, around 20 billion tonnes each year, ends up in coastal seas. It is poisoning breeding areas, disrupting sea-loving species, harming humans, and destroying beaches.


• Many people on the earth live in overcrowding and rely entirely on their fragile, polluted coastline for food and employment. Without a healthy coastline existing, little island countries would perish.


• We have already wiped out over half of the world’s coastal wetlands. Not only that but many of the animals that live there, too. Half of the world’s mangrove forests no longer exist due to building artificial shrimp ponds.


• Coastal cities make up more than two-thirds of the world’s population. For example, practically all of Singapore’s mangroves and coral reefs no longer exist. To make more land, Californians have filled in 60% of San Francisco Bay.

Impact Of Overfishing

Recent research on the consequences of overfishing in Canadian coastal communities points to increased earnings but less fish. Canada appears to be failing at ocean stewardship.

Canada exported $6 billion worth of fish and seafood goods in 2015. Canada’s fishery is struggling. The sector appears to be more concerned with earning a profit than ensuring sustainable catches for future generations.

Less than a quarter of fish stocks in Canada are considered healthy, and the status of nearly half of them is unclear. Overfishing and decades of bad management techniques have drastically decreased fish populations in Canadian coastal regions.

While the Canadian fishing industry is currently more profitable than ever, some drawbacks are surfacing. The analysis reveals that the $6 billion in exports was based on fictitious data and did not represent healthy fish stocks.

Canada’s fishery is becoming smaller and less diversified. Canada’s seafood industry is producing more money than ever before. However, this is dependent on a small number of shellfish species, including lobster, crab, shrimp, and scallops.

Coastal towns and the Canadian seafood industry are susceptible due to a lack of diversification. Communities may have little to fall back on if these stocks disappear.

Although the high value of lobster and other shellfish is excellent news, the seafood industry is dependent on a few vital species. And if their numbers decline, the enterprise will fail.

Can Canada Reverse Overfishing?

Only if governments around the world aggressively campaign for fishing laws will we be able to stop overfishing. For this to happen, governments must first accept that overfishing is a big issue.

Some government and private-sector efforts are in place. The Annual Catch Limits are the most effective. These are strict cap limitations anglers must follow.

The next stage is to safeguard fish throughout the reproductive season. When there is a restriction in fishing during the breeding season, the odds of filling the population gap improve dramatically.

We end up with something termed sustainable fishing as a result of combining such tactics. And this is our best opportunity to revive the ocean’s life.

Sustainable Fishing

Sustainable fishing attempts to ensure that marine life thrives rather than only survives. As a result, understanding the distinction is critical.

Species populations must not be on the verge of extinction since a pandemic might wipe out entire species. Humans are at the top of those who cause this wipeout.

Sustainable fishing ensures a healthy fish stock for today’s humans as well as future generations. Each year, we eliminate over 77 billion pounds of marine life from the ocean.

In these terrible times, we must explore ancient fishing methods from the Philippines or Polynesian societies. These places have different species of fish that some fishermen hunt in different seasons. Some of their ways ensure that all types of fish have enough time to reproduce.

Some academics believe that the world’s fish consumption should no longer experience reduction. And though this is possible to some extent, it may not be a viable choice. It necessitates the participation of all countries.

The Truth About Worldwide Overfishing

Overfishing has killed out 90% of the ocean’s top predators in just 55 years. Because humans are disturbing the balance of the oceanic food chain, this is an issue that requires attention.

Another issue with en masse fishing is that you don’t always get the fish you’re searching for in the fishing net. Other sorts of marine life also get caught in fishing nets.

Dolphins, for example, were frequently trapped in tuna fishing nets. Even if they throw back into the ocean all the untargeted fish, they may already be dead or on their way to death.

Some fishermen are now using a particular type of net that allows dolphins to escape. On tuna cans, you may have noticed a tag that reads Tuna Safe. The angler has used dolphin-safe nets.

In 1989, fishing enterprises all across the world harvested 90 metric tonnes of fish from the ocean. The rate of replenishing of fisheries has been constant since then. To put it another way, humans may have already pushed the oceans to their limits.

Conclusion

The oceans have a fine-tuning system, and our actions disrupt that balance. Overfishing has left an indelible imprint that continues to burn and bleed. It is past time for citizens and the government to take action and effect change.

Species Of Fish

Fish, which are cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates with scales, were the first animals to produce bones. Anaspis, the first fossil, is estimated to have been armored and jawless and dates back more than 500 million years. Fish may have multiplied in the ocean due to subsequent jaw creation 400 million years ago or so.

How many species of fish are there in the ocean? The latest count of existing and extinct fish species in the oceans is 33,600. These fishes have different shapes, sizes, and colors, and they live in a spectrum of depths and temperatures.

The ocean is home to different kinds of aquatic animals, including thousands of fish species. There are three types of fish species, which I will discuss as we go along in this article.

Fish In The Ocean

Fish are aquatic animals from the Chordata phylum group. They have gills, scales, and fins, which distinguish them from other creatures. Fish, as cold-blooded animals, must swim in the water of the appropriate temperature to regulate their body temperature.

The great group of animals living in seas, oceans, lakes, and rivers is the fish. Unlike amphibians, fish must spend their entire lives in the water. Even though fish can breathe air, they prefer breathing through their gills and obtaining oxygen from the water.

Fish live in bodies of water ranging from tiny ponds to the deepest portions of the ocean. They have an estimated total of about 33,600 species. According to some estimates, there are more fish species on the globe than any other vertebrate group.

Fish that are cartilaginous in nature are the largest. Whale sharks, basking sharks, and other sharks are among these massive swimming creatures. The beluga (sturgeon) is among the largest bony fish species found in the oceans. The tiniest fish can be as little as a few millimeters in length.

It’s vital to remember that just because an animal lives in water doesn’t guarantee it’s a member of the fish world. Whales, for example, belong to the Mammalia class since they nourish their young with milk. They have lungs, unlike fish, and must come to the surface of the water to breathe.

Fish that belong to the bony family are the most commonly consumed. Salmon, pollock, cod, mackerel, and tuna are examples of these fish.

Bony Fish

Sutures in the neurocranium and segmented fin rays originating from the epidermis in all bony fishes. Gills are present in both fishes (bony and cartilaginous), but bony fish have a hard, bony plate covering their gills.

An “operculum” is the name for this feature. Fins of bony fish may also have distinct rays or spines.

Bony fish, unlike cartilaginous fish, have swim or gas bladders that help them maintain their buoyancy. Cartilaginous fish, on the other hand, are continually swimming to stay afloat.

Species

Bony fish is a member of the Osteichthyes class, which separates into two categories:

• Lobe-finned fishes (Sarcopterygii). It includes the coelacanths and lungfishes.
• Ray-finned fishes, or Actinopterygii

There are around 25,000 species in the subclass Sarcopterygii, all of which have enamel on their teeth. Their upper jaws connect with their skulls featuring a central axis of bone that works as a unique skeletal support for fins and limbs.

The Sarcopterygii includes two important taxa of fish:

1. The Ceratodontiformes (lungfishes)
2. The Coelacanthiformes (coelacanths)

There are 33,000 species in Actinopterygii, divided into 453 families. They live in many types of aquatic environments and can grow to be over 26 feet long. However, 5,000 pounds is the maximum weight for the Ocean sunfish.

The pectoral fins of this subclass are large, and the pelvic fins are united.

• Chondrostei are primordial ray-finned bony fishes
• Holostei or Neopterygii are intermediate ray-finned fishes such as sturgeons, paddlefish, and bichirs.
• Teleostei or Neopterygii are advanced bony fishes like herring, salmon, and perch.

Diet

Bony fishes have a wide range of feeding preferences as a group. Some are herbivores, others are carnivores, while others are omnivores.

Bony fishes may eat a wide range of plants and animals. They can eat anything from the tiniest plant plankton to the largest marine animals as a group.

They eat annelid worms, sea snails, mussels, clams, squids, crabs, insects, birds, amphibians, small mammals, and other fishes.

Distribution

Bony fish exist in practically any body of water. Tropical, temperate, polar oceans, all freshwater ecosystems are all home to them.

Some bony fish species can live as far down as 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) in the deep water. Other species live in lakes that are up to 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) above sea level.

More than 13,000 species of bony fish exist in marine habitats. It accounts for about 58 percent of all bony fish species.

Popular Examples Of Bony Fish

• Porkfish
• Atlantic Porkfish
• Spadefish
• Atlantic Spadefish
• Balloonfish
• Balloonfish
• Barracuda
• Barracudas
• Blue Tang
• Blue Tang
• Blue striped Grunt
• Blue striped Grunt
• Cichlids
• Cichlids
• Image coming soon.
• Crevalle Jack
• French Angelfish
• French Angelfish
• French Grunt
• French Grunt
• Gars
• Gars
• Gray Angelfish
• Gray Angelfish
• Great Barracuda
• Great Barracuda
• Grouper
• Groupers
• Leafy Sea Dragon
• Leafy Sea Dragon
• Lionfish
• Lionfish – Scorpionfish – Stonefish
• Lookdown
• Lookdown
• Moray Eel
• Morays
• Parrotfish
• Parrotfish
• Piranha
• Piranhas
• Pufferfish
• Pufferfish & Porcupinefish
• Queen Angelfish
• Queen Angelfish
• Parrotfish
• Queen Parrotfish
• Scrawled Filefish
• Scrawled Filefish
• Sea Horse
• Seahorses
• Wild Sergeant Major
• Sergeant Major
• Tuna

Habitat

Freshwater, seawater, and brackish (a mix of freshwater and saltwater) habitats are all home to bony fish. The salinity of seawater is around 35 parts per million (parts per thousand).

Some species are tolerant of greater salinity levels. Some goby species may withstand salt levels of up to 60 parts per million.

Fish live in almost every type of aquatic environment. Fish have evolved to live in a variety of locations, such as:

1. Rocky coastlines
2. Coral reefs
3. Kelp forests
4. Rivers and streams
5. Lakes and ponds
6. Undersea ice
7. Deep-sea, and other fresh, salt, and brackish water settings

Pelagic fish live in the open ocean. Tunas, for example, is one in many species in the family Scombridae, subfamily Thunninae.

Flatfishes (order Pleuronectiformes), for example, have evolved to live on the seafloor. Gobies, for example, burrow into the substrate or bury themselves in the sand.

During a summer drought, some lungfish “hibernate.” They love to bury themselves in the mud of a dried-up pond. In the darkness of caverns, some fish species dwell in freshwater ecosystems.

Bony fishes can live at a variety of temperatures, depending on the species. Some people live in frigid climates.

Desert pupfish (Cyprinodon macularius) live in hot springs in California that reach temperatures of around 45°C (113°F).

Some bony fish species can withstand the cold temperatures of the Arctic and Antarctic. The blood of these uniquely adapted fishes contains glycoprotein molecules that lower the freezing point of the blood. Boreogadus saida, the arctic cod, can withstand temperatures as low as -2°C (28°F).

Fishes, in general, rely on oxygen dissolved in water to breathe.

Some bony fish species require a lot of dissolved oxygen to survive. Brown trout (Salmo trutta) need up to 11 milligrams of dissolved oxygen per liter to survive.

Misgurnus fossilis, a kind of loach, can live in water with as little as 0.5 mg of oxygen per liter (0.5 ppm).

Mudskippers (family Periophthalmidae) have gill chambers that can hold a tiny amount of water. They spend the most time on land. They only return to mud holes when their water supply runs out.

African lungfishes (subclass Dipnoi) breathe by sucking air into a “lung.” These fish, in reality, must have access to the water’s surface to survive.

Evolutionary History

Over 500 million years ago, the first fish-like organisms arose. About 420 million years ago, bony fish and cartilaginous fish split into two classes.

Cartilaginous creatures have a reputation for being more primitive for some reason. The evolution of bony fish led to the emergence of bony skeletons in land-dwelling vertebrates.

And the gill structure was a trait that would later evolve into air-breathing lungs. As a result, bony fishes are a more direct ancestor of humans.

Cartilaginous Fish

Cartilaginous fish (scientific name Chondrichthyes) have a cartilage-based skeleton rather than a bone-based skeleton. Cartilage is robust and flexible, providing enough structural support for these fish to develop to enormous proportions.

Sharks, rays, skates, and chimeras are examples of cartilaginous fish. There are approximately more than 600 different species of rays and skates and 500 different shark species.

Rays and skates live in waters all over the world. The majority of rays and skates live below the ocean’s bottom, but others live in open water. Freshwater rays exist as well.

The manta ray (Manta birostris) is the largest, reaching over 9 meters in length and weighing many tons. It feeds on plankton and tiny fish.

The common skate (Dipturus batis) is the world’s gigantic skate, growing up to 2.5 meters in length and living for roughly 50 years.

A short-nose electric ray, which is about 10 cm across and weighs around 0.5 kg, is the tiniest. The starry skate (Raja stellata) is the smallest, reaching a maximum total length of only 76 cm.

Skates and rays have their mouths, noses, and gill slits on the bottom of their bodies. Their spiracles and eyes are on the upper side. On the upper surface and tail of several species, there are spines and thorns.

Mature males, like sharks, can be distinguished by a pair of claspers beneath the pelvic fins. Females do not have them.

Species

The 1,000 or so species of cartilaginous fish separates into two groups:

1.  Sharks, rays, and skates
2. Chimera or ghost sharks

The dwarf lantern shark, at 6.3 inches long, is the smallest of the group. The whale shark, at nearly 50 feet long, is the largest.

Jaws are apparent in sharks and other cartilaginous fish. These fish descended from jawless fish millions of years ago. So, why did fish develop jaws in the first place?

Fish would be able to eat a considerably more variety of foods, including plants and other species. Hence, the adaptation.

The following are some more characteristics of cartilaginous fish:

• Paired fins.
• Paired nostrils.
• Scales.
• Two-chambered hearts.
• Rather than being composed of bone, the cartilage is skeletons. Cartilage is a supporting tissue that lacks the same amount of calcium as bones, causing bones to become inflexible. Cartilage is a softer, more malleable material than bone.

Diet

The nutrition of cartilaginous fish differs by species. Sharks are powerful apex predators that eat fish as well as marine mammals like seals and whales.

Rays and skates, which mostly live on the ocean floor, devour other bottom-dwelling species. Whale sharks, basking sharks, and manta rays, for example, are big cartilaginous fish that feed on microscopic plankton.

Distribution

Sharks and rays are primarily marine fish. However, many enter estuaries, some go up rivers, and a few are permanent freshwater dwellers.

The majority of species live in the relatively shallow seas of continental margins or around offshore islands. Only a few roaming far out into the oceans.

Others are surface swimmers or live on the bottom in shallow waters. Some reside at vast depths, in midwives, or on the bottom.

Sharks and rays were considered trash before but are now becoming more common in most countries’ fisheries. The numbers of more valuable bony fishes are dwindling fast. As a result, many fisheries focus on elasmobranchs as a commercial resource.

The production of the annual yields goes up to 750,000 metric tons (approximately 827,000 short tons). Most of which are sold as fresh, dried, salted, or processed.

Many sharks and ray populations are depleting. Several species experience destruction as a result of this intense harvest. One effect of the extinction of these top-level predators could be a disruption of the marine food chain.

Popular Examples Of Cartilaginous Fish

• Whale Shark
• Basking Shark
• Great White Shark
• Thresher Sharks
• Skates
• Southern Stingray

Habitat

Cartilaginous fish live all over the world. These fishes have lived in many sorts of environments, ranging from shallow, sandy bottoms to deep, open ocean sharks.

Migration

The earliest sharks originated about 400 million years ago, according to fossil data. Fossil data came from shark teeth, which are considerably more easily preserved than any other element of a shark.

Around 35 million years ago,’ modern’ sharks appeared, and megalodon, white sharks, and hammerhead sharks appeared 23 million years ago.

Rays and skates have been alive for longer than humans have. However, their fossil evidence dates roughly 150 million years and evolved after the first sharks.

Evolution

• Doliodus-like spiny shark forebears gave rise to the first Cartilaginous fishes.
• The Holocephali and Elasmobranchii separated in the Silurian (421 million years ago).
• The rays/skates and sharks separated in the Carboniferous 306 million years ago.

Jawless Fish

What is the definition of a fish with no jaws? You’ve probably guessed it. A jawless fish is what it sounds like, a fish without a jaw. Other characteristics, however, are shared by this group of organisms.

Why would a creature like this evolve? These fish were the very first vertebrates to appear on the scene. However, it does make sense logically.

Early jawless fish are assumed to have relied on filter-feeding to catch their prey. These fishes would have sucked water and debris from the seafloor into their mouths before discharging water and waste.

These jawless fish developed to feed on other fish species as some sea life evolved. They are now a problem in their habitat, according to some studies. There are no natural predators for lampreys.

Species

The jawless fish, according to most experts, belong to the superclass Agnatha. They are members of the Chordata phylum and the Vertebrata subphylum. Jawless fish separates into two groups, each with roughly 100 species:

1. Lampreys

Although the lamprey resembles an eel, it possesses a jawless sucking mouth to adhere to a fish, a parasite that feeds on the tissue and fluids of the fish to which it is attached. A ring of cartilage supports the lamprey’s mouth. It features rows of horny teeth that it uses to latch on to a fish.

Lampreys can grow up to 40 inches long and can live in temperate rivers and coastal oceans. Lampreys begin their existence as larvae in freshwater. Lamprey usually lives as larvae on muddy river bottoms, where they filter feed on microorganisms.

The larval stage can persist for up to seven years! The lamprey transforms into an eel-like creature. They swim and usually attach themselves to a fish after its larval stage. Lampreys live in roughly 50 different species.

2. Hagfish

The slime fish is another name for the hagfish. It has an eel-like appearance and is pinkish in hue. It has glands on its flanks that secrete a viscous, sticky slime that it employs to defend itself.

The hagfish can twist its body into knots! It could be to get rid of slime or to get away from predators. The hagfish may also sneeze to clean some slimy things from its nostrils.

Although the hagfish is nearly blind, it possesses a good sense of touch and smell. It has a ring of tentacles that it uses to feel for food around its mouth. Its jawless mouth has a tongue-like protrusion coming out of it. When the “tongue” is dragged back into the hagfish’s mouth, tooth-like rasps appear at the end of the projection.

Hagfish eat marine worms and other invertebrates. Its metabolism is slow, and it can go for up to seven months without eating. Hagfish that have just been born are smaller versions of adult hagfish.

The hagfish live in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, in chilly ocean waters. It can be found on muddy seabeds and can live in big groups of up to 15,000 people. Hagfish exist in roughly 60 different species.

Habitat

These fish can live in muddy bottoms, intermediate depths, and cold water around the tunnels they dig. Only about 20 hagfish species are known to exist in the globe, according to scientists.

Lampreys are primarily freshwater fish that live in temperate climates but survive in saltwater. Between the tropics and the poles are the temperate zones.

Evolution

Jawless fishes have evolved from the Cephalochordata (Amphioxus and its relatives). These are tiny and soft-bodied filter-feeding organisms similar to and maybe ancestral to modern sand-dwelling filter feeders. A notochord likely stiffened the body of the primordial mammals.

The earliest jawless fish with a bone discovered dates back 470 million years (Arandaspis). It resembles the oldest intact Sacabambaspis fossil from the Late Ordovician. The first Ordovician fish appear to be relatives (and possibly ancestors) of the later heterostracans.

Are Fish Species In The Ocean Decreasing?

Fish populations are dropping as oceans warm. This whole global warming thing is putting a crucial source of food and income at risk for millions of people.

The amount of seafood that people gather from a wide range of species decreased by 4.1 percent. This percentage, in particular, is a victim of human-caused climate change, according to studies.

In the following decades, global warming will put a strain on global food supplies. However, the latest findings indicate that climate change is already having a significant influence on seafood.

It distinguishes the effects of warming oceans from other variables such as overfishing.

Overfishing is the second reason for the decreasing fish population. Overfishing occurs when marine animals are caught quicker than they can reproduce.

From 10% in 1974 to 32% in 2008, the global proportion of overfished fisheries has steadily increased. Large quantities of wild fish, shrimp, snails, clams, scallops, squids, sea urchins, corals, seaweeds, turtles, whales, and other creatures in “fisheries.”

There are different types of overfishing, and there are many factors influencing species sensitivity to overfishing.

Illegal captures and trading exacerbate the problem of systemic overfishing. Illegal fishing is responsible for some of the worst ocean consequences. It accounts for up to 30% of catch or more for high-value species.

$34.6 billion is the reported illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing nets criminals cost annually. However, these catches migrate through opaque supply chains. It is due to the lack of methods to track fish from catch to consumer and import limitations.

Conclusion

While there are thousands of unknown fish species in the deep ocean, the number of known fish is dwindling. Some of them are depleting in number, especially fish used in the food industry. Although 33,600 fish species may appear to be a large number, over half of them are endangered.

Cleanest Fish To Eat

Since the dawn of time, seafood has always been a part of the human experience. For humans, partaking in the blessings that the seas offer us is almost no different from us breathing; this is simply a fact. But how do we determine which fish or kelp will be good or bad for us?

What is the cleanest fish to eat? According to experts, the six healthiest types of fish are the Albacore tuna, salmon, oysters, sardines from the Pacific, Rainbow Trout, and the Freshwater Coho salmon.

This article discusses seafood, which seafood is healthy for you, and which fish you should avoid eating.

What Is Seafood?

Seafood is a form of sea life and sea flora regarded as food by humans. This cuisine typically features fish and shellfish.

Shellfish include many mollusks such as clams, oysters, cephalopods, crustaceans like crabs, shrimps, lobsters, and echinoderms such as sea cucumbers and sea urchins.

Historically, humans have also hunted cetaceans like whales, dolphins, and seals for consumption, but that effort has dramatically lessened in modern times. In Asia, edible sea flora like seaweed and microalgae are widely eaten as vegetables.

The practice of harvesting wild seafood is concisely called hunting or fishing, while seafood cultivation is dubbed aquaculture or fish farming.

Because seafood is colloquially distinguished from meat, some vegetarians only consume seafood as their source of protein. These people are called pescetarians.

The 6 Healthiest Seafood You Can Eat

If you like keeping track of your diet, you probably know that humans should ingest seafood at least twice a week. Fish are a healthy and lean source of protein.

Fish with oily meat like salmon, sardines, and tunas have heart and brain-healthy omega-3 fats that do wonders for everybody’s diet.

But of course, knowing which seafood is healthy for you can be quite a struggle since there are loads of different cuisines and types. That being said, what do we need to watch out for when we eat seafood?

What are the healthiest options we can intake for the optimal benefit of our bodies? According to experts, here are the six healthiest types of seafood that you can eat.

Albacore Tuna

Tuna is usually high in mercury content, but Albacore tuna, usually the kind of white tuna that is canned, gets a super green rating as long as it is “troll or pole caught” in the U.S. or British Columbia.

Smaller and younger fish, usually less than 20 pounds, have proportionately less mercury count and fewer contamination ratings than larger fish with higher omega-3 concentrations.

Salmon

Salmon fisheries in Alaska are pristine and well-managed. So well managed that biologists are posted at river mouths to keep track of how much wild salmon return to spawn. Once the numbers dwindle, the fisheries are closed and can recuperate before reaching their limits.

Such close monitoring of the fisheries, the strict implementation of quotas, and careful water quality management ultimately mean that salmon fisheries in Alaska are more sustainable than any other fisheries.

Alaska’s wild-caught salmon boasts 1,210 mg of omega-3s per 3 ounces of serving with minimal contaminants.

Oysters

Oysters that have been farmed can be very beneficial to a balanced diet. They contain over 300 mg of omega-3 per 3 ounces and about a third of your recommended daily iron intake.

Oysters are beneficial not only to health but to the environment as well. They feed off the natural nutrients in the water and algae, which help improve water quality.

They also act as natural reefs since they attract and provide food for various species of marine life. Beware of eating raw shellfish, though. Raw shellfish, especially those from warm waters, may contain many bacteria that cause health issues.

Sardines

You heard it right. These humble and inexpensive fish make it into the list with good reason. Don’t be deceived by their size: these babies pack more omega-3s than any other fish on this list, clocking at about 1,950 mg per 3 ounces and one of the few foods to be rich in vitamin D naturally.

Many fish that belong to the herring family are dubbed sardines. Because sardines can procreate and reproduce quickly, they have since bounced back from being overfished in the 1940s.

Rainbow Trout

Because lake trout are usually high in contaminants, trouts that you can find in the market are usually grown as a solution to this, and

Rainbow trouts are no exception. In the U.S., rainbow trout are farmed in freshwater ponds and raceways to be protected and kept from contaminants that can damage or reduce their quality.

These trout are also fed a fish meal diet that has been fine-tuned to conserve resources among fisheries.

Freshwater Coho Salmon

Freshwater Coho salmons are unique since they are the first – and only – farmed salmon to get a Super Green rating. Other salmon farms are still on Monterey Bay’s “avoid” list for various reasons.

One of these is that many farms use crowded pens where the salmon can easily be infected by parasites and, in turn, spread disease to other wild marine life. Though these may be treated with antibiotics, it is easier said than done.

It can also take as much as 3 pounds of wild fish to raise a pound of salmon, so the current method isn’t the most cost-effective. The problems stated above do not apply to freshwater Coho salmon.

Coho salmon are raised in closed, freshwater pens, requiring less feed, making them very environmentally friendly. These salmon are a great source of omega-3s since a 3-ounce serving delivers 1,025 mg.

Fish You Should Avoid Eating

We have talked about fish that can be incredibly beneficial to your diet and the environment. Now, it’s time to touch upon some fish that might be problematic on plates instead of in the ocean.

Environmental institutions have long advocated taking a lot of species of fish off the menu. The fish listed below are popular seafood left alone in the sea and not food.

Bluefin Tuna

The bluefin tuna debuted on the World Wildlife Fund’s list of endangered species in December 2009, along with the giant panda, tigers, and the leatherback turtle.

However, even though environmental institutions continue to advocate for the bluefin tuna’s protection, this fish continues to command upwards of 170,000 dollars in the market.

Furthermore, bluefin tuna has high levels of mercury and PCBs that can endanger one’s health, and the EDF recommends not eating this fish at all.

Chilean Sea Bass, a.k.a. Patagonian Toothfish

The Chilean sea bass has been hunted near extinction from its native cold waters of the Antarctic for their very buttery meat. They hunted since their life cycles could not keep up with the pace. They have been classified as endangered.

The tools used to catch Chilean sea bass – trawlers and longlines – can also damage the seafloor and harm other seabirds.

There is only one MSC-approved farm for the Chilean sea bass. Furthermore, the EDF has issued a consumption advisory for the Chilean sea bass since it contains high levels of mercury.

Grouper

The grouper is also prone to overfishing since it takes quite a long time for them to reproduce. However, the EDF has also issued a consumption advisory for these fish because they contain high amounts of mercury in their bodies.

Monkfish

The monkfish and the catfish are somewhat similar in that they both have whiskers and bottom-dwellers. Their difference, however, lies in their meat. The monkfish has a fresh taste that is the staple of gourmets and chefs across the globe.

Though this fish species is recovering from being overfished, the trawlers some fishers use still threaten to damage their habitats.

Orange Roughy

Orange roughy can live around 100 years, making them possibly older than your grandmother. Their longevity also causes them to have high mercury concentrations in their bodies. Like the grouper, this fish is also prone to overfishing since they take some time to procreate.

Salmon (Farmed)

Most farmed salmon and Atlantic salmon are raised in tightly packed, open-net pens, often packed with parasites and diseases that can contaminate the salmon being raised and their ancestral habitats once they return to their spawning waters.

These salmon have high enough PCB levels to warrant a health advisory from the EDF.

Conclusion

Seafood has been a part of a person’s experience. Consumption of seafood is excellent if you’re either on a diet or just eating seafood because you enjoy its highly appealing taste.

While eating seafood is enjoyable in its own right, it is also our responsibility as consumers to know what seafood is good for us and what seafood we should avoid. Maintaining this balance not only helps us but also helps the environment around us.