consciouseating
The Green Fish Farmer Chefs like Rick Moonen, who owns RM Seafood, in Las Vegas, are getting behind U.S. aquaculture farms that do it right, raising healthy, sustainable and delicious fish. Moonen recently became a brand ambassador for True North Salmon, a farm system that integrates the way nature keeps fish healthy and fresh. “They have a salmon farm near a mussel farm near a kelp farm, mimick- ing the way these three species interact in the wild,” says Moonen. The best seafood farms take what
SURF TO TURF
U.S. Farmed Seafood That’s Safe and Sustainable by Judith Fertig
Wild-caught fish from pure waters is the gold standard of seafood, but sustainable populations from healthy waters are shrinking. That’s one reason why fish farms are appearing in unusual places—barramundi flourish on a Nebraska cattle ranch, shrimp in chilly Massachusetts and inland tilapia in Southern California.
W
ith the demand for seafood outpacing what can safely be harvested in the wild,
half the seafood we eat comes from aquaculture, says Kathryn Sullivan, Ph.D., administrator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra- tion (NOAA). Yet, farmed seafood has a reputa-
tion for uneven quality and question- able farming practices. A primary rea- son is that much of what Americans buy comes from Asia, where aquaculture is less stringently managed. Meanwhile, domestic aquaculture provides only about 5 percent of the seafood con- sumed here, according to NOAA.
Safe Seafood Solutions If we want to eat safer, sustainable, farmed seafood, there are two solu- tions. One is to purchase farmed fish raised in the U.S., says Sullivan. The agency’s FishWatch consumer informa-
44 Lehigh Valley
tion service assures: “If it’s harvested in the United States, it’s inherently sustainable as a result of the rigorous U.S. management process that ensures fisheries are continuously monitored, improved and sustainable.” Whole Foods Markets have found that farming seafood (aquaculture) can provide a consistent, high-quality, year-round supply of healthy and deli- cious protein. Accordingly, “When it’s done right, aquaculture can be environmentally friendly and offer a crucial way to supplement wild-caught fish supplies. On the other hand, poor farming practices such as the overuse of chemicals and antibiotics and those that cause water pollution and other negative impacts on the environment are bad news.”
A second solution is to consult with a trusted fishmonger that has high standards for flavor, health, safety, sus- tainability and environmental concerns.
www.healthylehighvalley.com
geography and climate offer—ocean inlets, a natural spring and a natural de- pression in the land or indoor controlled freshwater tanks—and use clean feed. With no antibiotics, non-GMO food (free of genetic modification) in the right ratio, good water quality and creative ways to use the effluent, they employ green farming practices to raise fish and shellfish that, in turn, are healthy to eat. The Atlantic coasts of Maine and
Canada are where families have been making their living from the sea for cen- turies, says Alan Craig, of Canada’s True North Salmon Company. “The fish are fed pellets made from all-natural, non- GMO sources with no dyes, chemicals or growth hormones added. Underwa- ter cameras monitor the health of the fish to prevent overfeeding.” True North Salmon follows a three-
bay system, similar to crop rotation on land. Each bay is designated for a particular age of fish: young salmon, market-ready fish and a fallow, or empty, bay, breaking the cycle of any naturally occurring diseases and parasites. Robin Hills Farm, near Ann Arbor,
Michigan, offers vegetable, meat, egg and fruit community supported agricul- ture, U-pick fruit and a pair of stocked farm ponds. Farm Manager Mitzi Koors explains that the ponds are a way to leverage natural resources, add another income stream and attract visitors. “We first discovered a low-lying
area that would become a beautiful pond with a little work,” Koors relates. “We then expanded to two close ponds that don’t connect, to keep the older fish raised on at least six months of non- GMO organic feed separate from the newer fish. The ponds are spring fed,
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64