Seafood: Healthy or Hazardous?

One out of four Americans experiences a foodborne illness every year, with seafood responsible for about 20 percent. We are consuming more seafood than ever, and 81 percent of it is imported. Almost half of the seafood produced around the world today comes from industrial fish farms, where bad conditions encourage disease and parasites to spread. To combat this, fish farmers may use antibiotics and chemicals that can leave residues in seafood. Our research reveals the U.S. government fails to adequately inspect seafood imports for contaminants, filth, and salmonella.

Use our seafood guide to ensure you're eating the healthiest and most sustainable seafood available.

Fish Story More than 80 percent, about 10.7 billion pounds of the seafood we eat, comes from outside the United States. Much of it is imported from Asia and Latin America, regions that have potentially unsafe production practices. Read our report, "Fish Story."	Shrimp: Farmed or Wild? Were you aware that most shrimp consumed in the U.S. is grown in man-made ponds along the coasts of Thailand, Vietnam, Ecuador, and other tropical countries? Find out more about these industrially produced shrimp in our report, "Suspicious Shrimp".

Take Action: Protect Our Waters from Industrial Fish Farms

For more than a decade, the U.S. government has been pushing to open public waters to commercial-scale open ocean aquaculture – an industry that involves growing thousands of fish in cages anchored to the seafloor between three and 200 miles off the U.S. coast. Proponents argue that this industry will increase the country's food security by developing a domestic aquaculture industry rather than relying on imports. However, open ocean aquaculture poses serious threats to human health, the marine environment, and fishing communities. Say No to Industrial Fish Farms

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