There are many resources out there from federal agency warnings to various seafood guides. A number of environmental organizations release detailed recommendations on which fish to enjoy and which to avoid.

The Audubon Society’s Living Oceans focuses their recommendations on the environmental conditions surrounding the health of the fish and marine ecosystems. The Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program has comprehensive detailed lists, depending on which area of the country you live in – even if you live in Nebraska!

Food & Water Watch recommends that consumers take the environmental impacts, socio-economic issues and consumer health implications into consideration when choosing your favorite seafood dinner. Here are our top ten suggestions, followed by more detailed information.

1. Choose Wild Fish– wild fish possess fewer consumer health concerns than most farm raised – they swim in the wild and aren’t grown in large crowded cages with harmful chemicals.
2. Buy Local – if you don’t live near water, try to stick to US fish. They travel a shorter distance to the consumer, so less fuel is wasted and they are probably fresher. You have a higher chance – although not certain – of supporting smaller scale fishing communities. You also help the US economy that way.
3. At all costs, avoid imported farm raised shrimp. Less than 1% of imported seafood is tested for contaminants. Imported shrimp is especially contaminated.
   
4. Choose US wild or US inland farmed shrimp.
   
5. Avoid farm raised finfish, especially salmon. They grow in large corporate-owned cages that threaten wild fish populations and are fed chemicals that can threaten human health.
6. Farm raised mussels and clams grow easily with very little input – that means without chemicals, and chances are, they are more likely raised by small-scale operations.
7. You have a right to know where your seafood comes from - ask before you buy! This will also make the restaurants and shops pay attention to what they buy and they will know that consumers care.
8. Eat fresh seafood – avoid processed seafood, which travels farther, uses more fuel, and lacks county-of-origin labeling.
9. All in all, eat a variety of fish – don’t stick to just one type. By doing so, your exposure to possible seafood contaminants is reduced. This also helps to relieve pressure on wild populations.
   
10. Learn about your seafood and pass it on to others.

To make that trip to the seafood counter a bit easier, click here to download our handy wallet-sized smart seafood guide. While you're at it, print out this restaurant card to leave on the table at your favorite restaurant to let them know that you want healthy, local, and sustainable seafood choices.