Fish for the 2009 Seafood Watch Guide

There's been a lot of talk about food on Tonic News lately, what with all the posts about bison, squirrel, PETA ... you'd think we'd all be tired of eating after a month or so of holiday gluttony. Well, we are.

But now there's another reason to consider food, since the new 2009 Seafood Watch guide has been printed. Published by the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Seafood Choices Alliance, the guide is super handy and helpful when you need to get out of a slippery, what-fish-to-eat situation. Seafood Watch has had a mobile version for some time, but now also comes in an iPhone app. I'll be downloading that ASAP.

I'm sure everyone has their uses for the guide. Dan wrote about the standalone sushi guide back in October. Personally, I avoid eating anything with a neck and don't eat much of anything with gills. My psuedo pesco-vegetarianism is pretty complicated, so don't ask. It all makes perfect sense to me. Well, no it doesn't, really. But what it comes down to is the fact that I just sometimes like to eat fish. And sometimes I like sushi. So sue me.

I do, however, try to make very conscious choices about the fish I eat, which is why I keep a guide in my wallet. For example, I steer way clear of Chilean Sea Bass because it's completely over-fished and on the verge of extinction. I do indulge occasionally on fresh-caught wild salmon, because it's relatively sustainable and is seasonal here on the West Coast. Tilapia is OK in my book too, and makes for great fish tacos. The guide tells me what's what.

So now I'll be packing the new 2009 guide as well as the iPhone app. Now there's really no excuse for not eating smart. Fish on!

Photo of sardines at Monterey Bay Aquarium by Steve Enders