Overfished seas, heavy metals and antibiotic residues on our plates – fish is no longer a sustainable or healthy food. Is organic fish better?
The global demand for fish has been increasing since the 1960s – according to the FAO to 20.5 kilograms per person per year. When it comes to organic fish and seafood, however, the overall selection is still very limited.
What is striking: you won’t find wild fish with the familiar light green EU organic seal, but organic farmed fish are more common. Somehow paradoxical: So fish that grows up in the wild should be less organic than their counterparts from artificially created aquacultures?
Problem case aquaculture: factory farming with dramatic effects
Due to increasing demand, almost half of the fish consumed worldwide now comes from aquaculture. This alternative to catching wild fish is anything but organic – in most cases, it means factory farming in a confined space, with all the resulting consequences:
- Increased stress and little exercise for the animals in overcrowded facilities where diseases can spread more quickly
- Contamination of the water bodies by faeces, hormones and medicines, which sometimes also end up on our plates
- Spread of new species and displacement of existing ones when animals escape from net enclosures in open water
- Destruction of valuable habitats in favor of aquaculture (e.g. destruction of mangrove forests in Asia and Central America for shrimp farming)
A particular problem here is the topic of food: many popular edible fish are mainly fed with fishmeal or fish oil. According to Greenpeace, for example, around 20 kilos of feed are required for one kilo of farmed tuna. And this consists mainly of fish meal and oil from wild fish. Around every fifth fish caught from the sea is now said to be processed into fishmeal or fish oil. Conventional aquaculture thus additionally fuels the overfishing of wild stocks. With organic farmed fish, things are looking a little better in this regard.
That makes organic aquaculture better
In contrast to wild fish, there are clear EU-wide rules for organic fish farming: Vegetable feed must come from organic farming, fishmeal and fish oil from sustainable fisheries. The stocking density is precisely regulated for each fish species: For example, “only” 10 kilograms of trout may live in 1,000 liters of water in net enclosures. Far higher stocking densities are common in conventional breeding.
Having fewer animals in the water can have a positive impact on their stress levels, natural growth and health. Experts also see advantages for people and taste. Organic fish is often less fatty, but more aromatic. Hormones are not used, antibiotics may only be administered in exceptional cases. And genetically modified organisms are forbidden – both in the feed and in the fish.
Conclusion: if fish, then organic
Given the devastating effects of fishing on the environment and fish stocks worldwide, the most sustainable approach is to avoid fish altogether.
Eating fish is also not necessary for health reasons: omega-3 fatty acids are also contained in plant-based foods such as linseed oil, hemp oil, rapeseed oil, wheat germ oil, and walnuts as well as microalgae preparations. Iodine, vitamin D, and proteins can also be easily ingested from plant sources.
