| Published on: Mar 27, 2009 |
| Last updated on: Mar 27, 2009 |
 When we buy a pork chop labeled "organic" we can assume that the pig that produced it ate only organic food, roamed outdoors from time to time, and was left free of antibiotics. An organic tomato must flourish without conventional pesticides. An organic chicken cannot be fed antibiotics.
But when it comes to deciding what makes a fish organic, it is rather baffling. How does one control the wild fish which swim in pristine waters? This is a major issue in organic aquaculture
It appears that we can be sure about the organicness of the farm-raised fish like the salmon.
But there are problems here too. Environmentalists argue that many farm-raised fish live in cramped nets in conditions that can pollute the water, and it is not right to call them organic.
Even among people who favor the designation of farmed fish as organic, there are huge disputes over which types of fish should be included. The issue comes down largely to what a fish eats.
How to feed the fish an organic diet?
Catfish and tilapia are primarily vegetarians and hence can be brought under the organic category. Salmon, on the other hand is carnivores and eat other fish. How to label that organic? According to current regulations, wild salmon would not be able to be labeled organic, yet farmed salmon that abided by organic bylaws could.
Wild tuna, swordfish, and halibut are probably not going to qualify because they are rarely, if ever, farm raised.
So when it comes to buying organic seafood, don’t just look at the labels. First find out where the fish swam before buying. |