You have to admire the hardworking folks who toil under the banner of the Food & Water Watch organization. They’ve tackled the problem of “invasive” sea creatures by proposing a simple solution: Eat ‘em.
“Invasive” doesn’t mean sea urchins wearing Kevlar vests and storming schools of fish. It means species that end up in places they would not go on their own, either by accident or to solve some other problem. They’re tenacious critters that don’t fit into the food chain, which is a nice way to say that bigger creatures don’t eat them. Or at least they don’t eat enough of them.
Just one of the invaders: European green crab
This look at invasive species is one part of FWW’s analysis of 100 different fish and shellfish that not only assesses “the human health and environmental impacts of eating certain seafood, but also the socio-economic impacts on coastal and fishing communities.”
The FWW gang’s seafood guide is actually entertaining. Not easy to do. Especially some of the invasive-creature names: “Chinese Mitten Crab” and “Walking Catfish.” If nothing else, you should download their list in case you ever start a band and need a good name.
There’s also the FWW’s famed list of the “Dirty Dozen.” This is the list for those of us with short attention spans. It spells out the maritime meals we should avoid.
(That sigh of relief is me having seen “eel” on the list. Anyone who says eels taste good is trying to trick you. If those same people tell you those small brown things in the salad are raisins, look around for the rabbit.)
The most useful thing from FWW is actually a guide to a Guide. The “Understanding the Seafood Guide” section of their site is terrific. It sorts out the differences between fish caught or farmed, explains how contaminants get into your seafood, and connects the dots between what we eat and long-term effects on the environment. There is also a cool fish jargon page.
The reality is that this sort of analysis and consumer guide should be done by the feds, but it isn’t. They try, but somehow it doesn’t come off with the clarity and timeliness that’s required.
–Kimberly Marlowe Hartnett
(Note: If you missed it, check out The Food Watchdog’s piece on the shark-fin controversy.)
