These days it’s tricky enough navigating the terrain of seafood for health concerns, much less moral ones. Plenty of organizations have compiled comprehensive lists of good and not-so-good fish to eat, depending on whether the fish are imperiled, how they’re caught, their overall health, and other factors.
But let’s say you’re out at a restaurant and there’s fish on the menu (for example, the buttermilk fried calamari that was on the menu when I was dining out last weekend) but you forgot your geeky pocket-sized sustainable fish reference guide. Feel caught in a moral quagmire? Simply get out your cell phone and text “fish” and the name of the fish to 30644. You’ll get a text informing you about the fish’s sustainability.
I tried the service and within seconds got a text back telling me:
squid; (GREEN) few environmental concerns; squid grow quickly making them resistant to fishing pressure
So I forged ahead, and the squid didn’t disappoint.
If your choice isn’t “green,” the text will provide you with alternatives. This nifty service is offered by the Blue Ocean Institute.
—Joyce Tang
