Sustainability

Monterey Bay Seafood Watch

Best choices

Best Choices are abundant, well-managed and caught or farmed in environmentally friendly ways.

• Oysters (farmed)
• Catfish (farmed)
• Clams (farmed)
• Croaker*
• Mackerel: Spanish*
• Trout: Rainbow (US farmed)
• Striped Bass (farmed & wild)*

Good Alternative

Good Alternatives are an option, but there are concerns with how they’re caught or farmed—or with the health of their habitat due to other human impacts.

• Blue Crab*
• Bluefish
• Oysters (wild)
• Clams (wild)
• Flounder: Summer *
• Herring
• Lobster: American/Maine

Maryland Species not listed:
Wild-caught Eel, Perch (only info is from the Great Lakes)

Blue Ocean Institute

   Species is relatively abundant, and fishing/farming methods cause little damage to habitat and other wildlife.

• Clam-Soft shell
• Herring
• Mackerel, Spanish*
• Oyster, Eastern
• Spotted Sea-trout
• Striped Bass*

   Species has medium to high levels of abundance, or fishing/farming methods cause some damage to the environment.

• Bluefish
• Catfish-US
• Clam-Hard
• Flounder-Summer*
• Lobster, American

   Some problems exist with this species’ status or catch/farming methods, or information is insufficient for evaluating.

• Blue Crab*
• Weakfish*

   Species abundance is generally low, or fishing/farming methods typically have large environmental impact.

• Eel-American
• Tautog

Maryland Species not listed:

• Croaker
• Perch

*Limit consumption due to concerns about mercury or other contaminants.