Alternatives To Tuna: Dining With Discernment

For many people who aren't either an active participant in wildlife conservation, or an active participant in commercial fishing, the debate over rapidly declining Tuna populations may seem merely academic, or to the more irreverent members of society maybe even arbitrary. It is important for those committed to Tuna conservation to make the argument real and corporeal to those who are only tangentially involved. To make a convincing case to those whose involvement with fish is only as a diner, it is necessary to first provide suitable alternatives. Thanks to FishOnline, we have a list of 35 delicious and responsible alternatives to Tuna and other endangered species. By stressing the practical potential of alternative dining, we can gain yardage against those whose culinary preferences outweigh their sense of environmental responsibility.

1.	Abalone (farmed only)
2.	Alaska or walleye pollock (MSC certified)
3.	Bib or pouting
4.	Black bream or porgy or seabream (from Cornwall and NW and N Wales)
5.	Clam, American hardshell (from hand-gathered farmed sources only)
6.	Clam, carpet shell (hand-gathered only)
7.	Cockle (MSC certified from Bury Inlet, SW Wales)
8.	Cod, Pacific (MSC certified)
9.	Coley or saithe (from NE Arctic and combined N Sea stock)
10.	Dab
11.	Dover sole (MSC certified from Eastern Channel)
12.	Flounder (from Cornwall and NW and N Wales)
13.	Gurnard (grey and red)
14.	Lemon sole (otter trawl or seine net caught)
15.	Lobster, Mexican Baja California red rock (MSC certified)
16.	Lobster, Western Australian rock (MSC certified)
17.	Lythe or pollack (line caught and tagged from Cornwall))
18.	Mackerel (MSC certified from Cornwall))

19.	Mahi Mahi (handline caught from targeted fisheries only)
20.	Mussel (sustainably harvested or farmed e.g. rope grown))
21.	Oyster (native & Pacific, sustainably farmed)
22.	Pilchard or sardine, European (traditionally harvested from Cornwall)
23.	Red mullet (not from Mediterranean)
24.	Salmon, Atlantic (Organically farmed)
25.	Salmon, Pacific (MSC certified from Alaska)
26.	Scallop (sustainably harvested e.g. dive-caught)
27.	Scampi or Dublin Bay prawn (MSC certified from Loch Torridon, or pot-caught from West of Scotland)
28.	Seabass (line-caught and tagged from Cornwall)
29.	Snapper, Red or Crimson
30.	Spider crab (pot caught only)
31.	Tilapia (sustainably farmed)
32.	Trout (brown or sea and rainbow, Organically farmed)
33.	Tuna, albacore (pole and line, handline or troll-caught from S Pacific or S Atlantic)
34.	Tuna, skipjack (pole and line or handline-caught from Pacific (western & central) or Maldives)
35.	Winkle (sustainably harvested e g. hand picked)

-Eli Hopkins