good fish, bad fish

the age newspaper today had an article on sustainable fish. word is that humans are basically eating fish to unsustainable amounts. great, as if climate change weren't enough! anyways, the article notes that its in the hands of consumers to make the world a better place (yet again).

on a tangential note, australia has recently passed a law that all fresh produce must bear the country of origin - including fish/seafood. i find this to be great because i can genuinely support local produce now and not farmed fish from south-east asia (like basser which i'm told swims in somewhat chemical-tainted waters. yuks!).

anyhoo... here's the list of fish from the article NOT to buy due to over-fishing and species extinction:

• Blue warehou marketed as black trevally, snotty trevally, Tasmanian trevally
  
• Broadbill swordfish marketed as swordfish (this is endangered?!)
  
• Commercial scallop marketed as Tasmanian scallop
  
• Eastern gemfish marketed as hake, king couta (we've been having hake for fish n chips for ages!)
  
• Orange roughy marketed as deep sea perch (unbelievable)
  
• Oreo marketed as deep sea dory
  
• Redfish marketed as red snapper
  
• Sharks and rays marketed as flake ('fish and chips' fish!)
  
• Southern bluefin tuna marketed as tuna (hmmm... that's dodgy)
  
• Atlantic salmon, seacage aquaculture marketed as Tasmanian salmon (oh man)
  
• Silver trevally marketed as white trevally
  
• Barramundi - seacage aquaculture
  
• Mulloway - seacage aquaculture - marketed as jewfish
  
• Ocean trout - seacage aquaculture
  
• Snapper (pink) - seacage aquaculture
  
• Yellowtail kingfish - seacage aquaculture
  

and GOOD seafood to buy (good as in tasty and sustainable):

• Australian salmon - native species
  
• Blue swimmer crab (blue manta crab)
  
• Bream
  
• Calamari, cuttlefish, octopus, squid
  
• Flathead
  
• King George whiting (black whiting)
  
• South Australian whiting (spotted whiting)
  
• Leatherjacket (ocean jacket, butterfish)
  
• Mullet (bluetail, yelloweye)
  
• Mulloway (jewfish) - wild caught
  
• Trevally - tropical species only
  
• Western rock lobster - Marine Stewardship Council certified only
  
• Whiting
  
• Yellowtail kingfish - wild caught
  
• Blue mussel - green mussels are imported from NZ
  
• Crayfish - aquaculture only
  
• Oysters (avoid Pacific oysters, which are introduced and have become a pest)
  

so next time you're in the market or fish 'n' chips shop, think twice about that fillet you purchase. it just might be the last you'll ever see it again.