Last week, I was standing in front of the seafood counter at my local grocery store, staring at a row of neatly wrapped fillets. Tilapia, swai, orange roughy, a couple types of salmon — all priced differently, all looking more or less the same under that fluorescent glow. I grabbed the cheapest option without thinking much about it. Turns out, that was a mistake. And I’m probably not the only one making it.
That “Catfish” Might Not Be Catfish
Here’s something that threw me the first time I heard it. A lot of the cheap fish labeled as swai, basa, or tra at the grocery store is actually a type of Asian catfish — from a related species called pangasius. But under U.S. law, it can’t legally be sold as “catfish” because that label is reserved for domestic species. So it gets sold under those other names, and most shoppers have no idea what they’re actually buying.
The problem goes beyond labeling. Nearly 90% of the catfish imported to the U.S. comes from Vietnam, where antibiotics banned in this country are still commonly used in fish farming. The two Vietnamese varieties — swai and basa — also aren’t held to the same federal inspection rules as other imported catfish, since the government doesn’t technically classify them the same way. And the inspection issue is broader than you’d think. As one seafood expert put it, imported fish are rarely checked for filth, which apparently includes things like rat hair and insects. Not exactly the kind of bonus you want with your dinner.
American catfish, on the other hand, is a solid pick. Domestic farms follow industry-standard best practices, and wild-caught blue catfish from Chesapeake Bay are harvested responsibly. If you want that mild, white-fleshed fish for frying or baking, just make sure it says U.S. on the label.
Orange Roughy Has a Hidden Cost
If you were around in the ’70s and ’80s, you might remember when orange roughy was everywhere. It had mild, slightly sweet flesh that won over even people who normally didn’t like fish. Part of its appeal was a rebrand — its original name was “slimehead,” which, yeah, doesn’t exactly sell. But orange roughy is one fish that multiple chefs and sustainability experts say you should walk right past.
Why? Two big reasons. First, it’s been so overfished that many restaurant chains still won’t serve it. Orange roughy can live to be over 100 years old and doesn’t reach maturity until 10 to 20 years. That means populations recover at a glacial pace. There are no sustainable farming practices for it either — you can’t just breed more in a tank and call it a day. Second, because this fish lives so long, it accumulates a lot of mercury. The FDA lists it as one of the species highest in mercury contamination. So even if you spot it on sale and the label says “sustainably harvested,” most experts recommend leaving it on the shelf.
Chef Kyle Taylor, founder of HE COOKS®, suggests barramundi as a replacement. It’s a firm, lean white fish with arguably better flavor, and it’s considered one of the most sustainably farmed options out there. Flounder, snapper, or domestic catfish work too if you’re trying to match that mild orange roughy taste.
Not All Cheap Salmon Is a Good Deal
Salmon often feels like a safe choice. It’s packed with omega-3s, it’s familiar, and there’s usually some version of it at every price point. But those frozen fillets in the bargain bin? They’re likely pink salmon or keta salmon, and while they’re not dangerous, they’re kind of disappointing.
Keta salmon — also called chum or dog salmon, because it was historically used to feed sled dogs — tends to be lean and bland compared to sockeye or king. Pink salmon is similar: very common, very mild, and prone to drying out when you cook it. Your canned salmon is almost certainly pink unless the label specifies otherwise. As fillets, though, they can leave you wondering why you bothered. It’s usually worth spending a few extra dollars per pound to get coho or sockeye, which have more fat, more flavor, and hold up much better to cooking.
On the flip side, farmed coho salmon from certain operations is another one to watch out for. Some farmed salmon comes with environmental concerns tied to open-net pen farming, including pollution and impact on wild fish populations. Wild-caught Pacific salmon or MSC-certified options are generally the safest bets, both for quality and sustainability.
Imported Shrimp Is a Bigger Problem Than You Think
Shrimp is the most consumed seafood in the U.S. right now. It’s in everything — stir fries, tacos, pasta, those frozen bags you toss in the cart without a second thought. But here’s the thing: most of the shrimp Americans eat is imported and farm-raised, much of it from South Asia. And according to sustainability experts, imported farmed shrimp is one of the worst choices you can make.
The shrimp ponds used in countries like Thailand, India, and Vietnam often replace mangrove forests — those coastal trees that act as natural barriers against storms, erosion, and even tsunamis. Once the mangroves are gone, the shoreline is exposed. And it gets worse. The ponds become so polluted over time that farmers abandon them and build new ones elsewhere, destroying entire regions in the process. Marianne Cufone, executive director of the Recirculating Farms Coalition, described this pattern as essentially disposable farming on a devastating scale.
The good news? U.S.-sourced shrimp is readily available and generally well-managed. Look for Gulf shrimp, Key West Pinks, Rock Shrimp, or U.S. Royal Reds from North Florida and Alabama. Just check labels carefully — mislabeling happens more often than you’d expect in the shrimp world.
Canned Tuna Deserves a Closer Look
I know, I know. This one stings a little. Canned tuna has been a kitchen staple forever — tuna melts, tuna salad, that emergency lunch when you haven’t gone shopping in a week. Nobody wants to hear bad things about it. But you really should be reading the label before you toss a can in your cart.
Tuna is a predator fish, and like other predators high on the food chain, it accumulates mercury in its tissues. The levels vary by species, though. Skipjack, which is what most “chunk light” tuna is made from, has significantly lower mercury than albacore or yellowfin. That matters a lot, especially for pregnant women, nursing mothers, and young kids, where mercury exposure can affect brain development. Beyond health, there’s also the sustainability angle. Tuna’s massive popularity has put real pressure on wild populations, and the fishing methods used to catch it sometimes result in significant bycatch — other marine animals caught unintentionally.
So no, you don’t have to give up canned tuna entirely. Just look for cans that name the species (skipjack is your best bet for lower mercury) and carry a certification logo from something like the Marine Stewardship Council. A little label-reading goes a long way here.
Atlantic Cod Still Hasn’t Recovered
There’s something almost tragic about Atlantic cod. For centuries — literally centuries — it was the backbone of the fishing economy along the coasts of New England and Atlantic Canada. Mark Kurlansky wrote a whole book about it called “Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World.” And then, by 1992, the population collapsed. Generations of overfishing had wiped out what people once believed was an inexhaustible resource.
Stocks have been slowly rebuilding, but they’re not there yet. The species was listed as one step above endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List. Even small-scale, well-managed Atlantic cod fisheries contribute to depleting a gene pool that’s still fragile. Fred Decker, a trained chef from Canada’s East Coast and descendant of a long line of fishermen, has written that he personally won’t buy even responsibly sourced Atlantic cod because every fish landed still chips away at recovery.
The swap is easy, though. Pacific cod is abundant and makes a perfect substitute for fish and chips or any recipe that calls for cod. Haddock and ling are solid East Coast alternatives too.
Mercury, Certifications, and What Actually Helps
You’ve probably noticed a pattern by now. Mercury keeps showing up. That’s because it’s a real concern with certain types of fish — especially large predators and long-lived deep-water species. Sharks, skates, rays, tilefish from the Gulf of Mexico, and orange roughy all rank high on the FDA’s mercury list. The American Heart Association recommends eating fish twice a week, which is great advice, but it matters which fish you’re eating.
So how do you actually make better choices without spending 20 minutes analyzing every package? Certifications help a lot. The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) label on wild-caught seafood means the fishery has been independently reviewed for sustainable practices. The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) does the same for farmed fish. Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) covers everything from farms to feed mills. And the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program rates seafood by how it’s caught or farmed — you can even look things up on their app while you’re standing in the store.
A few simple habits go a long way too. Choose domestic over imported when you can. Favor wild-caught over farmed, with exceptions for well-managed U.S. aquaculture (farmed shellfish, for instance, is almost always a good choice). And when possible, look for fish caught by hook and line or rod and reel — those methods produce far less bycatch than large-scale netting operations.
The seafood counter doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. A handful of swaps — Pacific instead of Atlantic cod, domestic instead of imported shrimp, skipjack instead of albacore tuna — makes a real difference for your health and for the ocean. And here’s something I keep thinking about: the ocean is one of the last sources of truly wild food on the planet. That alone seems like a pretty good reason to pay attention to what ends up in our shopping carts.
