This is yet another example of overfishing and waste. Commercial fisheries produce what’s known as “wasted bycatch,” which occurs when fish or other marine species are unintentionally caught while targeting different species. Every year, U.S. fisheries discard approximately 2 billion pounds of bycatch, which is the equivalent of half a billion meals! The California gillnet fishery, which focuses on halibut, has been singled out as one of the worst offenders. If you’ve eaten halibut in the U.S., there’s a good chance it came from this fishery.
3. Caviar
Caviar comes from the eggs of the Beluga Sturgeon, a centuries-old fish that can live for up to one hundred years. These eggs are in high demand and can fetch thousands of dollars per pound. As a result, the Beluga Sturgeon is now at great risk of extinction. The same threat applies to many other sturgeon species as well.
4. Chilean Bass
Its high mercury content poses a health risk to humans
5. Eel
Eels are slow to mature and have been overfished in many parts of the world, causing some populations to collapse. This is problematic as eels play an important role in spreading mussel populations, which act as natural water filters . In addition, eels absorb and store harmful chemicals and pollutants very easily. This is such a problem that in some areas residents are advised to eat eel no more than once per year.
6. Imported Basa, Swai, Tra, Striped Catfish
These fish, in some cases, are simply labeled “catfish”, and should be avoided. According to a 2016 study, seventy to eighty percent of these fish were contaminated by Vibrio Bacteria, which is what causes most cases of shellfish poisoning
7. Imported Farmed Shrimp
There are various pesticides that are used globally in shrimp production. All but one of them are banned in the United States. On top of that, these shrimps have often been treated with large quantities of antibiotics, and so any time you handle these raw shrimp you run the risk of being infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria
8. Imported King Crab
Around three-quarters of all crab sold in the United States is imported from Russia, where unsustainable fishing practices are very common. Technically, the only crab that was caught in Alaska can be called “Alaskan King Crab.” However, mislabelling is incredibly common, so you should know where your crab is coming from. If it says “imported” and “Alaskan” on the label, something is amiss and you should stay away.
9. Orange Roughy
These fish can live for many decades and don’t typically reach se-xu-al maturity until they’re at least twenty years old. They are another species that have been overfished, but due to their very slow reproduction cycles, they have an extremely difficult time recovering. Orange Roughy is also known to have high levels of mercury.
10. Shark
Since sharks have very high levels of mercury. They are also slow to mature and reproduce, and thus overfishing has depleted their populations as well.
11. Atlantic Bluefin Tuna
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