Saturday, January 7, 2012
Farm Raised Tilapia
Happy New Year everyone!! Sorry I haven't posted in a while but the holidays kept me pretty busy. Hope everyone had a nice time as well.
I wanted to talk about Tilapia, the mild white fish many of you may enjoy. What you might not enjoy about them is the condition many of them are kept in. First off, almost all Tilapia is farm raised. This to me is a red flag. Have you ever seen the pens of farm raised fish; they are like aquariums of the sea. Seriously, these fish just go in circles looking for an escape route and cause a serious amount of pollution! Anyway, one of the most important things to keep in mind if you are purchasing Tilapia is to make sure it is raised in the US. DO NOT BUY TILAPIA RAISED CHINA (80% of all Tilapia sold is from China)! Apparently these fish act like filters so some people (not mentioning any names China) throw waste, human and animal, into their pens. Sounds yummy doesn't it? I believe some Tilapia is also imported from South America and other Asian countries as well. These should be stayed clear of too.
To be honest, I personally try to limit all fish I eat. Although some have great health benefits, I can't get past all the potential for toxins and pollutants in them. I think oil spills, radiation, human waste and it just makes me cringe. Now I understand a great deal of pollution is happening to land animals as well but for some reason fish I try to limit. It might sound crazy, I don't know, but it is how I look at it.
Anyway, make sure you check your fish labels and try to only buy wild caught. Local wild caught would be even better.
Resources:
http://www.newjerseynewsroom.com/healthquest/the-dangers-of-farm-raised-tilapia-from-china
http://www.mofga.org/Default.aspx?tabid=631
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Great post.I feel the same way.I always check to make sure all the fish and shrimp I buy are wild caught and are from USA only or Europe like Iceland,etc,even if its more expensive,its worth it especially when it comes to your health and also support of our country.I refuse to buy any seafood or other foods from Asian countries, as there level of cleanliness is way below are standards.I too love all kinds of fish and seafood. HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!
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