Organic Fish Farming

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) does not certify fish as organic yet. Any fish you see in the market that is labeled organic was imported from another country and meets that country's standards for organic. Be warned: That country may have very different standards for organic than United States does.

  1. The Facts

    • It is more difficult to determine an organic standard for fish than for produce and livestock. Organic produce is grown without fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and isn't genetically modified. Organic livestock is fed a completely organic diet, is free of antibiotics, and is not genetically modified.

      Fish are harder to create an organic standard for because of the great diversity of fish available. Fish that are vegetarian will require different standards than carnivorous fish, as will bottom feeders. Also, according to The New York Times, environmentalists believe that because farm-raised fish tend to live in cramped conditions that pollute the water they live in, they are unhealthy to eat, so calling them organic would misrepresent the product.

    History

    • In November 2008 the National Organics Standards Board recommended that the USDA begin certifying farm-raised fish as organic but excluded all wild caught fish from being eligible. The recommendation, which would be used by the USDA as a guideline if they do choose to regulate organic fish in the future, was met with opposition from environmentalists and the fishing industry.

    Recommendation

    • Vegetarian fish, such as tilapia, are easy to determine an organic standard for because organic feed for them is already being produced. Carnivorous fish pose a problem because the fish they eat are not farmed organically and have to be caught in the wild.

      The National Organics Standards Board recommended that farm-raised carnivorous fish could still be considered organic even if their feed contains wild fish. According to The Washington Post, the wild fish can be only 25 percent of their feed and cannot be from forage species such as menhaden.

    Significance

    • The organic foods market is growing rapidly and the aquaculture industry wants in. If the USDA does decide to allow farm-raised fish into the ranks of USDA certified organic products, this could open the door to a huge increase in profits for the aquaculture industry as well as give them a huge leg up over the fishing industry.

      According to The Washington Post, organic food and beverage sales in America have risen from $1 billion in 1990 to about $20 billion in 2007. Sales of organic meat alone have grown from $33 million in 2002 to $364 million in 2007.

    Time Frame

    • Even if the USDA does create a standard for organic fish, according to The New York Times, it will be years before you see a fish labeled USDA certified organic in your local grocery store.