IPA – The Real King of Beers

The woman in the light blue shirt is raising her hand and I anticipate her question before the words leave her mouth. “All wild fish are unsustainable, right? So we should eat all farmed fish, yes?” I’m in Edmonds, Washington, teaching a cooking class on sustainable seafood. We’re only three minutes into the class and I’m already poised to clear up some major misconceptions.

I tell the class that I wish there were some hard and fast rules to navigate this new world; a world in which all-you-can-eat sushi bars and 365-day-a-year global fish availability mask issues of dwindling wild stocks and polluting offshore farming operations. The answer to her question is: It depends.

Many species of wild fish are doing quite well. Certain states, such as Alaska, prioritize sound fisheries management to preserve fish for future generations. West coast albacore, Pacific halibut, spot prawns and the five species of Alaskan wild salmon are examples of wild fish that are great choices. Still, other options exist. Squid, wild sardines, pink shrimp, crab and lobster don’t seem to be threatened. Other wild species, such as bluefin and yellowfin tuna, eel, aka unagi and grouper, for example, are, unfortunately, not doing so well. Demand is too high and our tools for catching fish too efficient. Wild fish don’t have a fighting chance, unless we can control our appetites and fisheries managers can prioritize conservation.

The most environmentally sound way of fishing is in smaller, focused quantities. Examples include trolling also known as “hook and line,” which is essentially the commercial version of dipping a fishing pole in the ocean, catching shrimp or crabs in a pot, and small scale purse seining (a net that encloses a school of fish), among other techniques.

Other methods are not as ocean- and fish-friendly: fish caught by trawling and certain kinds of longlining. Trawling harms the ocean floor by dragging heavy weighted nets across it. Trawling also produces a lot of bycatch, which is when species not intended to be caught are accidentally caught and killed, causing their populations to dwindle. Longlining drags a multitude of lines and hooks, often for miles on end. The worst way to longline is on the top of the ocean column. The lines sit on the surface of the ocean and unintended species get hooked (turtles, birds, etc.) in the process. After so much time on the line much of what’s caught can be dead when it’s finally hauled in. Alas, not all longlining is the same and major exceptions exist. Longlining along the bottom of the ocean, such as in Alaska’s sustainable halibut and black cod fishery, has a much better track record of catching intended species.

But what about farm-raised fish? Is this an option for environmentally conscious consumers? Some types of farmed seafood are extremely sustainable. Farmed shellfish doesn’t require wild fish feed to grow so there is no negative drawing of species (protein loss) from the oceans to convert to feed to run a shellfish farm. The same can’t be said for carnivorous fish farms. Farmed shellfish, just like wild shellfish, filter feed, contributing to better water quality. Few decisions are this simple: shellfish, like oysters, clams, and mussels, make the oceans cleaner.

Not all farmed fish are sustainable, however. Offshore farming operations, such as most Atlantic salmon farms, cause huge problems. Think of it this way: if there was an outbreak of disease among a group of people on an island where no ferries and no bridge existed, the disease would be self-limiting and contained. Compare this to a disease breaking out in the middle of New York City. Pretty limitless how far that disease could spread, yes? Mixing and mingling high-density fish farms right in the middle of wild fish ocean migration routes carries with it all sorts of environmental consequences including escapement, pollution and the spread of disease. The ocean is an extremely efficient distribution medium. Closed containment a.k.a. land-based farms are a lot less environmentally risky. Opt for rainbow trout and arctic char farms.

The important questions to ask when buying fish are: what is the species, where was it caught and how was it caught? Resources such as the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Program and sustainablesushi.net are invaluable. A good rule of thumb is to buy domestic as we have far stricter environmental laws when compared to most other countries (Thailand, China, the Philippines, etc.) that import fish into the United States.

Sustainable seafood is a hot topic and American consumers are looking for simple answers and guidance around an extremely complicated subject. Many supermarkets, fishmongers, fishermen, chefs and restaurants are making the future of our oceans a priority. Find them, support them.

—Becky Selengut

Becky Selengut is a private chef and co-author of the Washington Local and Seasonal Cookbook (Lone Pine 2008). Selengut has another book coming out in 2011 called Good Fish on sustainable seafood. You can find more of her work at chefreinvented and on Twitter at: @chefreinvented

 Cade Winery of Angwin, California, is the first of its kind to win the GreenLux Award, for not only being ahead of the curve in terms of environmentally friendly business, building and farming practices, but for proving that a winery can adopt such practices without sacrificing the opulent atmosphere and calibre of product that make it high-end.

Cade’s strong commitment to the environment shines through in its Gold Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) certification. The winery has raised the bar on energy efficiency, having managed to reduce its overall water consumption by 67 percent and meet 99 percent of its energy needs due to the array of solar panels installed. Natural ventilation and the mostly concrete structures help cool the building while the cool-roof system on all buildings decreases the heat island effect.

In the construction of Cade’s facilities, architect Juan Carlos Fernandez of Lail Design Group together with Grassi Construction and Summit Engineering, few new pre-consumer building materials were used. This ambitious goal resulted in 65 percent of construction waste being diverted from landfills by incorporating recycled and reclaimed materials into the build-out. The steel beams are made from 98 percent recycled steel and all wood components come from sustainably harvested wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

One would never know while strolling through the property that some of the structural support is made of recycled glass bottles, the insulation of blue jeans and the beautiful outdoor patio table of reclaimed bridge trestles. It’s all just a part of the rustic chic look of Cade, which embodies sustainability.

Apart from the built environment, the breathtaking physical surroundings make you feel an almost instant connection with nature. This probably has much to do with the 60 percent of the natural landscape on the property that has been purposely left untouched to support biodiversity.

Step inside the contemporary, elegant hospitality room at which you can leisurely sip on a stemless glass of the recently released 2007 Napa Cuvée Cabernet Sauvignon. Aromas of black currant and acacia flower blend with chocolate and anise essence. Manzanita tree branches—the inspiration for Cade’s eco logo—hang above your head at the glossy wood tasting table as you gaze out the all-glass wall overlooking the panoramic view of the rolling hills of Cade’s organically farmed vineyards.

Cade Winery

360 Howell Mountain Road South
Angwin, California
707/965-2746

Tasting by appointment only

Honorable Mention:  Stratus Wines of Niagara-on-the-Lake claims the title of being the world’s first LEED-certified wine-making facility. It boasts not only a geothermal heating/cooling system, but a glass cube tasting room that maximizes natural light to illuminate the space, a gravity-flow processing system (in lieu of inefficient conveyer belts), a company Prius for local deliveries and staff bike lockers to encourage zero-emissions transit.

Stratus Winery

2059 Niagara Stone Road

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada

905/468-1806

Honorable Mention:  Shafer Vineyards of Napa Valley deserves distinction for being 100 percent solar-powered since 2004. Other sustainability efforts include making their own compost fertilizer, recycling/reusing grey water, attracting various birds and other wildlife to help cultivate the vineyards naturally and using cover crops to enrich the soil and prevent insect/rodent infestation without the use of poisonous chemicals. Shafer’s various energy-saving systems have reduced enough greenhouse gas emissions to equal the planting of 17,000 trees.  Check out this video highlighting their sustainable farming practices.

Shafer Vineyards
6154 Silverado Trail
Napa, California
707/944-2877

Tasting by appointment only