© 2026 ABC News

Lovewell shared three simple things to keep in mind while shopping for sustainable seafood:

1. Eat American seafood caught locally or regionally preferably.
2. Eat seasonal variety, not just the tuna, salmon and shrimp, but the delicious and unique species that you might not have had before.
3. Ask where your fish was caught and how it was caught. Transparency is hard to come by in this industry, so seek out and support the businesses you can trust.

\"PHOTO:
Jordyn Kastlunger
PHOTO: Customers picking up fresh fish at the Tuna Harbor Dockside Market in San Diego.
>

Plus, eating lower on the food chain is typically considered to be more sustainable.

\"Eating fish like mackerel and sardines instead of tuna or sea bass can be better for the environment because these smaller species have shorter life spans, reproduce more readily and as a result are more resilient to fishing pressure,\" De Sousa said.

@seasidewithemily

Eat lower on the seafood chain. ##seafood ##sustainableseafood ##seaspiracy ##sardines ##sustainability ##anchovies ##fisheries

♬ original sound - Emily - Seafood & Travel ✈️🦪

When shopping in a supermarket versus a farmer's market or buying seafood directly from a fishery, De Sousa encouraged shoppers look for an eco-label, warning that mislabelling certain seafood as sustainable has been an increasing issue.

\"A recent study by OCEANA found that while seafood mislabelling is a very serious problem, seafood that was certified sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council was correctly labelled 99% of the time,\" she said. \"Consumers can feel confident that MSC-certified seafood is labelled correctly.\"

Like Lovewell, De Sousa added that it's important to \"talk to the people working at the seafood counter and ask them what seafood has come in recently, where it was caught, how it was caught. Generally, if people are doing things sustainably they'll be eager to show it off and answer your questions.\"

\"PHOTO:
Jordyn Kastlunger
PHOTO: A sustainable seafood purveyor holds up fresh fish.
>

Resources online to help find the best catch

Whether you live in a coastal city or landlocked state, buying sustainable seafood is easier than ever with online options and community-supported fisheries that can get fresh-caught seafood that is packed and frozen on the boat and delivered right to a customer's door.

Lovewell's company, Real Good Fish, supports a network of small-scale local fishermen and fishing communities to do just that in 39 states.

\"PHOTO:
Kerry Marhefka
PHOTO: A fisherman for Abundant Seafood in South Carolina holds up his fresh catch.
>

\"It's about the shortest supply chains, and full transparency of where the fish is caught, who caught it, what gear they used. Our supply chains are simple: from the boat to the dock, from the dock to our processing facility, from the processing facility to your door,\" he said.

Use a local seafood finder

Advocates and volunteers around the industry have created hubs, like the Local Catch Network, to shorten the supply chain and get consumers as close to the seafood source as possible. So whether it's fresh lobster off the coast of Maine or salmon in Alaska, there's expansive reach to help source it sustainably.

Search for seafood from over 200 community-based fisheries with 640 distribution points, not including doorstep delivery, across North America by using LCN's Seafood Finder: https://t.co/05nR66fE9x pic.twitter.com/Eqv5R8CsW1

— Local Catch Network (@LocalCatch) August 3, 2021

The Local Catch finder, created by Stoll and his team at the Local Catch Network, taps into a network of sustainable fishermen who can connect consumers to seafood that's nearest to their location.

Catch more conversations on social media

Plus, it's currently #findyourseafoodweek on social media, which celebrates local fisherman across North America. From fisheries and advocates to community organizers, the values-based seafood community's online presence has new ways to interact, explore and introduce consumers to the people behind each catch via TikTok, Instagram and more.

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story was originally published August 2021.

","canonicalUrl":"https://abcnews.com/GMA/Food/sustainable-seafood/story?id=79216350","legacySlug":"/food/story/sustainable-seafood-79216350","noIndexNoFollow":false},"publishTime":"17:39","publishDate":"04-24-2023","updatedTime":"17:39","updatedDate":"04-24-2023","socialImage":{"alt":"A purveyor holds up a fresh-caught fish at the tuna docks in San Diego, California.","credit":"Jordyn Kastlunger","ratio":"16x9","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/fisherwomanJordynKastlunger_1628166559272_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg","width":992,"height":558},"datePublished":"4/24/2023 17:39:00 GMT","video":{"live":false,"id":79216350,"headline":"Sustainable seafood from shopping tips to recipes","mediaAssetTitle":"SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD 101","description":"The seafood system fosters a network of small-owned and operated fisheries.","duration":"0:43","posterImg":{"url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","width":608,"height":342},"video":{"feed":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2021/08/210805_gma_digital_sustainable_seafood_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8"},"playlist":["64781762","77114409","79298856"]},"relatedItems":[{"contentType":"story","date":"August 5, 2019","headline":"How oyster shells from NYC restaurants are recycled to restore reefs","section":"food","slug":"/food/story/oyster-shells-nyc-restaurants-recycled-restore-reefs-64781762","id":64781762,"image":{"alt":"How oyster shells from NYC restaurants are recycled to restore reefs","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/HT_oystersRiverProject_hpMain_4x3t_240.jpg","credit":"Billion Oyster Project","ratio":"1x1"}},{"contentType":"story","date":"April 19, 2021","headline":"Sustainable snacks that taste good and do good for the environment","section":"food","slug":"/food/story/sustainable-snacks-taste-good-good-environment-77114409","id":77114409,"image":{"alt":"Sustainable snacks that taste good and do good for the environment","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/RIND-SUSTAINABLE-SNACKS_1618801886447_hpMain_16x9t_240.jpg","credit":"Rind","ratio":"1x1"}},{"contentType":"video","date":"August 5, 2021","headline":"Tips for shopping for sustainable seafood","section":"food","slug":"/video/79298856","id":79298856,"image":{"alt":"Tips for shopping for sustainable seafood","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/210805_gma_digital_sustainable_seafood_hpMain_1x1_240.jpg","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1"}}],"relatedContentSection":"news","schemaContent":{"name":"Sustainable seafood from shopping tips to recipes","description":"The seafood system fosters a network of small-owned and operated fisheries.","duration":"0:43","uploadDate":"04-24-2023","publication":"04-24-2023","images":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","url":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2021/08/210805_gma_digital_sustainable_seafood_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","contentUrl":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2021/08/210805_gma_digital_sustainable_seafood_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","link":"https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/food/story/sustainable-seafood-79216350"}},"playlist":[{"id":"133616358","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133616342","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133522899","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133584123","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133579397","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133482839","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133390157","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133415361","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133414032","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133380485","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133358298","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133350119","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133307515","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133307527","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133282665","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133220149","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133179167","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133144373","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133144059","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133143081","contentType":"story","section":"news"}],"kvps":{"pgtyp":"article","lang":"en","sp":"goodmorningamerica","programmatic":"true","bundleId":"com.abcnews"}},"analytics":{"accountID":"wdgnewwdgnewgmaweb","ns":"gma","pageName":"gma:food:video","pageType":"video","globalSpecVersion":"v1.08","siteDifferentiator":"gma:site","tagID":"g_page01","userABCookie":"0","section":"food","title":"Sustainable seafood from shopping tips to recipes","pubTime":"13:39","pubDate":"04-24-2023","modTime":"13:39","modDate":"04-24-2023","taxonomyTags":"none","id":79216350,"editorialOtherSubjects":"","wordCount":"none","columns":"none","authors":"","authorsUnit":"none","authorsBureau":"none","subBrand":"Good Morning America","provider":"Good Morning America","videoName":"Sustainable seafood from shopping tips to recipes","mediaAssetTitle":"SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD 101","videoId":79216350,"mediaOnPage":"video","legacySlug":"/food/story/sustainable-seafood-79216350"},"taboola":{}},"request":{"headers":{},"httpVersion":"1.1","method":"GET","url":"/video/79216350","vary":{"host":"www.goodmorningamerica.com","cached":true,"path":"/video/79216350","forwarded-proto":"https","device":"desktop","userab":"0"}},"viewport":{"width":1260,"height":0},"user":{}};