Catch of the Day: How Choosing the Right Seafood Can Boost Your Health While Fighting Climate Change

Interested in eating healthier while also helping to lower greenhouse gas emissions? According to a study by researchers at Dalhousie University, substituting seafood for other animal products can help you do both, but the authors caution that not all seafood is made equal.

Researchers calculated the nutritional density and climate impacts of different types of seafood and compared them to other meats. They found that half the types of seafood analyzed had a higher nutrient density and caused fewer greenhouse gas emissions compared to beef, pork, and chicken.

The types of seafood with the lowest climate impact relative to nutritional value were wild-caught salmon, herring and mackerel. Anchovies, farmed mussels and farmed oysters followed closely behind them. Crustaceans like shrimp, lobster and crab, on the other hand, create higher than average emissions while providing lower than average nutrition.

“This work makes clear that many of us can effect real climate impact reductions through the choices that we make in what animal-derived foods we include in our diet,” Peter Tyedmers, a professor in Dalhousie University’s School for Resource and Environmental Studies, said, continuing, “Shifting from beef, pork and often even chicken to seafood options will almost always result in lower production-related emissions that are ultimately going to be necessary if we are to meaningfully address the climate crisis.”