In a move that is exciting aquaculture (actually a real word) folks and distressing environmental people, the USDA has cleared the way to allow fish producers to label farmed fish as “organic.”  Let’s listen in on the Washington Post, which wrote an article on this today and even managed to throw the word “vexed” in there:

The question of whether farmed fish could be labeled organic — especially carnivorous species such as salmon that live in open-ocean net pens and consume vast amounts of smaller fish — has vexed scientists and federal regulators for years. The standards approved yesterday by the National Organic Standards Board would allow organic fish farmers to use wild fish as part of their feed mix provided it did not exceed 25 percent of the total and did not come from forage species, such as menhaden, that have declined sharply as the demand for farmed fish has skyrocketed.

Environmental folks aren’t too happy about the part of that quote that says fish farmers can use 25% wild fish as their feed mix.  All other feed for “organic” animals must itself be 100% organic.  “They [environmentalists] also noted that open-net pens can harm the environment by allowing fish waste and disease to pollute the ocean.”  That, of course, is code for the fact that fish poop in the ocean.  Gross.

Now, while organic is a big deal, and rightfully so, I’m pretty sure the biggest concern about eating fish is the pollutants in the fish themselves (mercury, et al).  For whatever scientific reason I don’t care to research right now, pollutants become much more concentrated in fish than they do in other foods.  So when you’re buying fish, stay smart and safe and takepart and learn about Fishphone, which Danny highlighted a while back.  And happy eating!