On top of rigorous third-party audits, Claudia visits each farm frequently to make sure it is living up to her standards—for example, that the feed minimizes the use of primary-catch wild fish to avoid taking them out of the ocean, and that the fish meals the farms do use come from processing waste that would otherwise be used as fertilizer anyway or end up as garbage. The company is actively working to reduce reliance on marine proteins, using soy and other grains instead. "We want to move towards microbial, insect, and algae-based feeds," Claudia said.
The company also looks at the aquaculture systems' management practices, including the way waste is handled, the site of the farm and density of its fish stocks, and the treatment of the workers.
As for escapes, a major problem in open ocean aquaculture, some are inevitable. Predators, like sharks and seals, will try to chew through the pens, oceans are unpredictable, and human error is a risk. The strategy is to minimize the impact they can have.
"Pen technology should be suitable for the area where it's located. Sometimes that means double or triple layer," Claudia said. "And we only work with species that are considered native or indigenous to the area where they're raised. If one gets out, it's not introducing something new." Love the Wild's catfish is raised in ponds and its trout in raceways, artificial channels that have a continuous source of water flowing through them.
"Jacqueline is very detail-oriented," said Tate, of the National Aquarium, who endorses Love the Wild, and has no financial interest in it.
Proponents of land-based aquaculture systems say these can be a better option because there is no escape risk or waste discharged into the oceans. "Water is constantly being recirculated in our systems, so there is no waste runoff," said Cufone, of the Recirculating Farms Coalition. Claudia says her inland farms also have no waste runoff—the ponds are contained with a clay bottom and the raceways use a filtration system that cleans the water before it is discharged into the river.
"We worry about open ocean aquaculture," said Patty Lovera, assistant director of Food & Water Watch, a consumer and environmental advocacy group. "It depends on how big and where. A huge question is what you feed those fish." She added, "It's hard to know unless you're going to get on a boat and go out and look at it."
Other environmentalists see an opportunity in open ocean aquaculture, even if it isn't risk-free. "Whether from terrestrial plants or animals, the production of protein will use land, freshwater, and energy," said Aaron McNevin, director of markets and foods at the World Wildlife Fund. "The open oceans represent a very remote area with the ability to naturally process wastes in the vast waters much beyond the capacity of our freshwater systems to process agricultural runoff."
Wild fish don't need to come off the menu—it just depends on the fishery. Alaskan salmon and porgy from the East Coast, among others, are good choices. Buy from, and talk to, your local fishmonger, said Cufone. Expand your seafood horizons beyond salmon, tuna and shrimp, said Lovera.
And, Tate advises, if all you know is the country of origin, buy American.