How Do I Eat Regeneratively Raised Farmed Fish? With James Arthur Smith

Nov 9, 2022

James Arthur Smith, founder of SEATOPIA and expert in regenerative aquaculture, shares his journey from a teenager volunteering at a trout hatchery to leading a sustainable seafood revolution. He discusses the critical need for regenerative practices to combat the pollution and overfishing plaguing our oceans. Smith highlights the dangers of conventional fish farming and the importance of informed consumer choices for healthier seafood. He also emphasizes the role of transparency in sourcing to ensure that we support innovative aquaculture projects producing clean, mercury-safe fish.

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INSIGHT

Wild Fish vs. Farmed Fish

Wild-caught fish isn't always better due to various factors.
Pollution and unsustainable fishing practices affect wild fish quality.

ANECDOTE

Problematic Aquaculture in Turkey

Dr. Hyman shares an experience in Turkey where he saw sea bass farms.
These farms, selling to Whole Foods, had poor conditions and used antibiotics.

INSIGHT

Overfishing and Aquaculture

Overfishing depletes ocean stocks, necessitating alternative solutions.
Aquaculture offers a potential solution if implemented sustainably.

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This episode is brought to you by BiOptimizers, InsideTracker, and Rupa Health.

I would eat a lot more fish if I knew it was free from toxins like heavy metals, PCBs, and other dangerous compounds. It’s an incredibly healthy protein source when we can eliminate these factors, but sourcing clean fish can be tough.

Today, I’m taking a deep dive into the issues surrounding fish, what kinds we should be eating, and everything in between with James Arthur Smith.

James Arthur began his journey with regenerative aquaculture as a teenager volunteering at the Nature Interpretive Center in Southern California, where he got first-hand experience with a steelhead trout breeding and hatchery program. For the past ten years, he lived aboard and sailed around the Pacific from San Francisco to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. Throughout that time, he’s been on a mission visiting ocean aquaculture farms, vetting claims, lab testing seafood, and connecting the best-in-class aquaculture projects with farm-to-table restaurants in California.

In 2020 he founded SEATOPIA, a gourmet seafood subscription box now delivering certified mercury-safe seafood, carbon-neutral, direct to homes nationwide. Through SEATOPIA, he is endeavoring to scale a truly regenerative seafood supply chain and empower health-conscious consumers to directly support innovative aquaculture projects producing some of the healthiest protein on the planet.

This episode is brought to you by BiOptimizers, InsideTracker, and Rupa Health.

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Here are more details from our interview (audio version / Apple Subscriber version):

Why wild fish is not necessarily better than farmed fish (7:06 / 3:35)
Assessing the pros and cons of aquaculture (12:39 / 8:40)
The types of fish I recommend to my patients (17:50 / 14:31)
Destructive industrial fishing practices (18:14 / 14:46)
The dangers of feedlot (or factory) fish (27:34 / 20:27)
Creating regenerative aquaculture (34:12 / 29:13)
Microplastics and fish consumption (41:15 / 36:29)
Why I rarely eat tuna (52:48 / 48:00)
Aquaculture policy efforts and challenges (1:02:59 / 57:38)
Creating a healthy supply chain for aquaculture feed (1:07:10 / 1:02)

Learn more about Seatopia.