The Environmental Defense Fund Seafood Selector can be accessed from your mobile phone.

With Earth Day celebrations planned, we’re thinking of saving trees, recycling trash and lowering carbon emissions. But 70 percent of our planet is covered by water, and our oceans are home to aquatic life — some of which ends up on our plate at our favorite restaurants. We know to avoid Chilean sea bass — overfished with practices dangerous to albatrosses — not to mention upsetting to fashion designer Nicole Miller when served on an episode of The Chopping Block, during the cooking competition show’s brief stint on NBC.

But how do we get our protein and omega-3 fatty acids without guilt — or pollutants? Thanks to the Environmental Defense Fund Seafood Selector, available as a printable PDF pocket version or accessible by mobile phone, we can look at seafood in three categories: Eco-Best, Eco-OK and Eco-Worst. Farmed rainbow trout, farmed oysters and wild Alaskan salmon are all in the Eco-Best category, while swordfish and grouper join Chilean sea bass on the worst list. We’re happy to see that when we’re seated at the sushi bar, there’s also a new guide to eco-friendly sushi.

We’ve been looking for ways to adjust our seafood-eating habits after seeing seeing the trailer for The End of the Line, a documentary based on Charles Clover’s 2006 book that predicts the world will run out of seafood by 2048. (The film is in theaters this summer.) The EDF’s Eco-Worst list of fish isn’t all bad news for seafood lovers — the list also includes tasty alternatives. For example, instead of Chilean sea bass, opt for farmed striped bass or sablefish from Alaska or Canada. Or instead of topping those hors d’oeuvres with imported, wild caviar, opt for farmed caviar or wild white-sturgeon caviar from Oregon or Washington. Some of the fish listed are to be avoided because they have elevated levels of environmental contaminants — no one wants to eat mercury-laden fish or pull a Jeremy Piven.

We’re a little sad that we have to give up octopus, but we can drown our oceanic sorrow in some tasty, Eco-Best farmed Arctic char. Do you think it’s important to be mindful of seafood choices?

Tags: Aquaculture, Bivalves, cellular telephone, Chilean sea, Earth Day, Environment, fashion designer, Fish, Fish products, Fishing, Fishing industry, Grouper, Hospitality/Recreation, Japanese cuisine, NBC Limited, Nicole Miller, Overfishing, Oyster, PDF, Seafood, Sushi, The Chopping Block