Former fisherman reveals the two words on fish packaging that should make you ‘throw it back on the shelf’

A former charter boat worker recently shared his tips for buying frozen fish at the grocery store. In his video, he warned shoppers to avoid certain types of fish based on where they come from and how they were raised. The clip quickly went viral and sparked a big debate about seafood safety.

According to Bro Bible, the man, who goes by @spikekiller86 on TikTok, filmed himself walking through the frozen seafood section at Aldi. He said his 15 years of experience working on a charter boat taught him what fish to buy and what to skip. His video has been viewed more than 5.6 million times.

His main advice was simple: stay away from farm-raised fish. He told viewers to always check the label and look for the words “wild caught” instead. He also said to avoid tilapia completely, calling it unsafe to eat.

The farm-raised versus wild-caught debate is more complicated than it seems

The former fisherman’s biggest warning was about farm-raised fish. He told people not to buy anything with those two words on the package. He claimed that farm-raised fish are kept in dirty conditions and suggested they live in their own waste. Instead, he recommended only buying fish labeled as “wild caught.”

He showed examples by picking up different packages in the store. When he found a bag from Taiwan that said “wild caught,” he approved it. 

“When you grab a thing of fish, you wanna look at where it’s from. If it says product of China, first of all, you wanna throw it back on the shelf. Don’t eat anything from China,” he said. Similar to how one man caught a tire shop overcharging customers, checking labels carefully can save you from making poor purchases.

However, the difference between wild-caught and farm-raised fish is not that simple. According to Colorado State University, it’s wrong to think wild seafood is always good and farm-raised is always bad. Both types have benefits and drawbacks.

Wild-caught fish eat natural food and usually have less saturated fat. But farm-raised fish can actually have more omega-3 fatty acids because of their special feed. The main concerns with farmed fish are possible contamination and higher disease rates from farming conditions.

Tufts Health & Nutrition Letter says both wild-caught and responsibly farmed fish are healthy food choices. FDA testing usually shows that commercial seafood has safe levels of chemicals and pesticides. 

The real issue is making sure the fish comes from properly regulated sources, regardless of whether it’s wild or farmed. Just as families seek justice in military incidents, consumers deserve accountability when it comes to food safety standards.