Sustainable sushi!

[Samala]

As I'm sure most are aware, unsustainable fishing practices are one of the biggest concerns in ocean conservation and they definitely impact reef ecosystems. Several organizations - including the Blue Ocean Institute and the Monterey Bay Aquarium - got together years ago to establish guidelines to advise the public about which fisheries.. and subsequently which kinds of fish.. are the most sustainable.

Basically, if its sustainable, its a good seafood to purchase. If its not sustainable, the fishery makes use of practices that put other ocean wildlife at risk. Animals like sharks, sea turtles, several species of dolphin, sea lions, whales, and others are frequently found entangled in poorly designed fishing gear or drowned on long lines.

How would you know if its "ocean friendly" or not? You can make use of the FishPhone or log onto the Seafood Watch project to check the stats on your potential seafood dinner.

But wait.. you love sushi? Until this week there was no great resource for figuring out which of all the delectable varieties were the most sustainable. Monterey Bay just released a sushi guide.. so get out and make use of it!

>Sarah

 

[Steven Pro]

The thing I don't like about these lists is how they specify how the fish are caught? When I order tuna, I don't know how it is caught.

 

[billsreef]

Commercial fishing methods aren't exactly top secret, especially to the fisheries biologist that have input into many of those lists. While fishing methods might be a mystery to "Joe Inland Consumer", those of living in coastal fishing communities know all about big trawlers, long liners, etc. Also, a lot of those "sustainable" recommendations aren't just based on fishing methods, but properly managed fisheries for sustainable yield. For example, if the cod fishery on Georges Banks was properly managed, there would still be a cod fishery there instead of the current collapsed one.

 

[m0nk]

I have to admit, I was real excited when I saw that released on their site. Woohoo!