(Credit: Jeffery Young)
"Sustainable seafood options do exist. And it's up to all of us to ensure our fisheries are managed in a sustainable fashion so we can maintain the bounty of Canada's seafood industry." David Suzuki
Choosing sustainable seafood is a simple and effective way you can help promote healthy oceans (as well as healthy humans). Whether you are dining in a restaurant, shopping in a grocery store or buying directly from a fisher, asking for sustainable seafood will support healthier oceans for generations to come.
By voting with your wallet, you can send a strong signal to government and industry that you not only support sustainable seafood, but that Canadians don't support unsustainable fishing practices. It's true that fish stocks and ocean environments around the globe are facing significant problems. But there is a lot you can do to help!
Conserve while you consume
If you're a seafood consumer you can support environmentally friendly fisheries and aquaculture practices by making informed purchases when buying seafood. Whether you're holding a restaurant menu or wheeling your shopping cart through the supermarket, you can make ocean friendly choices that help make a difference. Raising the consumer demand for sustainable seafood and is one of the easiest ways you can help protect the oceans.
Here are a few simple things you can do to get started:
- Learn more about the seafood you like to eat. Get familiar with the online sustainable seafood guides, provided by SeaChoice or Seafood Watch to help inform your choices. Your actions in the marketplace can help realize urgently needed fisheries-policy reforms to end overfishing and habitat-damaging practices.
- Eat locally caught or farmed seafood that shows up on the green or yellow lists on the seafood guides. This helps reduce the amount of energy used to provide seafood to your plate.
- Avoid purchasing red-listed seafood and encourage your grocer to stop carrying these items.
- Ask your fish store or server about the seafood they sell, and let them know you want to buy products produced from environmentally friendly sources.
- Learn more about why you should think twice about eating open net-cage farmed salmon.
