"The choices we make as consumers drive the seafood marketplace. Your purchasing power can make a difference by supporting those fisheries and fish farms that are better for the environment, while at the same time relieving pressure on others that are not doing as well. With more than 75% of the world's fisheries either fully fished or overfished, these issues are more important than ever." Seafood Watch Pocket Guides Habitat damage, overfishing, by-catch and aquaculture are all significant issues facing the seafood industry. As a shopper, it is often hard to know where your seafood comes from. We are working to find sustainable sources and educate you about the product you purchase. The methods used to raise, harvest, or catch the seafood we offer are all things that we look at when making our purchasing decisions. It is our goal to offer promote the sustainable options we are able to offer and increase the customer demand for sustainable seafood. The Seafood Watch Program at Monterey Bay Aquarium is a leader in the promotion of sustainable seafood. They define it as being "from sources, either fished or farmed, that can maintain or increase production into the long-term without jeopardizing the affected ecosystems."
Some of the key issues that help us to evaluate whether a fishery is sustainable include:
1. Inherent vulnerability of the species to fishing pressure
2. Status of the species population
3. Nature and extent of bycatch
4. Effect of fishing practices on habitats and ecosystems
5. Effectiveness of the fishery management
Some of the key issues used to evaluate fish farming include:
1. Use of marine resources in fish feed
2. Risk and impacts of escaped farmed fish to wild fish
3. Risk and impacts of disease and parasite transfer to wild fish
4. Risk and impacts of pollution and other impacts on habitats and ecosystems
5. Effectiveness of the fishery management photo credit: Parkerman & Christie |
