Sustainable seafood

Global total fish harvest

Marine environments are currently under immense pressure. Their problems primarily arise through anthropogenic causes, such as overfishing and environmental destruction. However, research suggests that fisheries are able to recover or stabilize their populations when responsible management and regulations are in place.[1] Unfortunately, most seafood is obtained through “irresponsible fishing practices that continue to modify some marine ecosystem.”[1] This has resulted in record depleted stocks.[1] For example, “85 percent of the world’s fisheries are fished at or beyond their maximum sustainable limit.”[1] Considering the rising global population and the pressure that it has, and will continue to exert on the Earth's resources, a more sustainable method of fishing is necessary if humans wish to utilize its natural abundance.

The Sustainable Seafood Movement is an initiative born through the realization that the marine ecosystems of the world were being overexploited and destroyed.[2] It began in the 1990s and was driven by social marketing through Ecolabel and awareness campaigns.[3] Through social marketing, the collaboration between environmental non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and industry allowed for the consumer to make informed choices, potentially contributing to the conservation of marine biodiversity.[2]

The Seafood Guide below, made by SeaChoice, highlights which species are best to eat, and which should be avoided based on their management, abundance, and whether they have been caught or farmed in environmentally sustainable ways.[9] It allows consumers to be informed of their choices and vote with their wallets.

Chilean purse seine

There are a wide variety of fishing methods used. Each has its own environment impact that varies on intensity. The table below highlights a fishing method along with its environmental repercussions.[10]

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is a national government agency that has authority over conservation, marine fisheries, and management.[11] The NOAA has created FishWatch to help guide concerned consumers to sustainable seafood choices.[11] The fisheries in the United States are overseen by the Ten National Standards of the Magnuson–Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.[11] Therefore, the National Standards are protecting the fish population and eliminating overfishing. Along with the Magnuson-Stevens Act, U.S. fisheries are also regulated under the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Act.[12]

The NOAA fisheries service has started using aquaculture to produce sustainable seafood. Aquaculture is fish or shellfish farming.[13] The aquaculture fisheries hatch and raise the fish until market size.[13] By using aquaculture the wild fish will be able to repopulate without the threat of overfishing. The aquaculture fish have a variety of uses including: food, nutritional, and pharmaceutical.[13] Two types of aquaculture exist. Marine aquaculture farms the fish species that live in the ocean and fresh water aquaculture is the fish species that live in freshwater.[13] NOAA is focusing on an alternative seafood source to help repopulate and save the ocean's ecosystems.

The Marine Stewardship Council is a global non-profit organization looking to conserve the oceans. Their mission is to use a combination of certified fisheries and ecolabeling to make people aware of how important it is to preserve our oceans.[14] The MSC works with fisheries, scientists, seafood companies, conservation groups and the public to encourage environmentally friendly seafood choices. The two main ways the MSC regulates sustainable seafood is by setting standards for certified fisheries and ecolabeling.

The certified fisheries are judged on the three standards the MSC provides. The MSC, however, does not certify the fisheries. They are certified by a third party system to remove any bias.[15] The standards were created to decrease overfishing and maintain healthy ecosystems. The three standards are:

• Maintaining Sustainable Fish Stocks

• The fishery may not overexploit any of its resources.[15]

• Environmental Impact

• Each fishery is judged on the amount of environmental impact they contribute to the ocean. The fishery may not use any form of fishing that destroys the structure, productivity, function, or diversity of the ecosystem.[15]

• Effective Management

• Not only does the fishery have to follow the two other MSC standards, but they also have to follow all local, national, and international laws.[15]

The MSC ecolabel

Once a fishery has been reviewed and certified, their certification lasts for 5 years. In that 5 years, the fishery will be inspected and held to the environmental standards of the MSC. After the 5 years have passed, the fishery will have to go through the approval process again.[15]

The second way the MSC regulates seafood to the public is by using their ecolabel. The ecolabel on seafood products guarantees the seafood has come from a sustainable source and certified fishery.[16] The ecolabel can be found around the world. The consumer can feel good about buying seafood with a MSC ecolabel.

Before a seafood product can carry the MSC eco-label, the fishery must acquire the MSC Fisheries certification. Additionally, all companies in the supply chain that take ownership of the product including distributors, wholesalers, manufacturers, pack houses, traders, retailers, catering organizations and restaurants must acquire the MSC Chain of Custody Certification.

Friend of The Sea - Certified sustainable products and companies contributing to marine conservation

Friend of the Sea is currently a project of the World Sustainability Organization, an international trademark registered with humanitarian and environmental conservation mission.

It was founded by Dr. Paolo Bay who started the sustainable seafood movement in Europe. The certified fisheries are audited by International Organization for Standardization. The criteria to become a certified fishery is:

• The fish stock may not be overexploited
• No habitat destruction
• No bycatch of endangered species
• Must follow all laws and regulations
• Reduction of the carbon footprint
• Social accountability

The Friend of the Sea also participate in the certification of aquaculture farms. The establishment of aquaculture helps reduce the number of wild species caught. The criteria of aquaculture is:

• There is no environmental impact where the farm is placed
• Must follow all waste water guidelines
• A very low percentage of escapes
• No genetically modified organisms, growth hormones
• Use of antibiotics only if it is necessary
• Reduction of the carbon footprint
• Social accountability

In 2004, aquaculture accounted for 32% of the total production of fish. Aquaculture is becoming more popular with an 8% rise per year in the last 30 years.

Due to growing public concern about overfishing, many seafood restaurants have begun to offer more sustainable seafood options, with some restaurants specializing in sustainable seafood, exemplified by Miya's, a restaurant headed by chef Bun Lai, a 2016 White House Champions of Change for Sustainable Seafood recipient.[20][21][22]Miya's is on the vanguard of the sustainable seafood movement as the first sushi restaurant to specialize in sustainable seafood. Today, there are sustainable sushi restaurants throughout the U.S., Canada, and England, and many more sustainable seafood restaurants in general.[23][24][25][26] Due to eco-labeling, seafood guides, traceability schemes, sourcing policies, and awareness initiatives there are more chefs and restaurants involved in the sustainable seafood movement than ever before.[27][28]

The rising "trash fish" trend[29] of expanding the species of popular seafood consumption, is another way chef's and restaurants are supporting sustainable seafood. NOAA approximates 20,000 species of seafood in the world and most of them edible. [30] Ten species account for 86% of seafood consumption in the United States, chefs and restaurants engaging in the trash fish trend are looking to increase the amount of species consumed. [31] The desired outcome is to decrease overfishing and revitalize populations of the more popular fish and redirect the attention to more sustainable species.[32]

Organizations such as Seafood Choices Alliance have helped educate chefs about the choices they make in order to encourage more chefs and restaurants to offer sustainable options. This is in line with the strict international standards set by 'Eco Friendly Chef' www.ecofriendlychef.com and 'Eco Friendly Approved' www.EcoFriendlyApproved.com in association with Oceans 5. www.oceans-5.com[33]

• Sustainable fish by region

• Environmental Defense Fund
• Fisheries Law Centre
• List of seafoods
• Marine Stewardship Council
• One Fish, Two Fish, Crawfish, Bluefish (book)
• List of harvested aquatic animals by weight
• Sea Fish Industry Authority
• Seafood Choices Alliance
• Seafood Watch
• Ocean Outcomes
• Overfishing
• Fisheries management
• Fisheries science
• Fisheries law
• Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing

• Jacquet, J.; Pauly, D. (2008). "Trade secrets: renaming and mislabeling of seafood" (PDF). Marine Policy. 32 (3): 309–318. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.182.1143. doi:10.1016/j.marpol.2007.06.007.
• Jacquet, J.; Pauly, D. (2007). "The rise of consumer awareness campaigns in an era of collapsing fisheries" (PDF). Marine Policy. 31 (3): 308–313. doi:10.1016/j.marpol.2006.09.003.

• GoodFish Project - Australia's Sustainable Seafood Guide
• InSeason Fish A sustainable seafood guide for India
• "Sustainable Seafood Factsheet". Waitt Institute. Retrieved 2015-06-08.
• David Suzuki Foundation: Choosing Sustainable Seafood
• FishSource
• Smithsonian's Ocean Portal Sustainable seafood section
• Seafood Watch
• SeaChoice
• FishChoice
• Ocean Wise
• Ocean Outcomes