The Seasonal Gourmet

Now that summer is here, many of us are choosing to eat lighter meals.  This often includes fish, either purchased from the market or (if you’re really lucky), freshly caught from a lake or river.  However, there are currently concerns about the over-fishing of some species, resulting in a depletion of their numbers.  Luckily there are some great resources available to help us make smarter choices to protect the fish population.

In the United States, the Monterey Bay Aquarium has detailed information about ocean and seafood issues and is used as a reference by restaurants, chefs and home cooks across North America. Their Seafood Recommendations are divided into categories based on sustainability. The fish under ‘Best Choice’ represent species that have been well managed (including farmed fish) and have not been over-fished.  The ‘Avoid’ category lists the fish that we should not be choosing due to the fragile state of their populations.  In some cases, reputable fish mongers have stopped selling some of these fish as well. To visit The Monterey Bay Aquarium website to learn more about smart fish choices, click here: The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch.

Vancouver-based Sea Choice works in collaboration with the Monterey Bay Aquarium to provide information for Canadian consumers.  With the support of conservation organizations such as the David Suzuki Foundation and Sierra Club British Columbia, Sea Choice can help us make smart decisions when shopping for and ordering fish when dining out.  Visit seachoice.org for more information.

Both the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Sea Choice have free Apps for smart phones. It’s a convenient way to have the information about sustainable choices at your finger tips when shopping for seafood.

Cheers,

Trish