It’s excellent news that Whole Foods Market has taken the plunge toward supporting the sales of sustainable wild-caught seafood at their stores. The seafood program presently used labels its wild-caught choices with a blue check denoting that it is MSC-certified (Marine Stewardship Council). However, this program has been called into question by a group of marine scientists, including two from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, for certifying fisheries that are unsustainable. While keeping the MSC-certified program, Whole Foods has now added another partnership we can trust. For a number of years, the Blue Ocean Institute and Monterey Bay Aquarium have independently been producing sustainable seafood wallet cards that use a color-coded system to evaluate seafood choices: Specifically, green or “best choice” ratings indicate a relatively abundant species that is caught in environmentally?friendly ways; yellow or “good alternative” is more lenient but voices concerns about species status or catch methods; and red or “avoid” ratings mean that for now the species is suffering from overfishing or that current fishing methods harm other marine life or habitats. The two organizations are long-respected for the strength of their science?based sustainable seafood programs, which evaluate species and fisheries on life history, abundance, habitat impacts, management practices and bycatch (unwanted species killed by the fishing method, including sea turtles, seabirds and marine mammals). The evaluations are not a one-shot deal. Each species is regularly re-evaluated, so if a species status changes, so does the labeling. Whole Foods promises to phase out all red?rated species by Earth Day 2013. To keep honest folks honest, I’ll be following up. Until then, we can choose not to purchase red?rated seafood and think twice about seafood labeled yellow. Those engaged in ocean-unfriendly fisheries worldwide will notice their sales are down and be more inclined to change their practices. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization reports that 80 percent of fisheries are fully exploited, overfished or depleted, meaning that Whole Foods is empowering consumers with a tool to help reverse this trend. It further highlights that each of us pulling together will make a difference. At present, farmed seafood at Whole Foods carries the “Responsibly Farmed” logo but, hopefully, the store will extend the new partnership to evaluating and labeling this fast-growing segment of the seafood market. For more information, explanation, recipes, and leisurely perusal of the color-labeling system, visit http://www.blueocean.org/sea-food/seafood-guide, or http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/seafoodwatch.aspx. For those on the go, download the free FishPhone or Seafood Insiders Guide app to your iPhone or iPod: http://itunes.apple.com. Don’t let the sustainable seafood movement leave you at the dock. Just pack your wallet and decision-making skills. In return, you will inspire those around you to follow suit and help restore living abundance in the ocean. Next week, in Part 2, the state senate sacks an ocean-friendly bill. — Judith Lea Garfield, biologist and underwater photographer, has authored two natural history books about the underwater park off La Jolla Cove and La Jolla Shores. www.judith.garfield.org. Questions, comments or suggestions? E-mail [email protected].
