It’s National Marine Week from 10 to 14 October, and this week we are teaming up with the WWF's Sustainable Seafood Initiative of South Africa (SASSI) to focus on sustainable seafood.
Along with climate change, overfishing is one of the biggest environmental challenges of our time. According to some estimates, 85% of the world’s fish stocks are overexploited. But that could be an underestimation: according to a recent study, “annual catches between 1950 and 2010 were much bigger than thought.”
That’s why we need organisations like SASSI and the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) to continue their tireless work to help develop sustainable fisheries. These organisations work with the public and private sector, with fishers and consumers, to create awareness, responsibility and respectful behaviour.
Check out SASSI's 2015 Waves of Change report to get an idea of the impressive progress made since the programme's inception in 2004.
We are very heartened to see big brands like I&J and Ocean Basket – two of our key sponsors – work towards sustainable practices. I&J’s Cape hake fishing industry is internationally recognised as one of the best managed and sustainable fisheries in the world. The Ocean Basket group has in turn committed that by 2020 it will only sell seafood certified by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), or categorised as Green by SASSI, or sourced from farms that are actively engaged in credible, time-bound improvement projects.
Ocean Basket also believes in prioritising clear information for the consumer and has committed to making the common and scientific species name, the country of origin or catch area, and the catch or farming method very clear for all their customers.
We also need people like you to hold restaurants, retailers and fisheries accountable to their seafood targets and to insist on transparency when you ask about the seafood on sale. You can also say no to red and orange-listed seafood. Check the status of your seafood in three ways, provided by SASSI, the authority on sustainable seafood in South Africa:
1. FISHMS
Simply type the name of the seafood species into a text message and send it to 079 499 8795 to receive information on the status of that species straight away. Save this number on your phone!
2. THE SASSI APP
The easy-to-use app allows you to check the sustainability of your seafood choice in real time. It’s free on Android, Blackberry 10 and iOS.
3. THE SASSI POCKET GUIDE
Download the latest pocket guide here [PDF].
