by Gordon Hamilton

Created on: February 21, 2011

The need for everyone who buys or eats fish to take account of sustainable seafood and change their habits accordingly is becoming ever more pressing. Around the world, there are species of fish and shellfish in our seas and oceans which, although once plentiful in the extreme, are now severely endangered. Some species are actually facing extinction. This is due to a fatal combination of over-fishing, inappropriate fishing practices and even senseless and destructive legislation implemented by national and regional governments.

Determining where to buy sustainable fish and seafood begins with knowing how to recognise to which species the term applies. This will vary from continent to continent and even from country to country, so a little bit of online searching may be required, or advice obtained from environmentalists, fishmongers, or anyone else who is likely to be clued up on the subject. There are some countries which have approved markings on fish packaging to indicate that the fish product is in some way environmentally friendly but the precise meaning of these labels should always be determined in full, as they may refer to fishing methods, rather than sustainable species of fish.

Armed with the appropriate knowledge, it should be possible to buy sustainable seafood just about anywhere that sells fish. Supermarkets are where most people buy their fish, either fresh, frozen or canned. Very often, even the fresh fish will be pre-packaged on the shelves but many bigger stores also have a fish counter where products can be selected with the assistance of a member of staff. It is at such counters that questions regarding  the sustainability of the seafood on offer can be asked and effective petition can be made to encourage more species of sustainable seafood to be offered.  Supermarkets stock items largely depending upon customer demand and where growing enquiries of this type are being made, they will have to take account or face losing customers to more accomodating competitors.

Dedicated fishmongers should also stock species of sustainable seafood. It may well be the case that this is an excellent place to obtain advice and information on sustainability and courteous demands for more sustainable produce can be made in a similar fashion to supermarkets.

Outdoor fish markets are likely only to be available to those living on or near the coast. Where access to such a market is possible, an excellent opportunity exists to not only purchase sustainable seafood but to purchase seafood just about as fresh as it gets. It may well be possible at fish markets to speak directly to fishermen or those in some other way directly involved in the industry and get the very best information possible on what fish is sustainable, how it is best cooked and what the individual can do to help spread the all important message about sustainable fish and seafood.

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