Where’s the catch? Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish sustainably; and you have fed him for a lifetime.
The ocean’s seafood is an invaluable resource that has fed generations since time immemorial. Today, seafood stocks around the world are under enormous pressure due to overfishing, unsustainable fishing practices.
Initiated by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), Sustainable Seafood Day provides a focus for Australian consumers, retailers and foodservice to take responsibility for supporting sustainable fishing practices. Sustainable Seafood Day provides a focus for future global seafood security.
In 2009 Sustainable Seafood Day will be held on Friday 20 March.
The MSC is an international, not-for profit, non government body committed to safeguarding seafood supplies. With its distinctive blue oval eco label, the organisation offers consumers the proofs and means to easily identify which seafood has been certified as being harvested sustainably and encourages people to make a sustainable choice.
Use of the MSC eco label on seafood products is permitted only where there has been an independent verification that the product originated from a certified fishery. Verification and assessments are undertaken by independently accredited certification bodies guaranteeing that these fisheries are committed to ensuring the overall health and sustainability of the fish stocks they harvest.
In total, more than 100 fisheries are engaged in the MSC program. Together, these fisheries record annual catches of more than 5 million tons of seafood. Worldwide, more than 2,000 seafood products from certified fisheries bear the blue MSC eco-label. Consumers, retailers and food service managers have a crucial role in supporting sustainable fisheries by not purchasing over fished species and actively sourcing proven sustainably caught seafood – like those certified to the MSC Standard.
The MSC runs the only widely recognized environmental certification and eco-labeling program for wild capture fisheries. Commercially available sustainable seafood can include fresh or packaged, Australian or imported stock. However, only if it displays the blue MSC label has the provider gone through the stringent internationally recognised independent processes necessary for MSC certification.
This Sustainable Seafood Day purchase MSC-labelled products and know you are making a difference. Your purchase rewards fisheries that support healthy marine environments for today and tomorrow and helps to ensure there will always be enough fish in the sea and on our plates.
