A trip back in time to “save the fish”
April 5th, 2007 by Eric
Last week’s Wednesday topic, which put the affects our actions have on Mother Earth’s coral reefs under the “moral microscope”, very briefly touched on the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Program. It was a little too brief for my liking, and I’m going to correct that now.
I’m an aquarium buff; when I travel to a city that has one I usually find the time to go. So when a wedding had me in the bay area last September, I took an afternoon and went down to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. One of the best. I even got a glimpse of the Great White Shark that they have since released. Before I left, I sat down in their theatre to see a short flick about fish conservation. It was a sock-knocker-offer. On the way out they gave me a card to keep in my wallet listing fish to avoid (and not in the way you want to avoid a Great White).
While not a huge fish-eater, I have used this card four times to alter the fish I have bought at the grocery store or ordered at a restaurant. I even turned down a free meal of Chilean Sea Bass, one of the most delicious (I’ve heard) but endangered fish on earth.
So while I’m busy patting myself on the back, swing on over to the Monterey Bay Aquarium website and download a copy of this guide. Print out two (make sure you chose the right region). Keep one in your wallet and give the other to your “fishiest” friend. Then buy accordingly. You may notice on the guide that certain fish are on both the “avoid” list and the “best choices” list depending on where they are from and how they are caught. Restaurants and markets have this information. You just need to ask.
So next time you get a “hankerin’” for a fish fry on Friday night, ask what it is, where it’s from, and how it’s caught. You may decide that Greek salad ain’t such a bad choice after all. Then give yourself a pat on the back.
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