Eating responsibly sourced fish and seafood – why WWF-SASSI is the way to go

WHY SHOULD YOU CARE?
You don’t want to be that person, do you? The one who orders fish that appears on the WWF-SASSI orange, or red list, insisting that nothing quite compares to its unique taste. No, there are simply no excuses anymore. Our ocean’s bounty is in serious trouble, and unless we make a concerted effort, our kids might grow up not even knowing about the existence of the galjoen or red snapper. How serious is the situation? Well, according to the 2010 United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation report, a whopping 85 percent of the world’s fish stocks are either overexploited or exploited to their maximum. That’s worrying news, indeed.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Even though the situation is dire, there is a solution. In South Africa, WWF-SASSI (the South African Sustainable Seafood Initiative) has partnered with MSC (the Marine Stewardship Council) – an international non-profit organisation dedicated to responsibly sourced fish and seafood – to help retailers such as Woolworths and, in turn, you the consumer, make the right choice. If you want to find out whether the fish or seafood you're buying is sustainable SMS the name of the fish to 079 499 8795. You can also take the guesswork out of choosing responsibly buy shopping at Woolies, since the retailer’s Fishing for the Future initiative guarantees that their seafood is responsibly sourced, legally caught and has full traceability.

GREEN TASTES GOOD
To prove just how delicious eating responsibly sourced fish and seafood can be we’ve trawled the TASTE website for you and come up with some green-listed seafood dishes that’ll not only wow your taste buds, but give you the satisfaction of knowing you’ve in no way harmed the health of our ocean. How do salt-and-pepper calamari with sweet chilli sauce, fire-and-ice oysters or snoek and trout chowder strike your fancy for starters? And what about toasted linguine with tomato, chorizo and mussels or roast honey-and-orange yellowtail with ginger spring onions for the main attraction? Do yourself and the environment a huge favour and make the mindshift to eating responsibly sourced fish and seafood. It’s not only delicious; it’s the right thing to do.