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

By Annette Klinger, 31 March 2015

Need a reminder on why you should be eating fish and seafood from WWF-SASSI’s green list? Read on for a bit of a refresher on eating responsibly sourced fish and seafood, as well as some delicious recipes made with them.

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.

Annette Klinger

Article by Annette Klinger

Woolworths TASTE’s features writer maintains that almost any dish can be improved with butter and cream. She’s a stickler for comfort food, especially German treats that remind her of her late grandmother, such as pork schnitzel with sauerkraut and spätzlen. She is a voracious reader of food magazines and recipe books, and instinctively switches over to the cooking channel whenever she checks into a hotel or guesthouse.
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Comments

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    A m Wood
    1 April 2015

    Love the layout ………….BUT……. as a person with poor eyesight, the general text font colour could be brighter and the links are really difficult to find unless you mouse over everything.

  • default
    1 April 2015

    Hi Vanessa,

    Welcome to the new and improved TASTE website!

    We’re so very happy that you love the new look.

    Thank you for your positive feedback :)

    Happy surfing (and cooking)!

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    Vanessa Lohmann
    1 April 2015

    Super format, as good as the magazine if not better. Lovely “electronic” presentation and so easy to read and navigate. I couldn’t put it down. Also, other people (like my daughters!) cannot pinch it as they do the magazine….