New Zealand conservation organization Forest & Bird has released a free mobile app that ranks the sustainability of more than 117 of the country’s commercially harvested seafood species.
“The Best Fish Guide 2017” is a comprehensive and independent guide to sustainable seafood that uses a traffic light system to guide consumers in their seafood choices.
According to the guide, 42 New Zealand seafood choices are farmed or fished sustainably, but 75 are in the red ‘worst choice’ category.
“The guide is a powerful tool that helps New Zealanders make a real difference for our oceans. There is plenty of choice for Kiwis who love their seafood but who want to encourage responsible fishing practices,” said Katrina Goddard, marine conservation advocate at Forest & Bird.
The guide gives some species more than one ranking depending on where and how they were caught. It also recommends alternative choices for the least sustainable species, and includes recipes for sustainably caught species by well-known chefs.
There are nine options the guide puts in the green ‘great to eat’ category, including farmed paua, albacore and skipjack tuna, some salmon, and mussels and crayfish from some regions.
Thirty-four seafood choices are listed in the app’s ‘ok to eat’ category, including kahawai, trevally caught by purse seine, kingfish caught by set net, blue cod caught by pots, and for the first time ever, hoki caught by mid-water trawl.
But the majority of species are still in the ‘worst choice’ category. There are 75 options in this category, including southern and Pacific bluefin tuna, orange roughy, arrow squid caught by trawl, all shark species, long-fin and short-fin eels, and whitebait.
“It’s a sad fact that the majority of commercially available seafood options are still being fished unsustainably, so Forest & Bird is really pleased to offer a simple, accurate guide that lets people make a positive difference for our ocean,” said Kevin Hague, chief executive of Forest & Bird.
