World Oceans Day has arrived once again, and this year, it’s all about “healthy oceans, healthy planet” as consumer communities and members of the seafood industry take action to secure a sustainable future for the big blue.
Organizers for this year’s United Nations-sanctioned ocean conservation event – which takes place every 8 June – are urging consumers and suppliers to raise awareness for healthy ocean practices today by wearing blue and ditching plastic bags for a year with a pledge to the Better Bag Challenge.
Also banking on blue this Monday is the Marine Stewardship Council —the certification body is encouraging consumers to look for MSC’s blue ecolabel on products and menus as a means to support World Oceans Day and ocean sustainability at large.
“As a consumer, choosing seafood with the MSC ecolabel is one way that you can support and make a positive contribution to World Oceans Day,” said Rupert Howes, Chief Executive Officer of the MSC.
MSC suggested that suppliers and fishers join in on urging consumers to choose seafood that is labeled as sustainably certified on 8 June, or #BlueMonday. Over 28,000 seafood products around the world bear the blue MSC ecolabel, including these latest inductees:
- Artisan Bistro Seafood Bowls, the first entrée frozen food line in North America to bear the blue MSC ecolabel
- Deck Hand Premium Cat Food, exclusively available at Whole Foods Market
- PetSmart National Geographic fish food
- Dr. Mercola krill oil supplements
- Wiley’s Finest fish oil supplements
- Wild Selections albacore tuna, and salmon and herring filets
- Crown Prince albacore tuna, yellowfin tuna, and kipper snacks
- Pole & Line albacore and skipjack tuna, exclusively available at Whole Foods Market
Other groups and organizations that hosted events in honor of World Oceans Day include the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Cooking for Solutions. Both events were held over the weekend and celebrated conserving ocean ecosystems and cooking with organic, sustainable food from land and sea.
MSC-certified Crown Prince held a promotion in “the spirit of the commitment by chefs worldwide to use under-utilized fish like anchovies, herring and sardines in their restaurants on World Oceans Day.” Winners of the Small Fish Recipe Sweepstakes, which asked consumers and chefs to share their favorite recipes using one or more of Crown Prince’s anchovy, kipper or sardine products, will be announced later today.
Back for its fourth year is EJF’s Save the Sea Restaurant Campaign, which kicks off today and runs through August. The campaign invites restaurants to demonstrate their commitment to sustainably sourced seafood by asking customers to contribute donations when they dine out during the designated period. Over the past three years, more than 40 restaurants with 32 Michelin stars between them have raised over EUR 25,000 (USD 27,700) in the name of the campaign; this year, Germany will join the countries participating in the event.
