A European Commission-backed campaign encouraging French consumers to eat sustainable, seasonal seafood kicked into high gear on Thursday with a press conference in Paris.
Launched in March, the Mr. Goodfish initiative and its tagline — "good for the sea, good for you" — aim to help consumers make educated decisions about the seafood they buy in an effort to take pressure off of non-sustainable fisheries.
The campaign now has 65 "partners," mostly fishmongers and restaurateurs, signed on to the message. But with nearly 70 percent of fresh fish sold in supermarkets, compared to 12 percent at fishmongers, any real influence on consumer psyche will have to include the major French retailers.
"We are currently talking to the supermarkets and are due to meet them next month," Philippe Vallette, managing director of the Nausicaa Marine Centre in the northern port of Boulogne, France, told SeafoodSource.
"If each French consumer chooses to eat 300 grams of sustainable fish just once in a year, 18,000 metric tons of non-sustainable fish could be saved from consumption per year," Vallette said at the press conference.
Vallette told SeafoodSource.com that the lists will be updated every three months to take into account new statistical parameters and the seasons. Consumers can access the information at www.MrGoodFish.com, and eventually an iPhone application containing the information will be made available.
When asked whether yet another label would confuse consumers, the campaign organizers maintained that the Mr. Goodfish logo with its outsized, centrally positioned "OK" will compliment other eco-labels, and the message is ultimately easily understood by consumers.
Initially launched by the World Ocean Network, the initiative is now supported by Acquario di Genova in Italy, the Aquarium Finisterrae in Spain and the Nausicaa Marine Centre. All three marine centers are members of the network, and, as part of the campaign, they will posts lists of sustainable seafood species in their respective regions.
The campaign is also supported by Gael Orieux, the Michelin-starred chef of Parisian restaurant Auguste, and the country's largest fishermen's association, the Comite National des Peches Maritimes et des Elevages Marins (CNPMEM).
"There is no red or black list in the campaign, which we appreciated," said CNPMEM President Pierre-Georges Dachicourt at the conference, adding that "our men respect the sea and we are moving toward responsible and sustainable fishing."
