http://fish.gshaw.ca/files/asset/file/163/SC_sushi_card_web.pdf

Canada’s first sustainable sushi guide helps consumers protect threatened marine species while satisfying their cravings for delicious sushi.

Developed by SeaChoice, a national seafood markets program run by several leading environmental groups, the wallet-sized guide features sustainability information for seafood commonly found on sushi menus by ranking items as green (Best Choice), yellow (Some Concerns) or red (Avoid) options.

“This guide empowers consumers to make decisions that are better for our oceans, without sacrificing their taste for healthy, delicious seafood,” said Shauna MacKinnon, Markets Campaigner with the Living Oceans Society. “What we’re telling Canadians is that by making wiser seafood choices, they can enjoy their sushi and help our oceans too.”

A growing facet of the seafood market in Canada, sushi restaurants often offer species – including bluefin tuna and farmed salmon – that are harvested unsustainably. But there are many “Best Choice” alternatives. Canada’s Sustainable Sushi Guide provides a detailed list of seafood items that have healthy populations and come from well-managed fisheries that don’t cause significant harm to ocean environments and other sea life. The guide offers sushi chefs and diners alike great alternatives for their favourite menu items, including local albacore tuna and Dungeness crab, as well as several new ones like Arctic char or sablefish.

“When people choose to eat sustainable sushi, they also send a clear message to industry and the government that they care about ocean conservation,” said Susanna Fuller, Director of Marine Conservation at the Ecology Action Centre in Halifax.

SeaChoice will distribute its sustainable sushi guide on April 23 at restaurants in Vancouver and Halifax. The wallet-sized card is also available online where sushi lovers can print or order their own copies for free.

“SeaChoice’s sustainable sushi guide provides the public with science-based information in a user-friendly format, so they can play an active role in supporting healthy oceans,” said Bill Wareham, Senior Conservation Specialist with the David Suzuki Foundation in Vancouver.

Formed in 2006, SeaChoice is a national program that provides science-based sustainability assessments of seafood to Canadian consumers, fishermen, chefs and businesses. More than 250,000 printed copies of the program’s guide to sustainable seafood, Canada’s Seafood Guide, are in circulation across the country.

SeaChoice is led by the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, David Suzuki Foundation, Ecology Action Centre, Living Oceans Society and Sierra Club BC, and works in collaboration with the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program.