August 26, 2014 – Hoping to diversify the types of fish on our plates, Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program is adding ten more fish species to its allowable list and taking many varieties of rockfish off the red “avoid” list.
“We can’t all eat just three species of fish,” says Sheila Bowman, manager of culinary initiatives at Seafood Watch, referring to the big three of the seafood world: shrimp, tuna and salmon.
“There’s very good news for the rockfish species, which is one of the most common fish in the Monterey Bay,” she adds. “It’s not the kind of fish that rebounds quickly, so many of us never expected to see it come off the red list in this decade or even the next decade. We’re just thrilled.”
Bowman attributed the improvement to effective collaboration between fishery management, conservationists and the fishermen themselves. Alan Lovewell of Local Catch Monterey Bay agrees: “It’s long overdue and I’m happy that fishermen are being recognized for making the fishery more sustainable.”
“Rockfish is good,” Lovewell says, “It’s versatile, it’s abundant and if we have it locally and manage it correctly, we should be enjoying it.” Local fisherman are expected to increasingly go after rockfish and throw fewer back when caught unintentionally, but Lovewell says restricted areas still make it difficult for hook and line fisherman to make a good living from rockfish.
Other fish, such has Cabezon, Pacific Grenadier and Spiny Dogfish, have been also been taken off the avoid list as part of a collaboration with the Marine Stewardship Council. “Some of these we simply did not study in the past because they aren’t common in the market or on restaurant menus,” said Bowman. But as chefs try to become more sustainable in their menu choices, there’s increased interest in lesser-known species, sometimes called “trash fish.”
The aquarium is planning to organize a “trash fish” dinner in 2015 to raise awareness about the wide variety of delicious fish available to cook and enjoy.
The new recommendations will “go live” on the Seafood Watch website next Tuesday, Sept 2. The website itself was just overhauled to make searching and navigation easier. The Seafood Watch mobile app is also getting an upgrade in the next couple of months.
About the author
At Edible Monterey Bay, our mission is to celebrate the local food culture of Santa Cruz, San Benito and Monterey Counties, season by season. We believe in sustainability, and we believe everyone has a right to healthful, clean and affordable food. We think knowing where our food comes from is powerful, and we hope our magazine, website and newsletters inspire readers to get to know and support our local growers, fishers, chefs, vintners and food artisans.
