Article - Endangered & Sustainable Fish Guide

There are a number of factors which are affecting our waters and the species that live in them, many of which we consume on a daily basis.  Some of these factors have affected the supplies of seafood, causing many once-abundant species to become extinct, or close to it.

Bycatch

Every year, tons of fish are caught unintentionally and are tossed back into oceans, dead or dying, for a number of reasons, including:
- they were not the kind of fish the fishermen were looking for
- there is no room on the boat to hold all of the fish caught
- they are too small to sell or are unmarketable
- fishermen may have improper fishing permits

The effect of bycatch is that:
- populations killed and thrown back are adversely affected
- food for other fish and birds are taken away


Overfishing

Overfishing means that fish are caught faster than they reproduce, lowering the population with each catch.  This has caused many fisheries to collapse, as the numbers of fish remaining in our oceans and seas have dwindled to such a low point that it is no longer viable to fish.

Orange roughy and Chilean Sea Bass are now considered endangered.  They take many years to come to maturity - some well over a hundred years.  Shark and monkfish were once considered worthless bycatch, but are now overfished.

Below, is a guide for North American consumers, outlining a simple colour-coded guide for seafood.  Many species are endangered or are in decline, others have high levels of contaminants, and should be avoided - these are in RED.  Those species which are currently farmed or whose numbers are in abundance are in GREEN.

We have also included links to organisations around the world who publish similar guides.  Many restaurants have taken notice, and will only serve sustainable fish.