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Did you know that eating seafood can actually help restore the oceans? Yep, it’s true. Eating seafood can support healthy aquatic ecosystems and sustainable fisheries management. 

If you eat the right seafood, that is. 

 Choosing sustainable seafood can help marine ecosystems flourish by relieving pressure on overfished species, supporting responsible aquaculture, and ensuring that we will be able to continue to enjoy seafood for generations to come. Some seafood options are even beneficial to the oceans, such as restorative bivalve and seaweed farms. For example, oysters have tremendous ecosystem benefits including filtering sediments and acting as natural storm barriers. By eating farmed oysters, consumers can create more demand for the cultivation of oyster farms to increase their restorative benefits for the oceans. 

Choosing sustainable seafood also tells the seafood industry that consumers only want to eat traceable and sustainably sourced seafood, and they won’t buy anything else. This can help to increase the adoption of sustainable fishery and aquaculture management, which helps to support healthy oceans. When fish stocks are sustainably managed, they’re more productive, meaning more seafood to feed the world, more jobs for workers, and more profit. 

Okay, okay. So now we know that there is seafood out there that can help to restore the oceans. But how do we find that seafood? How do consumers identify sustainable seafood in the grocery store and make a purchase that supports the ocean? 

To make it easier to figure that out, I’ve teamed up with Ocean Wise Seafood and the Terroir Symposium to provide some tips and strategies for making sustainable seafood choices. Ocean Wise is a globally focused conservation organization on a mission to protect and restore the world’s oceans. The Terroir Symposium is an annual event that brings together the world’s leading innovators in food, tourism and hospitality together to share ideas, make connections, and drive lasting change.

I am so excited that the Terroir Symposium has gone above and beyond to embrace sustainable seafood and honour Canadian seafood harvesters at their events. This post is just the beginning. Scroll to the bottom of this post to learn about more seafood-focused events at the 2021 Terroir Symposium. 

The tips below can help you to navigate the complicated seas and enjoy seafood that will help to restore and revitalize our oceans.

Here are five ways that you can restore the oceans with your seafood choices:

1. Keep Oceans Full of Fish 

Choosing Ocean Wise recommended sustainable seafood ensures oceans will remain healthy and flourishing by supporting effective and adaptive management, minimal bycatch and habitat damage, and selecting healthy and resilient stocks. Learn more about how to make sustainable seafood choices in The Sustainable Seafood Lifestyle!

2. Create and Restore Habitat 

Restorative seafood like farmed seaweeds and bivalves (mussels, clams, oysters, scallops) actively filter and clean oceans while they grow and can create microhabitats and nurseries for other sea creatures. Try restorative recipes from the Ocean Wise digital cookbook Cooking for Conservation. 

3. Support Biodiversity 

Choosing a variety of Ocean Wise recommended species can relieve pressure on commonly overexploited ones and ensure oceans are diverse, dynamic, and functional. Use the Seafood Search engine to find new species to choose from!

4. From Land and Sea

Farming fish on land in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) is an emerging and innovative way to produce seafood. Over half (53%) of seafood we eat is farmed; land-based systems are isolated from the oceans which reduces the risk of introducing diseases, pathogens, harmful chemicals, and effluent to sensitive habitats.

5. Follow the Fish

Find local Ocean Wise Seafood partners in your area that have made ocean health and sustainability a priority and support their commitment to responsible sourcing. 

*Bonus* Invest in the Future of our Oceans

Consider donating to the not-for-profit Ocean Wise Seafood program to help grow the sustainable seafood movement around the world.

The Final Word

Seafood consumption has been and continues to be, a significant source of nutrition, employment, and cultural value for communities around the world. Sustainable fishing and farming practices are not only critical to managing fish stocks for consumption but are necessary to support the health of the entire marine ecosystem and support coastal communities. In Canada, seafood contributes over $6 billion to the country’s economy. Seafood may also be the answer to feeding a growing population.

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Interested in chatting more about sustainable seafood? Join us online for the 2021 Terroir Symposium! Ocean Wise and Seaside with Emily will be hosting a session that will highlight unique “pescatourism” or “seafood tourism” experiences in Canada. These experiences go beyond simply eating seafood, but instead give guests the opportunity to learn more about Canadian seafood through more immersive experiences. Through activities like fishing, tours of seafood facilities, and more, guests gain a deeper understanding of the Canadian seafood industry and a deeper appreciation for where their seafood comes from. 

More seafood sessions at Terroir:

• Conversations with two Ocean Wise Seafood Champions, Chef Shannon Boyle, from Shuck Shuck, BC & Chef Chef Chris Velden, from the Flying Apron Inn and Cookery, NS. 
• Cooking Demo with Carmen Ingham, Wickaninnish Inn 
• Cooking for Conservation Restorative Recipe Cooking Demo and Q&A with Chef Thompson Tran from The Wooden Boat Food Company and Erika Bolliger, Ocean Wise 
• ‘Increasing Access to Sustainable Seafood from Boat to Plate’ with Isabella Sulpizio, Ocean Wise 

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Register online for the Terroir Symposium Program 

All Access Pass includes: 

– Town Hall with Save Hospitality

– Job Fair

– Mentorship Lunch

– 24 Industry Sessions

– Spotlight on Canadian Food Leaders

– 6 Virtual Cooking Demos

– 5 Workshops

– Surprise Terroir Gift Box 

– $25 Voucher to a participating Feast On® restaurant

10% of all ticket revenues will go toward SaveHospitality.ca   
Use the Voucher Code: “Pescatourism” to save 50%