The Facility of Sustainability - Which Fish are the Right Fish?

It’s easy to make the decision to focus your menu towards more renewable proteins: You’re helping to replenish the environment and you’re saving money – without the big name, a fish rarely costs the big bucks. But how to implement the change? Loblaws, for example, has announced plans to only sell eco-friendly fish by 2013. Yet which fish are the right fish and what are the right words? Navigating the murky waters of sustainability can definitely be a challenge.

Thankfully, there is the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) to help! A U.K.-based non-governmental organization founded in 1977, the MCS is dedicated to protecting marine wildlife and preserving future fish stocks through educational outreach and proactive conservation campaigns. In my opinion, their best contribution is a frequently updated list of which fish to purchase and which to avoid – including an explanation why. Actually, their website is an absolute potpourri of information designed to educate the food service professional looking to go green. They even have a handy guide that you can print out and keep with your other purveyor-related papers. So it’s easy…once you know how!