Just in time for National Seafood Month, the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) released the MSC Blue Fish Guide. It’s a digital guidebook available on the MSC-US website, aimed at people who want more seafood in their diets without costing the planet.
The MSC Blue Fish Guide helps consumers navigate the sustainable seafood landscape so they can make decisions that are both ocean friendly and dinner friendly. Included in the Guide are visuals showing where to look for sustainable seafood in the grocery store; an introduction to seafood certifications and ratings; information about different fish species; great ways to cook your favorite fish and more.
“The MSC Blue Fish Guide provides a trustworthy resource for Americans wanting to add more ocean-friendly seafood choices to their diets,” said Brian Perkins, regional director for the Americas at the MSC Marine Stewardship Council. “The guide is easy to download or pull up on your phone so busy shoppers can reference it to make the best decision for their budget, taste preferences and the ocean. Navigating the waters becomes much easier when we can take shoppers on the ocean-to-plate journey, right in the palms of their hands.”
One-third of fisheries worldwide are unsustainably managed, which can ultimately lead to overfishing, increased bycatch, and other negative impacts on our ocean’s health (SOFIA 2020). But seafood that is certified sustainable and carries the MSC blue fish logo comes from healthy fish populations, keeps the marine environment intact, and is caught with oversight from regional and national management bodies. Americans rank concern over ocean health and the decline of fish populations third in their top environmental concerns, which is higher than the global average of sixth (GlobeScan). One third of Americans are also eating more seafood than they were five years ago (GlobeScan). With increased consumption comes increased responsibility – eating sustainably caught options helps to keep fish populations healthy and available for future generations of seafood lovers and for overall ocean health.
The MSC will continue to share educational, inspirational and entertaining content from the MSC Blue Fish Guide on social media all month long – all of which is aimed at raising awareness of the important role certified seafood plays in a healthy ocean, and deepening understanding of the MSC blue fish label. Shoppers can refer to the guide for species-specific information, recipes, to learn which aisles to shop and more through October Seafood Month and beyond.
ABOUT THE MARINE STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL
The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is an international non-profit organization. Our vision is for the world’s oceans to be teeming with life, and seafood supplies safeguarded for this and future generations. Our blue label and certification program recognizes and rewards sustainable fishing practices and is helping create a more sustainable seafood market. More than 370 fisheries in over 36 countries are certified to the MSC’s Standard. These fisheries have a combined annual seafood production of over eleven million metric tons, representing almost 15% of global marine catch. More than 38,000 seafood products worldwide carry the MSC label. For more information visit www.msc.org or follow @MSCBlueFish on social media.
