Whole Foods’ Smart Move
On our oceans map at the Notebook, we show more than more than three dozen types of seafood, color-coded using the Blue Ocean Institute's sustainability ratings. The red means don't eat it because of either depleted fish population or damaging fishing methods used to catch it; the red flag means the fish also contains high levels of toxins.
This year we’ve devoted most of the main room of The Naturalist’s Notebook to oceans. We have a whole wall that shows types of fish, where they’re caught and whether they are a good or bad choice to eat. That last judgment combines ratings done separately by the New York-based Blue Ocean Institute and the California-based Monterey Bay Aquarium. The ratings take into account how depleted a type of fish is, how destructive the methods of catching it are (i.e., are large numbers of other species of fish, as well as birds, sea turtles and other ocean-dependent life, killed as unwanted by-catch?) and how toxic the fish is (some have enough PCBs or mercury to make them a health risk to children and expectant mothers).
We’re therefore thrilled to have gotten an e-mail from the Blue Ocean Institute today announcing that Whole Foods will start using the institute’s color-coded system in displaying the store’s seafood. Congratulations to Whole Foods on setting a great example for all grocery stores. Here is a link to a story about the announcement and the seafood ratings:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hpeQiSgVHClVzsbeSUotZwZwLxoQD9I73CNO0
I think this is wonderful about color coding the seafood in their markets. I hope all the seafood purveyors will follow their lead. This is great. The whole world needs to get informed about the situation and wake up to the reality of the situation of our oceans.
The coding system is also helpful because it’s not always easy figuring out which fish are appropriate to eat. Some fish are fine if they’ve been, say, pole-caught, but horrible if they’ve been caught with long lines. Some farmed seafood is great and environmentally responsible; some has to be treated with pesticides, is lower in nutritional value and damages the eco-system.
This is wonderful that Whole Foods is incorporating the color coding system for seafood in their markets! About time! I’m thrilled!