Enviroment 10

DO YOU KNOW WHERE THAT PIECE OF COD IN YOUR FRIDAY NIGHT FISH AND CHIPS HAS COME FROM OR WHERE THAT PIECE OF SALMON IN YOUR SALAD WAS CAUGHT? OF COURSE YOU DO! THE SEA, RIGHT? WELL YES, BUT THERE’S MORE TO IT THAN THAT.

Most of us were born during this time and so may not know too much about this issue but since the early 1990s there has been a big focus on preventing overfishing and maintain ecosystems across the world. Why? Because overfishing i.e. catching more fish than the population can replace has big, big consequences. It affects the balance of life in oceans and also impacts coastal communities. Overfishing has been so bad in fact that some marine populations e.g. Atlantic and bluefin tuna have declined in population so much that their survival as a species is threatened! Poor fishies!!

So who is helping to stop the Cod being the next White Rhino and becoming extinct? An organisation called The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) are the guys that are making sure that the fish that ends up on your plate comes from a sustainable source. They are helping to solve the problems of overfishing whilst making sure we can protect seafood supplies for the future.

How do they protect the fish I hear you ask? The MSC provide certification to fisheries who can prove they are sustainable and ensure that fish caught are at levels that allow fish population and ecosystems to remain healthy and so that fish can be tracked back from ocean to fork. All fisheries which receive the MSC certification show that they are by using the MSC blue ecolabel (see right).

Want to play your part in protecting fish? We’re playing our part by using MSC fish in our dishes so that you can be eat your fish in the knowledge that it was caught sustainability so, what can you do to help this cause? Next time you’re shopping in your local Tesco, Sainsbury’s or Asda take a look at the packet of cod fillets or salmon you pick up and check if it has the MSC logo. If it does, you’re doing your bit to make sure we protect the future of our ocean!