There are lots of ways to affect fisheries, but one that has not been exploited much is trying to control consumer demand for seafood. The underlying concept is that overfishing and poor aquaculture practices are (at least partially) caused by too much demand for certain types of seafood.

As demand rises, prices go up. And when prices go up, bad things can happen. Commercial fishing or aquaculture goals may focus on maximizing short-term yield, rather than protecting long-term sustainability of the fishery, or safeguarding the environment. By managing demand, market forces will help guide all parties (governments, commercial fishermen, environmental groups and recreational fishermen) to the right answers.

With this in mind, the Blue Ocean Institute has written a brochure called "Miniguide to Ocean Friendly Seafood ". It reviews 32 types of seafood, ranging from swordfish through shellfish and discusses the environmental and resource management issues surrounding the consumption of that type of seafood. 

It distinguishes between farmed vs. wild fish, different catch techniques and the impact of  bycatch, FDA / EPA health advisories, and regional concerns. They have a color-coding sheme to identify those seafoods that they consider to be most "ocean-friendly", e.g. clean/green, and coming from a sustainable, renewable resource. It seems like a pretty unbiased view.

"We spent a lot of time collecting and reviewing information from all viewpoints," says Mary Turnipseed, Senior Researcher at Blue Ocean. "All seafood guide entries and rankings were reviewed by people involved in research or management of the species listed, and we tried very hard to present a balanced summary of the information."

"Most people don't realize that many fish species are in danger and are not being fished in a sustainable manner. And very few know about the affects of bycatch", continued Turnipseed. "By educating the public, our belief is that people will try to do the right thing, and adjust their buying habits to be more ocean-friendly".

Before you dismiss this effort as some sort of fringe-element, thinly-disguised PETA propaganda, you need to know that one of the sponsors of the Miniguide is the United Anglers of Southern California, a well-respected recreational fishing lobbying group, and the Miniguide is endorsed by the Coastal Conservation Association, a recreational fishing organization that represents fishermen along the Gulf of Mexico and the Eastern Seaboard.

"We looked over the guide very carefully," says Dan Fink, Outreach Coordinator for UASC, "and we believe it does a good job of summarizing the issues. Even if people don't agree with the rankings, we feel that just getting people to think about these issues and make the connection to what they eat in a restaurant or buy in a store will have value".

Both UASC and the CCA have mailed copies of the Miniguide out to their members. If you don't have a copy, you can download either a color or B&W version of the miniguide in our Services section of the website.