There’s a lot to think about when considering which seafood to buy. At a minimum, we want to know when, where, how, and even by whom our seafood was caught or harvested. Consider your next purchase at a store or a restaurant as you would buying produce or eggs or meat at a farmer’s market. You want to buy as directly from the producer … in this case, fishermen … as possible. Developed as a parting take-away message printed on the backs of menus for KNOW FISH Dinners®, these principles give you a framework to help you choose seafood that is local, abundant, harvested responsibly, and that fairly compensates the fishermen.
Curiosity: Ask where, when, how, and by whom your fish was caught.
Community-Based: Choose local seafood harvested by community-based fishermen and women who care about the resource.
Supply Chain: Patronize local seafood stores (or subscribe to Community Supported Fisheries) that ensure transparency back to the boat and pay a fair price to fish harvesters.
Change It Up: Try underutilized species. (ex. hake, scup, mackerel, cusk, Acadian redfish, etc.).
Cycles: Eat with the ecosystem, (ie, local seafood available during different seasons).
Cultivate an understanding of sustainable shellfish, kelp, and aquaponic aquaculture practices and avoid industrial aquaculture products.
Connect the Dots: Learn how our choices on land affect ocean health. Climate change, natural resource extraction, and chemical run-off are just some man-made byproducts impacting overall marine ecosystem balance.