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| April 2008 |
Feature |
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How sustainable is your sushi?
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It is very embarrassing to order something on a sushi menu, or to buy fish, only to have somebody say to you "that's probably the last one of those" meaning that that animal is close to extinction and you have just callously wrapped it in rice and seaweed, put so much wasabi on it that it rendered tasteless and swallowed it helping both a species and your tongue in their race towards extinction.
The Southern African sustainable seafood initiative, SASSI, a project of the WWF and many partners, seeks to educate consumers about what seafood they should and should not eat based on the types of fishing practices which types are used, and whether the stocks of that species can survive the fishing pressures they are exposed to.
Certain fish species can only survive limited angling pressure and these are designated recreational fish species which can be caught according to strict bag limits per day and are not to be sold. Seafood at restaurants and fish seafood retailers on the other hand has to be provided by licensed commercial fishers, with proof of purchase retained by the retailer so that, upon questioning they can show where they obtained a specific species, and how many were procured. These may only be commercial species.
SASSI provides a useful little leaflet which can fit in your wallet - the leaflet divides fish up into three colour codes based on the desirability of their usage. Green is classified as the best choice, Orange species are to be consumed with caution and Red species are not supposed to be sold. The leaflet is funded by the Green Trust, a collaboration between Nedbank green affinity account holders and the WWF.
If you don't have access to the leaflet, you can access the data base by sms'ing the name of the fish to 0794998795. Or you can visit the web site at http://www.panda.org.za/sassi
As an example, I recently read a story in a South African newspaper in which the writer explained how an old gentleman showed him how to catch and cook Natal Stumpnose. I sms'ed the name of the fish type to 0794998795, and within 3 seconds the reply came back that: Natal Stumpnose, Status: Red NOT FOR SALE. Recreational species (Min size:25cm, bag limit 5). Vulnerable to estuarine habitat degradation.
With this tool, you, as the consumer can educate your friends about what they should and should not eat, and we can look forward to sustainable seafood for all to enjoy forever.
More information:
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