Seafood Watch's sustainability guide upgrades 21 species of sole, snapper, other groundfish as good choices
Groundfish are unloaded from the trawler Pacific at the Pacific Shrimp’s plant on Newport’s historic bayfront. The new rules for groundfish, which took effect in 2011, led to certification and now recognition by Seafood Watch which just upgraded 21 species previously listed as unsustainable.. (The Oregonian/File photo)
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on September 02, 2014 at 11:20 AM, updated September 02, 2014 at 12:18 PM
A group with wide influence among consumers, restaurants and retailers has just given the thumbs-up to dozens of species of groundfish that were once in dire shape.
Seafood Watch, a California-based sustainability program, said Tuesday that nearly 40 species of rockfish, sole, cod and other fish on the West Coast are now ranked as a "Best Choice" or "Good Alternative" to eat. The rankings include an upgraded sustainability status for 21 species that were previously listed as "Avoid."
The new rankings underscore a dramatic turnaround in groundfish stocks, which were declared a federal disaster in 2000. More than 50 percent of the groundfish caught on the West Coast, excluding whiting, are landed in Oregon.
Brad Pettinger, director of the Oregon Trawl Commission, said the new ratings are good for the state's industry, which lands 25 to 30 million pounds a year of sole, snapper, sablefish and other groundfish.
"It's always good to have people say your product is good to buy," Pettinger said.
Seafood Watch, based at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, has produced a sustainability guide since 1999. Once solely a pocket guide, it is now issued as a smartphone app as well. The rankings drive up market sales when they shift upward, said Ken Peterson, spokesman for Monterey Bay Aquarium.
"A lot of people use it," said Pettinger. "If you're tuned into sustainability, they're a well-known commodity on the West Coast."
In the new Seafood Watch report:
The new rankings underscore a dramatic sea change in the sustainability of groundfish stocks, said Margaret Spring, a top scientist at Monterey Bay Aquarium.
In June, the Marine Stewardship Council paved the way by certifying 13 trawl-caught groundfish species as sustainable and well-managed. That recognition of key Oregon fish followed a concerted effort by industry and government to protect stocks, Pettinger said.
The program has centered around having an independent observer on every trawler since 2011, Pettinger said. The observers, who are paid for jointly by industry and government, record everything that's caught in the net and send that information to thePacific Fisheries Management Council, the federal authority that oversees the industry on the West Coast.
Their presence on trawlers has increased accountability on both sides, Pettinger said. Fishermen have also changed gear used to trawl on the ocean floor that helps avoid overfished species and exchanged information about spots to avoid.
The result has dramatically reduced the amount of fish that have to be thrown back from 20 percent before 2011 to 5 percent today.
"That's pretty darn good for any fishery," Pettinger said.
Seafood Watch, a California-based sustainability program, said Tuesday that nearly 40 species of rockfish, sole, cod and other fish on the West Coast are now ranked as a "Best Choice" or "Good Alternative" to eat. The rankings include an upgraded sustainability status for 21 species that were previously listed as "Avoid."
The new rankings underscore a dramatic turnaround in groundfish stocks, which were declared a federal disaster in 2000. More than 50 percent of the groundfish caught on the West Coast, excluding whiting, are landed in Oregon.
Brad Pettinger, director of the Oregon Trawl Commission, said the new ratings are good for the state's industry, which lands 25 to 30 million pounds a year of sole, snapper, sablefish and other groundfish.
"It's always good to have people say your product is good to buy," Pettinger said.
Seafood Watch, based at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, has produced a sustainability guide since 1999. Once solely a pocket guide, it is now issued as a smartphone app as well. The rankings drive up market sales when they shift upward, said Ken Peterson, spokesman for Monterey Bay Aquarium.
"A lot of people use it," said Pettinger. "If you're tuned into sustainability, they're a well-known commodity on the West Coast."
In the new Seafood Watch report:
- All trawl- and longline-caught rockfish assessed have been upgraded from "Avoid" to "Good Alternative" or "Best Choice"
- Flatfish species – including Dover sole, English sole and Pacific sanddabs – have been upgraded from "Good Alternative" to "Best Choice"
- Pacific grenadier has been upgraded from "Avoid" to "Good Alternative"
- Spiny dogfish, a species of shark, has been upgraded from "Avoid" to "Best Choice"
The new rankings underscore a dramatic sea change in the sustainability of groundfish stocks, said Margaret Spring, a top scientist at Monterey Bay Aquarium.
In June, the Marine Stewardship Council paved the way by certifying 13 trawl-caught groundfish species as sustainable and well-managed. That recognition of key Oregon fish followed a concerted effort by industry and government to protect stocks, Pettinger said.
The program has centered around having an independent observer on every trawler since 2011, Pettinger said. The observers, who are paid for jointly by industry and government, record everything that's caught in the net and send that information to thePacific Fisheries Management Council, the federal authority that oversees the industry on the West Coast.
Their presence on trawlers has increased accountability on both sides, Pettinger said. Fishermen have also changed gear used to trawl on the ocean floor that helps avoid overfished species and exchanged information about spots to avoid.
The result has dramatically reduced the amount of fish that have to be thrown back from 20 percent before 2011 to 5 percent today.
"That's pretty darn good for any fishery," Pettinger said.
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