Guest post from the Rocking the Daisies team.
We all know that fish is good for the brain – all those juicy omega oils helping you think better. But we sometimes don’t realise just how endangered many fish types are. Especially in a country like South Africa, with such a long coastline – we should be more aware of this natural resource and make choices based on sustainability rather than our taste buds.
The good people at the Southern African Sustainable Seafood Initiative, also known as SASSI, have made life easier for us by publishing a pocket guide showing the state of the oceans. The fold-up chart, which you can download here, categorises fish according to their level of endangerment.
Green means the fish are from a sustainable source that is well managed and not at risk. This is the clever choice to go for and includes dorado, monkfish, oysters and local favourite, snoek.- Orange means that although it is legal to catch and sell these varieties, you should think twice before eating them for a number of reasons. The fisheries involved do not practice environmentally friendly fishing methods, the species may be rare due to overfishing, or the species might be particularly vulnerable to over fishing. Fish included here bluefin tuna, cape salmon, sole and swordfish.
- Red means it is illegal to buy or sell this fish in South Africa. If you are offered any of these species you can rightfully report the person, shop or establishment. Fish include the Cape stumpnose, East Coast rock lobster, ragged tooth shark and white musselcracker.
It’s up to us as the public to speak out when we see endangered fish being sold at fishmongers and restaurants. Maybe complain about them on getclosure! or compliment eco-friendly suppliers. Also it’s important to only order safe fish and so lower demand for the endangered species.
But if whipping out a guide in front of your dinner guests is not your style, SASSI also offers a discreet FishMS service. Text the name of the fish you are unsure about to 079 499 8795 and they will reply with its status.
You can find out more at: www.panda.org.za/sassi
Rocking the Daisies, South Africa’s first carbon-neutral music festival, achieved carbon-neutral status for the first time and this year will do the same thanks to the use of environmentally friendly practices and products. The festival’s motto is: play hard, tread lightly.
