"fisheries" news and stories

Legal Sea Foods' "Blacklisted" dinner just turned a shade lighter with news from Monterey Bay Aquarium yesterday. Current updates to the organization's Seafood Watch guide moved seafood favorites like Atlantic haddock and Gulf of Maine cod from the red "Avoid" column to the "Good Alternative" and "Best Choice" lists after the most recent U.S. stock assessments showed signs of recovery.

"Science isn't static, so we're reflecting these changes in our recommendations to consumers and the major buyers we work with," said Jennifer Dianto Kemmerly, Seafood Watch director in a press release.

The good news is given with an asterisk. Fishing gear counts.

Atlantic haddock, once listed in the "Avoid" column but now considered almost fully recovered off the East Coast, was given a "Best Choice" stamp when caught by hook-and-line methods, and received a "Good Alternative" ranking when trawl-caught.

Atlantic cod stocks may still be recovering from their collapse in the 1970s, but encouraging population counts now means Gulf of Maine hook-and-line Atlantic cod will be given a "Good Alternative" ranking. (A point, Roger Berkowitz of Legal Sea Foods was planning to make at the dinner later this month.)

It's not a health warning this time, at least not for people.

It's a report from the WWF that is concerned about the population of fish, everything from cod to swordfish. According to BBC, the WWF says that "much of the fish sold in Europe is the product of illegal, destructive or wasteful fishing," and that the conservation organization has warned that "continuing to buy it will bring many fish stocks to the brink of extinction."

In order to mitigate the problem, the WWF recommends that consumers only buy fish that comes from sustainable and well-managed fisheries. This is marked on fish with a Marine Stewardship Council label.