Tag Archives: Blue Ocean Institute

It’s Getting Real at the Whole Foods Fish Counter: No More Red-Label Seafood

Five Fish

In celebration of Earth Day, Whole Foods Market made a big change at the fish counter: The stores no longer sell seafood with red warning labels, as part of their commitment to ocean-friendly seafood.

Whole Foods initially partnered with the Blue Ocean Institute and Monterey Bay Aquarium to create a color coded system with green, yellow and red labels to help buyers become aware of the sustainability of their prospective dinner. The red-rated seafood denoted unsustainable fishing practices or overfishing of a species. Continue reading →

One Fish, Two Fish: Choose Sustainable Fish with the Blue Ocean Institute

school of fish

As you learned in our recent story, many Clean Plates-approved chefs have found purveyors of sustainably sourced seafood, but what about individuals? How can you ensure the fish you buy or dine on is sustainable and safe? Kate McLaughlin, Seafood Program Director at Blue Ocean Institute, is here to help.

How do you define “ocean-friendly” seafood?
Ocean-friendly seafood can be wild-caught or farmed. If wild-caught, it should come from a healthy population and be caught with minimal impact on other populations and the marine habitat. If farmed, it should be raised using methods that cause little damage to the environment and have minimal impact on wild populations. Few of the farmed fish should be able to escape, and they shouldn’t be fed large quantities of wild fish. Continue reading →