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New Wild-Caught Seafood Sustainability Ratings
| Meet the Blogger | More Posts by Carrie Brownstein
Hey readers, big news! We've just launched a new sustainability ratings program for wild-caught seafood. Through this partnership with Blue Ocean Institute and Monterey Bay Aquarium, our customers can now use color-coded ratings to make informed decisions about their seafood purchases. And with our promise to phase out all red-rated sources by Earth Day 2013, we've deepened our commitment to having fully sustainable seafood departments.
This new initiative builds upon the partnership that Whole Foods Market has had with the Marine Stewardship Council since 1999 and it complements Whole Foods Market's existing farmed seafood standards, which remain the highest standards in the industry. It's all part of our overall effort to move our seafood purchasing, and the seafood industry as a whole, towards healthier oceans and greater sustainability.
What's important to know about the ratings program is that our partners, Blue Ocean Institute and the Monterey Bay Aquarium, use solid, science-based methods for evaluating species and fisheries. They're transparent with their criteria, methods, and ratings. Anyone can go online on their websites and review the ratings. Note that we're using the ratings only on wild-caught seafood from fisheries not certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). MSC-certified seafood already undergoes a rigorous process to become certified.
Another important thing is that ratings aren't set in stone; there's opportunity to improve. Fisheries that are ranked yellow or red may be able to improve by implementing stronger management measures, or by changing the way they fish to reduce bycatch or impacts on habitat. Green or "best choice" ratings indicate a species is relatively abundant and is caught in environmentally-friendly ways. Our stores already feature a number of green-rated species. Having green rated species is critical because it demonstrates that fish populations can be healthy and that fisheries can be sustainably managed. Yellow or "good alternative" ratings mean some concerns exist with the species' status or catch methods; and red or "avoid" ratings mean that for now the species is suffering from overfishing, or that current fishing methods harm other marine life or habitats. We're evaluating the red-rated fisheries to see if changes can be made to improve fishing practices and ultimately earn a higher rating.
A few people have asked, "if it's red-rated, why not stop selling it right now?" Actually, we already stopped selling especially vulnerable red-rated species such as non-MSC-certified Chilean sea bass, orange roughy, bluefin tuna, sharks, and marlins (with the exception of Hawaii-caught blue marlin, sold only in Hawaii stores). Under this new program, all swordfish and tuna from red-rated fisheries will be eliminated from seafood counters by Earth Day 2011. And by Earth Day 2012, all other seafood from red-rated fisheries will be discontinued with the exception of Atlantic cod and sole, which will be sold through Earth Day 2013. In the meantime, we're evaluating the red-rated fisheries to see if changes can be made to improve fishing practices. Some fishermen have worked with us for many years so it's a partnership and a process that takes a little time to change.
So, check out these new color ratings in our seafood departments and let us know what you think.
Also, watch Margaret Wittenberg, Whole Foods Market's Global Vice President of Quality Standards and Public Affairs live in our Austin store explaining the new program below and visit our Navigating Sustainability page to get more information about the new rankings program, as well as the other seafood sustainability efforts and quality standards already in place at Whole Foods Market. 'Til next time….
33 Comments
Comments
Thanks for your support, Anita! Through our partnership with the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Blue Ocean Institute, we're using the ratings of these organizations. Their rating criteria do not include contaminants such as mercury. However, similarly to what I said in my response to blog reader Craig, we offer information about mercury in all of our seafood departments through our mercury brochure. Please check it out for information on which species are typically lowest in mercury. Thanks for writing...
09/20/2010 2:55:00 PM CDT
While color labeled, Whole Foods is still choosing to sell environmentally harmful fish. That is not admirable.
09/20/2010 8:51:27 PM CDT
Thank you for writing in, Krista. For this program, we are relying upon the fishery research and ratings by our partnering organizations, Blue Ocean Institute and Monterey Bay Aquarium. I forwarded your comment to the aquarium and here’s what they had to say:
The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch recommendations draw a clear distinction between Oregon-caught salmon from the Columbia River (landed north of Cape Falcon – a “good alternative” because Columbia fish stocks are in moderately healthy condition) and salmon from the Sacramento River (landed south of Cape Falcon – fish to “avoid” because of the precarious state of the fish stocks). The distinction – and the science behind it – is available online at http://bit.ly/9gwhN. The key factor is that Sacramento River fall-run Chinook, which support fisheries in California and most of Oregon, are at a record low abundance and have failed to meet projected escapement goals for three consecutive years. The decision to open the fishery this year was based on another forecast that the fishery would meet its escapement goals in 2010. In our view, a precautionary approach requires demonstrated evidence of improvement, not a projection or forecast of improvement, before you reopen a fishery – especially one in as much trouble as Pacific salmon.
We encourage you to contact the aquarium with any specific points you’d like to discuss about a fishery: http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/sg/sg_fb_mailroom.aspx.
09/16/2010 6:15:51 PM CDT
Hey Sean, Thanks for your comments. You raised a number of topics. First, we source locally caught and farmed seafood as much as possible. Furthermore, the new seafood rating program in our stores is based upon the sustainability criteria of our partners, Blue Ocean Institute and Monterey Bay Aquarium. The criteria do not address carbon footprint at this time. While we continue to source as much local seafood as we can, we’ll look more into carbon footprint in the future. However, my understanding is that evaluating carbon footprint is often greatly oversimplified. You can’t just look at how far the final product traveled (i.e. distance) from point of catch to point of sale to assess the carbon footprint. The energy costs associated with various methods of production, how products are stored (fresh vs. frozen), and exactly how they’re transported (plane vs. ship), etc., all contribute to the carbon footprint. At this time, we don’t have all the data available to fully evaluate the carbon footprint of all seafood products. In the meantime, we work hard to address other sustainability concerns, such as the status of the fish population, bycatch, etc.
Please understand that while a final rating is represented by one simple color, there’s peer reviewed research behind each rating. Since it’s our partnering organizations that do the ratings, I passed your comment about cod onto Blue Ocean Institute. Here’s what they had to say:
Our color-coded seafood rankings represent extensive research that is peer-reviewed for scientific accuracy and then displayed online for full transparency. We use a quantitative ranking system to examine 5 core points (each with 8 sub-questions or 'points of adjustment'), and the final numeric score is translated into a corresponding color. Consumers can rest assured that our easy-to-use system represents authoritative science.
Looking at our comprehensive report for Atlantic Cod, we do point out that Gulf of Maine spawning biomass has increased in recent years (see "Abundance" in our cod report: http://blueocean.org/seafood/seafood-view?spc_id=56). However, considering the population status in other parts of Atlantic Cod's range (e.g., George's Bank), the improvements in the Gulf of Maine aren't currently enough to elevate the Atlantic Cod ranking above a red. As with all of our seafood, as new information on populations becomes available, we will factor it into our reports.
To get more info on our rankings, including full reports and details on our methodology, please visit: http://blueocean.org/seafood. If you have any outstanding questions, don't hesitate to contact us at info@blueocean.org.
09/14/2010 2:33:29 PM CDT
I have to agree that while you are trying to implement positive change - the time is NOW. Species are being wiped out rapidly and action should be taken.
09/22/2010 3:10:51 PM CDT
I'd like to respond to Searr.....I live in Alaska, and am involved in the commerical fishing industry there. My family are commercial fishermen, we own our boat, we fish our catch, and have them processed and sent to restaurants and markets in the lower 48...please, do not tell me that the family fishermen in Alaska are a thing of the past, thats so not true. You want to speak of bycatch, in Alaska you can be fined if you have bycatch of certain species....our fisheries can be open for two hours and closed, because never, ever, is the survival of a species placed second to the commerical fishing industry.
Alaska has set the standard, we are a model for the world. Commercial fisheries can survive, without damaging the populations of the wild fish. We are the model of sustainability when it comes to fisheries..non other can compare to us, and the lengths that we take to protect this fishery for generations to come. We have no industry other than seafood, our waters are pristine, and untouched by the pollutants of man from industry. Seafood labeling should be done in a manner that is not confusing..organic standards for farm raised fish, that swim in poop infested areas, and are given more antibiotics than anyother living species that we use for food, is ludicrious.
Farm raised fish have diseases that are all their own, just because you can make more of something does not mean that it is sustainable. They feed them cornmeal, wild fish that should be eaten by the wild population..and I could go on and on...Alaska waters are free of floating farm raised fish pens, they are illegal here. Now they are genetically engineering fish, just think about the dangers that they can pose, to the environnment, and your children...it will be years and years before they talk about the effects of them, but one thing I will know, is that I never ate one...:) Wild caught should always be sustainably harvested, however, that is just a dream until other fisheries implement what we did in the 1950s in Alaska...our state consitution protects our fisheries, and has done so since the 1950s....the survival of a species to thrive, should never, ever take second to the fisheries....if it's not plentiful, we don't fish it. We actually have men that count the fish and species as they swim by to assure that enough salmon go upstream to spawn and provide a healthy new run. I have pamplets that I would gladly share with anyone of you, if you are interested in learning more about wild Alaskan seafood...fishermentochef@innernet.net
09/27/2010 2:20:34 AM CDT
I'm sorry I have more thing to say....Good job Whole Foods, atleast one of the major food chains is striving to educate, and change the seafood industry...:)
Just want to thank you for the efforts that you are making, our oceans are in dire condition, and need folks such as you that are in the forefront, to take a stand...Congratulations on your educating efforts, I hope all lend an ear your direction...enjoy your blogs always..
09/27/2010 2:27:02 AM CDT
I'm so glad I found this. Hubby picked out fish by himself while we were shopping there today and I came home with Chilean Seabass. I had never had it and when I started looking up recipes I saw that they were in danger. I am so thankful to see yours are only from a certified fishery. :)
08/11/2012 10:16:43 PM CDT