Ten years ago today, Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre established its Ocean Wise™ conservation program, now Canada’s most recognized sustainable seafood program. Initiated as a local, grassroots program in 2005, Ocean Wise has grown to more than 600 partners across the country and collaborates with chefs, restaurateurs, markets, suppliers and fishers.
Ocean Wise research shows that 70 per cent of seafood offered at participating Ocean Wise restaurants is sustainable compared to only 40 per cent offered at non-participating restaurants. While it is not a requisite of Ocean Wise partners to serve 100 per cent Ocean Wise seafood items, sustainable choices need to be clearly identified with the Ocean Wise symbol. Across Canada, 59 partners proudly commit to a 100 per cent Ocean Wise recommended seafood offering.
This year, all-natural, Canadian-made Walter Caesar mix joined as a partner– its clam juice is sustainably sourced from the North Atlantic. Open Farm pet food became the first Ocean Wise pet food on the market. New, innovative adaptations of ocean-friendly options show that success in the sustainability movement can take on many forms.
Sometimes success simply means keeping sustainable options in our own backyard. In 2006, almost all spot prawns caught off the coast of B.C. were shipped directly to Asia where they are revered for their sweetness and delicate texture. Chef Clark and Organic Ocean’s Steve Johansen knew that, with some local awareness, these sustainable B.C. spot prawns would be as sought-after as their counterpart, traditional pond-raised tiger prawns – the most popular, unsustainable seafood item in North America.
Ocean Wise partnered with Clark, Johansen and other members of the Chefs’ Table Society to promote the short spot prawn season, which kicks off with a Spot Prawn Festival at False Creek docks each spring. The majority of spot prawns are now enjoyed in B.C. and the rest of Canada, making this local, ocean-friendly seafood choice a delicious seasonal option, and also helping to reduce the pressure placed on precious mangrove forests which are clear-cut in order to farm unsustainable tiger prawns.
B.C. spot prawns are in the spotlight along with nine other ocean-friendly Canadian seafood items the Aquarium’s Ocean Wise program is highlighting as part of its anniversary year:
- Albacore tuna
- Dungeness crab
- Pacific halibut
- Pacific sardine
- Salmon (chinook, chum, coho, pink, sockeye)
- Shellfish (clams, mussels, oysters, scallops)
- Shrimp (spot prawns, sidestripe, humpback, pink)
- Walleye
- White sturgeon
- Yellow perch
Celebration events are taking place across the country this year, starting with an Ocean Wise symposium on April 27 to discuss industry best practices and the science behind managed fisheries. The event will bring together chefs, seafood producers, scientists and industry experts for a discussion about current issues and trends in sustainable fishing, and what the next 10 years may hold. Members of the public are encouraged to watch online and ask questions during the live stream.