About The Ocean Wise Seafood Program

Our oceans are facing a number of threats including overfishing, climate change, and pollution. The global conservation organization Ocean Wise aims to tackle these issues, through its engagement, research, and education. Ocean Wise Seafood is a sustainable seafood recommendation program which helps to ensure that ocean life will be abundant for generations to come.

Our team works with partner businesses to help them make sustainable seafood purchasing decisions. Although our program does not require partners to remove all Not Recommended seafood products from their inventories when joining the program, their partnership signifies their commitment to a path of continuous improvement with the ultimate goal of becoming 100% Ocean Wise.

Choosing sustainability

We at Ocean Wise recognize that choosing sustainable seafood can be challenging as the factors that contribute to a seafood’s sustainability are complex. Our partners make the commitment to clearly label ecologically sustainable seafood products with the Ocean Wise symbol to empower consumers to make informed choices when purchasing seafood. Seeing the Ocean Wise symbol next to a seafood item on a menu or at the fish counter tells you that the option is a good choice for the health of our  oceans. Click to learn more about what attributes make seafood sustainable.

 

 

Report Logo Misuse

Ocean Wise Seafood has strict guidelines around the use of the Ocean Wise recommended symbol both in print and electronic publications. This extends to all marketing materials put out by Ocean Wise Seafood partners, restaurant menus, retail outlets, product packaging and all related materials. If you have spotted the misuse of our symbol please let us know.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • About Ocean Wise Seafood

    What is Ocean Wise?

    Ocean Wise is a globally-focused not-for-profit conservation organization with a mission to protect and restore the world’s oceans. We are committed to tackling three major ocean challenges – overfishing, ocean pollution, and climate change – through our seven key conservation initiatives. Learn more at ocean.org/about.

    What is Ocean Wise’s connection to the Vancouver Aquarium?

    Ocean Wise is no longer connected to the Vancouver Aquarium. The Vancouver Aquarium founded Ocean Wise Conservation Association as its parent company in 2017. In 2021, Ocean Wise and the Vancouver Aquarium separated and are now completely independent organizations. Ocean Wise is 100% focused on Ocean conservation with initiatives and programs including Ocean Wise Seafood, the Plastic Reduction Program, Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, Ocean Bridge, the Whales Initiative, Arctic research, Seaforestation and more. Learn more here.

    How did the Ocean Wise Seafood program start?

    The concept for the Ocean Wise Seafood program was launched in 2005, founded by Chef Robert Clark and Jason Boyce at the Vancouver Aquarium and C Restaurant in Vancouver, our founding restaurant partner. The Ocean Wise Seafood program released its first Dining Guide on April 22nd, 2005 (Earth Day), listing the first 16 partner restaurants. Each of these restaurants removed at least one item from their menu and committed to promoting at least one sustainable option. We now have over 750 partners across Canada and beyond that work with our team to source sustainable seafood and use our branding to communicate its sustainability.

    Is there such thing as sustainable seafood?

    Although the oceans are under intense pressure, science has proven that recovery is possible with a global response and a collaborative approach to sustainably managing our oceans. Nature is incredibly resilient given the chance to rebound, and this has been documented by scientists around the world. Essential to nature’s recovery are strong and proactive environmental management practices, as well as catch limits determined by evidence-based data. At Ocean Wise Seafood, we define sustainable seafood as seafood that has been caught or farmed in a way that ensures healthy stocks, is harvested under adaptive and effective management, and has limited negative impacts on habitats and other species. See our Standards page for more information on how we assess sustainability. Ocean Wise is constantly seeking to improve our sustainability framework. We are currently working on a project to incorporate indigenous knowledge alongside western science in our sustainability assessments.

    Is farmed seafood unsustainable?

    It depends on what species is being farmed and how it's farmed. In some cases, the farmed option is far better than the wild counterpart, such as mussels, clams, oysters and scallops. learn more about different aquaculture techniques on our harvest methods page.

    If we continue to eat seafood, will there be no fish left in the oceans by 2050?

    This statement that the oceans will be empty by 2050, which was published in 2006, has been largely rejected within the fishery science community, and overturned by the author himself in 2009. However, we also know that overfishing and unsustainable fishing practices are undeniably among the greatest threats facing our world’s oceans, with 34% of the world’s fish stock considered overfished (FAO, 2020). That’s why we are working with our program partners to empower consumers to make sustainable choices every time they purchase seafood.

    Does Ocean Wise Seafood make recommendations about health benefits or toxins in seafood?

    Ocean Wise Seafood makes sustainability recommendations and is not qualified to make medical recommendations. There are lots of other websites that can help you make informed decisions on health topics related to eating seafood, mercury and contaminants.

    How do you know that the seafood you’re recommending doesn’t come from slave labour?

    While the Ocean Wise Seafood program currently only assesses the environmental sustainability of seafood products based on their sourcing, we understand that social sustainability is a big part of the picture and is just as important. The Seafood Slavery Risk Tool (SSRT) is a web-based tool developed by the Monterey Bay Aquarium to help consumers and businesses assess the potential risk of forced labour, human trafficking, and child labour in fisheries, and can help seafood buyers make informed judgement on the risks when sourcing seafood. We encourage you to take a look at this tool.

    Isn’t aquaculture causing pollution and disease?

    Some types of aquaculture can be harmful to the surrounding environment and ecosystems if they are not done in a responsible manner. Both effluent and disease are part of the criteria that we use when assessing the sustainability of a farmed species. Seafood items that score low in these categories will not meet our threshold for recommendation. There are innovative ways to reduce the impacts of pollution and disease from seafood farms. One method is a land-based seafood farm such as a Recirculating Aquaculture System, where the seafood can be grown in contained land-based tanks and have no impacts on the ocean ecosystem. The risks of pollution and disease can also depend on the location of the farm, the species being cultivated, and the stocking densities of the farm.

    Isn’t going vegan the most sustainable choice?

    We acknowledge that deciding what to eat is a uniquely personal decision, and support those who choose not to eat fish or other animal products. For those who wish to have seafood in their diet, Ocean Wise Seafood provides information and guidance on which seafood products have the lowest impact on the marine environment. However, stopping seafood consumption across the board is not a feasible solution for approximately three billion people globally who rely on seafood as an important source of protein (SOFIA 2020). Seafood will continue to be an integral solution in meeting the growing demand for protein around the world. Some types of seafood, such as kelp and seaweed, are vegan-friendly and Ocean Wise recommended when sustainably farmed or harvested.

    Why do Ocean Wise Seafood partners continue to sell unsustainable seafood?

    We believe sustainability is a journey. We want to work with all types of businesses, regardless of where they are on their sustainability journey, to help them improve their practices over time. That’s why businesses can become an Ocean Wise partner even if 100% of their products are not Ocean Wise recommended. Our role is to help our partners become more and more ‘ocean wise’ over time, and to raise awareness to increase demand for sustainably sourced products.

    If fishing nets are the biggest problem in terms of ocean plastic pollution, why are you encouraging commercial fishing?

    Scientists don’t yet know exactly how much ocean plastic is derived from maritime sources. However, it is estimated to be between 10% and 30% of total macro plastic leakage. The best available science suggests that the majority of ocean plastic pollution comes from five key product types commonly used in the food service industry: monomaterial films, multilayer films, plastic bottles​ & containers, plastic bags​, food service disposables. To tackle this growing problem, Ocean Wise launched the Plastic Reduction Program to empower food businesses to eliminate harmful and unnecessary plastics. That is not to say that “ghost gear” (abandoned fishing gear) isn’t a major issue for the oceans. On the contrary. It’s a big problem that deserves a lot of attention, too - which is why the Ocean Wise Seafood program is also working with the Global Ghost Gear Initiative.

    Does my individual seafood choice really make a difference?

    Yes. The seafood market is heavily influenced by consumer demand. When you support a sustainable fishery or farm, you send the message that sustainable seafood is important to you. This increases the demand for ocean-friendly practices, while also taking the pressure off overfished species. By only selecting sustainable seafood you can help ensure the health of our oceans for generations to come. Look for the Ocean Wise symbol for our assurance of an ocean-friendly choice.

Get Involved

Are you passionate about the future of our oceans? We’re always looking for ambassadors to help support our mission. Get connected and join us in the sustainable seafood movement today.

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