As people start to think about fish based meals for their Good Friday celebrations, Dr Iain Young, from the University of Liverpool’s Institute of Integrative Biology, explains why promoting sustainable fishing is so important:
“The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations tell us that more than 50% of the world’s fisheries are fully exploited and, at least, a further 30% are over fished.
“Unsustainable fishing not only threatens the availability of fish stocks, but it can also impact endangered species, habitats and the other species in the marine food chain, damaging the whole ocean ecosystem.
“The Marine Stewardship Council is an international, non-profit organisation that sets standards for sustainable fisheries – protecting fish stocks and the marine environment. Their certification with the MSC Blue Fish-tick label shows that the fish you are buying comes from a sustainable source.
“The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) has a similar certification and labelling role for responsibly farmed fish. To learn more about the fish you are eating and to help us protect global food sources, visit: www.goodfishguide.org.”