OCEAN WISE A Sustainable Seafood Program The

OCEAN WISE: A Sustainable Seafood Program

The Problem Human Impacts on the Ocean

Habitat Damage and Alteration • Bottom Trawling • Trawling involves large nets being dragged along the bottom of the sea floor destroying sea grasses, sponges or corals which act as habitat and shelter for many species.

The Problem Bottom trawling seen from space in front of the Yangtze River in China. Before and After trawling

Bycatch • 25% of the annual worldwide seafood harvest is by catch. • On average, for every ONE pound of shrimp, EIGHT pounds of by catch is caught as well.

Overfishing • 70% of all marine fish studied are fully exploited, overfished, or in urgent need of management. • Current research has shown that populations of all large fish have been reduced by 90% since industrialized fishing began.

The Problem • The current rate and manner in which we are extracting resources from our oceans is not sustainable. • Worm et al. (2006) – Complete collapse by 2048 • UN FAO – 90% of all large fish are gone • Good news? Worm et al. (2006) – 5 of 10 ecosystems are improving

The Solution? We need to change the way we are exploiting our oceans. How do we go about this? • Regulatory reform; lobby government • Market transformation; consumer education, empowerment and industry engagement.

Ocean Wise is a National conservation program created to help restaurants and their customers make environmentally friendly seafood choices. The Ocean Wise symbol on a menu item assures you that item is a good choice for our oceans. • Ocean Wise program began in 2005 • Over 350 partners • Over 28 000 locations across Canada • 50 partners in Ontario

Ontario: Ocean Wise Participants Restaurants Alex and Dan Catering The Armouries Grill Azure Restaurant Borealis Bar and Grill Brazen Head Irish Pub and Restaurant C 5 Restaurant Catch 22 Cedar Grove Lodge Le Cordon Bleu Bistro Cowbell Dub Linn Gate Irish Pub E 18 gteen Epic (Fairmont Royal York) The Foggy Dew George Restaurant Great Cooks on Eight The Harbord Room The Healthy Butcher The Hoof Café Joey’s at Don Mills Juniper Kitchen & Wine Bar Ki. We Kitchen Lucy’s Seafood Kitchen Wine Bar Le Papillon On Front The Whalesbone Oyster House Le Select Bistro Woolwich Arms Marben Zest Bar and Bistro Mill Street Brew Pub Murphy’s Law Retailers Ned’s Devine The Healthy Butcher Niagara Street Café Hooked Inc. Pangaea Pogue Mahone Irish Pub Suppliers The Pour House Allseas Regatta Lounge Canadian Cove (Delta Medowvale Hotel) Daily Seafood Scaramouche Diana’s Seafood Scarboro Golf & Country Club Export Packers Simple Fish & Chips Fisher Folk Splendido Gordon Food Service Tiara Trestaurant & Bacchus Mac. Gregor’s Meat and Seafood Lounge Seacore Trios Bistro (Marriott Downtown) Toppits Tru Restaurant & Lounge The Watermark Irish Pub Visit oceanwise. ca for a full & Restaurant listing Wilfrid’s Restaurant

Partner Commitments • On joining partners commit to removing or replacing at least one unsustainable item from their menu. • Partners are required to remove unsustainable items at a suggested rate of 1 every 6 months until they are 100% sustainable OR they can not feasibly go any further. • Required to use the Ocean Wise logos on their menus.

Seafood Consumption Seafood that is consumed in branded products, like canned tuna Seafood consumed at a Restaurant or food service industry Fresh seafood, bought at market or grocery store

What is Sustainable Seafood? An Ocean Wise recommended species is: • Abundant and Resilient • Well Managed • Minimal Bycatch • Minimal Effect on Habitats and Animal Interactions

Fishing Methods : Longlining • Longliners roll out thousandof hooks that all fish at once. • Pelagic’ longlining catches fishes like swordfish and tuna. • ‘Bottom’ longlining targets fishes like cod, halibut and sablefish.

Fishing Methods: Trawling involves dragging nets over the seabed, so anything that gets in the way, such as seagrasses, sponges or corals, must either bend or break.

Sustainable Fishing Method: Traps & Pots • Traps or "pots" are baited cages used to attract the catch and hold it alive until the fisherman returns. • Trap fishermen usually lay out many traps attached in a line. After three or four days, they haul their pots aboard, releasing any animals that are too small, too large or not the right species.

Sustainable Fishing Method: Trolling • Long rods pull fishing lines behind a moving vessel in the method known as trolling. • Trollers catch speedy fishes that will follow a moving lure, such as salmon, tuna, and mahi-mahi.

Aquaculture Salmon are generally farmed in open-net floating pens in the ocean. Trout can be farmed in raceway land based systems, a great sustainable method of farming found in Ontario.

A Trusted Brand Many environmental issues can be overwhelming. However, the health of the oceans is one issue people can affect every time they buy seafood. How does Ocean Wise help? • It makes it simple to understand • It makes it easy to make the right choice • It gives the consumer confidence in their choice

Ocean Wise Cookbook • The Ocean Wise Cookbook is a compellation of sustainable seafood recipes from across Canada, featuring chefs Michael Smith, Jamie Kennedy and Robert Clark. • Edited by Jane Mundy and published by Whitecap Books • Available in stores October 2010

Ocean Wise Seafoodie Competition • Seafoodie Competition to engage Toronto consumers with sustainable seafood

Ocean Wise Contacts Thank you! Theodora Geach Eastern Coordinator 416 764 3093 Theodora. geach@vanaqua. org