By Dan Estabrook – October 16, 2008
Three conservation groups have released, or are in the process of releasing, “pocket guides” to help you in your search for sustainable sushi. The organizations behind the guides — the Blue Ocean Institute, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and the Environmental Defense Fund — announced their efforts this week at the French Culinary Institute in Manhattan and the guides will appear on October 22 at San Francisco’s Tataki — billed as the only “sustainable sushi” eatery in the U.S.
According to the EDF, the worst sushi to order is Bluefin, because overfishing has dwindled populations by 90 percent in the past 30 years. Other bad choices:
- monkfish (“ankoh”)
- red snapper (“tai”)
- freshwater eel (“unagi”)
Best choices for sustainable sushi:
- U.S. farmed abalone (“awabi”)
- albacore tuna from the U.S. or Canada (“shiro maguro”)
- farmed arctic char (“iwana”)
To obtain your own copy of the “sushi guide”:
- Monterey Bay Aquarium is accepting orders to send your guide when it debuts on October 22
- Environmental Defense Fund is also producing a downloadable version
- Blue Ocean Institute’s pocket guide is coming October 22
If you want to compare your sustainable sushi experiences or meet other sushi lovers, Monterey Bay Aquarium is hosting a Sushi Party on Facebook starting on the 22nd as well to coincide with the three conservation organizations efforts.
I am a sushi lover, and as an avid user of Monterey Bay Acquarium’s Seafood Watch Guide, I am looking forward to the sushi version. I just have to deal with the removal of my fave sushi from my palette — unagi. This one will be difficult for me to fathom.