Fish on the menu

Jesse Kelly (left), Tammy Wilson (middle), and Ainsley Hill have created a website to highlight sustainable seafood choices. (Photo Nick Pearce)

At the Halifax restaurant The Wooden Monkey, you won’t find Atlantic halibut on the menu any longer.

The flatfish has been heavily fished over the past century, putting the status of stocks at a critical level. Caught by trawlers, their habitat along the continental shelf has been severely affected.

“We try to be very conscious of all the foods we bring in,” says Matthew Gass, manager of The Wooden Monkey. “What did it take for this food to get on this plate? How is it produced? How is it prepared? How great a distance does it have to come? These are the kinds of questions we’re asking.”

The Wooden Monkey is one of the restaurants highlighted on YourChoiceHalifax.ca, a new website aimed at promoting sustainable seafood choices in Halifax. The website was started by four Dalhousie marine biology students spurred to action after viewing The End of the Line, a documentary feature film exploring the impact of overfishing on the oceans. Dalhousie professor Boris Worm is one of the experts cited in the film.

“Being marine biology students, we were of course already aware of declining fish stocks,” says Tammy Wilson.

“It’s not that it was new information,” adds Jesse Kelly. “It’s just that it’s presented so clearly. We just thought, ‘we know all this so now we’ve got to do something about it.’”

The End of the Line follows investigative reporter Charles Clover as he confronts politicians and celebrity restaurateurs, who exhibit little regard for the damage they’re doing to the oceans. In particular, the documentary examines the imminent extinction of bluefin tuna, brought by increasing world demand for sushi.

Raised on tuna sandwiches—her favorite—Ainsley Hill no longer has the stomach for them. But it got her wondering, what fish can be eaten without having a twinge of conscience?

“That’s the idea of the website—what are some good choices?” she asks.  “How can we replace unsustainable choices, such as tuna, with sustainable choices—fish that’s being harvested sustainably?”

The students—the fourth member of the group is Kandace O’Brien—spent the summer canvassing restaurants and talking to the owners and chefs. Then, they reviewed the restaurants, highlighting sustainable seafood offerings.

On the students’ website, they highlight “best choice” menu items, such as the blackened haddock at Five Fishermen, Cape Breton rock crab cake at Tempest and Nova Scotia mussels from Indian Point at Press Gang. “We did all the footwork to take the guesswork out of it,” says Mr. Kelly. The students made their assessments using the seafood guide developed by SeaChoice. (See: www.seachoice.org)

Back at the Wooden Monkey, Matthew Gass applauds the students’ efforts. “Really, until I started working here, I didn’t realize how ignorant I was. I think anything that helps consumers to become more aware is fantastic. Because that’s the thing: consumers can make a huge difference. They really affect what goes on the menu.”

LINKS: YourChoiceHalifax.ca | SeaChoice | The End of the Line