21/11/13: Which fish on your dish? British supermarket sponsors sustainable choices app

The MCS Good Fish Guide, sponsored by
British supermarket Waitrose, provides
information on choosing sustainable fish

News courtesy of Waitrose, the food retail division of Britain's largest employee-owned retailer, the John Lewis Partnership.

In celebration of World Fisheries day, here's a great way you can help to maintain global fisheries and ensure sustainable stocks and healthy ocean ecosystems for the future.

Leading British supermarket Waitrose has teamed up with UK based charity the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) to promote sustainable seafood. 

The MCS Good Fish Guide, previously only available as an app for iPhone users, provides consumers with the best options when choosing fish.

In support of the new launch, Waitrose has commissioned research that reveals people are still confused about which seafood they should be eating.

Mussls and Oysters rank high in the list of sustainable seafood choices.

However, when asked to identify responsibly sourced options, less than a quarter of respondents (24% and 21% of people respectively) identified the molluscs as a sustainable choice.

Interestingly, 14% of people identified whitebait as a responsible option - when in fact it should be avoided if trying to choose responsible seafood. 

“While many people are keen to make responsible choices, these findings show there is still some confusion over the best seafood choices to make. So we wanted to support the launch of this app to make it as easy as possible for people to find the answers,” said Quentin Clark, head of sustainability and Ethical Sourcing at Waitrose. 

The Waitrose research also revealed that attitudes towards fish sourcing largely depended on whether people live by the sea or not. It found more than a third (35%) of people who live by the sea (closer than five miles) definitely agree they would be more likely to go to a restaurant if they knew the fish was responsibly sourced - this compares to 22% of people who live further from the sea.

How do I use the app?

 - No Latin names needed

 - Just search by common fish name and you’ll get all the information just as you want it – either at a glance or in full detail.

Utilising the latest data from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) stock evaluations, the app also  explains the MCS traffic light ratings system so you know exactly what you can and can’t eat, and the fish that you should eat only occasionally.

“The development of this app will enable many more people to access and use our advice, helping them make eating responsible fish their only choice,” said Bernadette Clarke, MCS Fishonline officer.

The Good Fish Guide app is available for free from the Google playstore.

Visit the playstore here.

Logo of British supermarket Waitrose (Photo credit: Wikipedia)