Endangered Deliciousness

Seafood Watch is a very cool and very practical conservation effort led by the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Basically, it is a regularly updated guide to which lake and ocean critters should or should not be devoured each year. At its most convenient, they print a handy business card sized reference guide which you can carry around in your wallet. Impress your animal loving, patchouli wearing date when you take her out to your favorite seafood restaurant and tell her what she is not allowed to order off the menu. In all seriousness though, it is incredibly handy, they will send you one or more for free, and those of you with iPhones can browse away right at the dinner table by clicking here.

Central US Guide

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They have a number of different guides tailored to the tastes of different regions of the country. Out of curiousity, does Zooillogix even have any readers in the Midwest besides for me?

I'm sure some of our fellow bloggers beat us to this (Blogfish - I'm awaiting your snarky remark) but I do want to bring attention to it all the same. Particularly because they have an extensive partner program that provides free printed guides to local organizations that support the cause and have a means to distribute them. If you have a local zoo, aquarium, nature center or similar organization that might be interested in getting involved, point them in Seafood Watch's direction.

More like this

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&Here's the list beginning with my thoughts. Hopefully the readers can suggest other ideas and revisions with the goal of this being a central archive for active ways to conserve our oceans. Start by eating the right fish or not eating fish at all. This is probably the easiest. You yield the…
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Yes, you have readers in the midwest.

amazing! now tell me you are in nebraska, iowa, mississippi or oklahoma and you will have made my day

Does Mid-Western Canada count? ;)

I've tried to follow this chart for a while now and it's not always easy because there are some companies that market some fish under other names or as totally different "animals," altogether. Our Northern Pollok numbers suffer for the "fake crab meat" market.

Tilapia is ALWAYS a safe bet. In fact, it's one of the very best animal proteins out there in terms of conversion rates. They are almost always inland farmed and in farms that are great for using their waste water for hydroponic fruits/vegetables. :) It's also a very mild white fish that you can do almost anything with.

By arachnophile_g… (not verified) on 31 Dec 2007 #permalink

Former Iowan here! Although I guess some people consider Pennsylvania midwestern??

Anyways, I used to volunteer and work the Monterey Bay Aquarium. They are doing some great work there.

mr subjunctive - you win! if you ever make it to chicago, i will lend you my free parking pass for the lincoln park zoo!!!

... im still holding my breath for an oklahoman...

At its most convenient, they print a handy business card sized reference guide which you can carry around in your wallet. Impress your animal loving, patchouli wearing date when you take her out to your favorite seafood restaurant and tell her what she is not allowed to order off the menu.

Cool! I wonder if Charley the talking tuna is going to be lobbying to get tuna moved from the best choices to AVOID! LOL!
Dave Briggs :~)

By Dave Briggs (not verified) on 02 Jan 2008 #permalink

I live right near Monterey. =P Awesome aquarium, and awesome work they do.

The people who made the movie Happy Feet included the reference card with the DVD release. FYI.

provides free printed guides to local organizations that support the cause and have a means to distribute them. If you have a local zoo, aquarium, nature center or similar organization