Consumers

Overview

At the last stop on our journey, we come to the consumer—the seafood lovers across the nation who don’t want to sacrifice their healthful, flavorful seafood, but who also value a healthy environment. The critical upside of Ocean Conservancy’s actions at the retail level is the emergence of a knowledgeable seafood consumer who understands why sustainable seafood is important to the environment and who demands smarter seafood choices at market.

Savvy consumers can drive the seafood supply chain to sustainability with their purchase decisions, but the fact is that for many those choices seem tricky. We know from surveys that the majority of Americans (some 80 percent) want to buy seafood that is good for human and environmental health, yet they are often confused about their options. Thirty-six percent say they don’t even know where their seafood was caught. Many feel uncertain about whether farmed or wild-caught fish is better. The bottom line is: they want to know more. Learn more about the results from the Edge Research survey.

That's why Ocean Conservancy is working hard to inform consumers about what a “sustainable” seafood industry looks like and teaching them how to participate in the transition to sustainability. We’re informing consumers about options such as writing letters to managers who support sustainability, and asking the right questions of chefs, and fish markets regarding choosing the right seafood options. This support helps everyone do their best to ensure that our seafood culture thrives far into the future.

While there are some great resources available to guide your choices to seafood that is considered sustainable, Ocean Conservancy is going beyond choices to actually influencing the sustainability of the choices that are available. There’s a role for consumers in fixing troubled fisheries. Working together, we can all participate in their renewal. Someday, with your help, all of the seafood in your grocer’s case will be sustainable and the choice will be easy.

The overarching message of “Fishery to Fork” is that sustainability matters. At Ocean Conservancy, we believe that by helping us fix problem fisheries you can have your fish and eat it, too. You can have a healthy ocean, a healthy environment, a healthy industry, and healthy seafood.

What Ocean Conservancy is Doing

Ocean Conservancy is working to inform consumers about what a sustainable seafood industry looks like, and helping them learn how to participate in reform efforts that will ensure that our seafood culture thrives far into the future. And that includes asking about fish from fish farms as well as those caught in the wild. We need to continue to work to save the seafood we love, support the fishermen and fisheries working in a sustainable manner, and not turn our backs on fisheries in trouble.

What You Can Do

"Sustainability" starts with traceability. Knowing where your fish comes from is the key to understanding whether the fish on your plate is being managed in a way that ensures a healthy population for the future. Check out our Tips for Choosing Sustainable Fish to learn more.

Sign our petition to end overfishing and protect our ocean by putting forward a long-term vision to guide our seafood industry!

• Consumers' Overview
• What is Overfishing?
• Sign our petition to end overfishing
• Tips for Choosing Sustainable Fish
• Learn the Lingo