Vancouver, BC: The Monterey Bay Aquarium’s sustainable seafood program Seafood Watch, has awarded Gindara Sablefish with a Green, Best Choice seafood rating. Sablefish, also known as black cod, is a native fish to British Columbia. Gindara Sablefish is raised in cooperation with the Kyuquot-Checleseht First Nation, in Kyuquot Sound, BC, Canada. Gindara Sablefish ships fresh sablefish to top chefs globally, every week. The President of Gindara Sablefish, Terry Brooks, has been perfecting the culture of sablefish for over 20 years. “As pioneers of sablefish aquaculture, I am extremely proud of our team at the farm and hatchery who have conducted all the research, development, and daily work that goes into producing this sustainable fish” he explained.
“Sustainability is a critical issue, and we must ensure our wild and farmed sources of seafood do not reduce the balance of nature.” says Don Read, Gindara Sablefish’s head of marketing, “With a Best Choice endorsement, chefs, restaurants, retailers, and consumers, can be confident that Gindara Sablefish is a sustainable, and delicious source of seafood, with minimal impact on its environment”.
Seafood Watch recommendations are one of the most respected seafood assessment systems, and provide consumers, chefs, and businesses with unbiased science-based guidance about the environmental sustainability of a wide range of farmed and wild seafood products. “The process for a Seafood Watch rating is thorough and includes a detailed analysis of all aspects of farming, a methodical peer review process, and data verification using independent sources. We have always prioritized our ocean ecosystem in which we operate and have strived to keep it as healthy as possible. This rating validates our efforts to care for our oceans, and we are proud to share this.” states Claire Li, Gindara Sablefish Sustainability Director.
Seafood Watch scores seafood across a range of sustainability criteria and uses these scores to group seafood into three recommendation categories which guide consumer choice: Green for Best Choice seafood, Yellow as Good Alternative, and Red as Avoid. The Green-rated “Best Choice” is an objective measurement of Gindara Sablefish’s operations and defines the seafood as “well-managed and caught or farmed in ways that cause little harm to habitats or other wildlife”.
