Before moving to Vancouver, I liked sushi but my definition of sushi was largely restricted to maki (rolls). Since moving to Vancouver, I've become a fan of real sushi. Sure, I still go to the cheap sushi joints that abound in this city to satisfy my maki cravings, but I also have a few favorite Japanese restaurants (one of which is conveniently located just a few blocks from here) where I get my fish fix. Sashimi, nigiri sushi... I'm salivating just thinking about it.

But, with a background in environmental resource management and a goal to live sustainably, reading a menu at a sushi restaurant becomes a challenge to select fish that is likely to be wild caught, not endangered, not overfished, not fished in some terrible way that destroys the ecosystem... 

When a NY Times forum titled "Room for Debate" recently asked participants to weigh in on their thoughts regarding eating seafood, there was not much debate. All contributors essentially had the same message: many of our fisheries are unsustainable, many species of fish are en route to extirpation due to over fishing, but a savvy consumer can still enjoy fish.

Although I have grown accustomed to navigating menus to avoid farmed salmon and bluefin tuna and focus on squid and smaller fish species (which led to the discovery that I love mackerel nigiri), a conversation with friends of mine made me realize that I'm probably in the minority. As they described the delicious Chilean sea bass that they bought at the market, I couldn't help myself but to cringe. My grimace did not go unnoticed and I found myself in the position of having to explain that they probably shouldn't buy Chilean sea bass in the future due to sustainability issues, as described here. Then my friends stated that they also bought organic farmed salmon periodically - was that okay? Oh dear. No, probably not okay, but I was sure to tell them that before all of the issues regarding farmed salmon were brought to my attention when I move out west, I also purchased organic farmed salmon from that same fish monger (and I'm still not sure what he means by 'organic', but that's a topic for another post altogether).

I now have a card in my wallet that lists commonly consumed fish and indicates how they fare from a sustainability perspective. I looked at it when I first got it, but find it awkward to open it in restaurants and inspect the menu so obviously. Especially in Japanese restaurants where the fish on the menu constitutes a part of their centuries-old culture. 

That a culture is in danger of being lost due to the over-exploitation of natural resources in 2009 is such a shame. We know better but, due to greed and all the challenges associated with managing a resource that is largely open access and a classic example of the tragedy of the commons for many offshore fisheries, the situation is not surprising. Relying on savvy consumers is a start but, as highlighted by the conversation with my friends, it is not enough. 

I give kuddos to my favorite Japanese restaurant in Vancouver (which is probably my favorite restaurant, period) for starting to indicate where the fish is from on the menu. When fish mongers and restaurant owners start providing information to consumers to help them make more sustainable choices, it's a sign that we're moving in the right direction.