An ambitious program to return two fish to the sea for every one eaten is designed to keep seafood-lovers happy while ensuring no net loss of marine life.
OneFishTwoFish was founded by marine biologist and conservationist Dr Chris Gillies, pictured, an adjunct associate professor in marine ecology at James Cook University, to address the challenges of seafood sustainability. It was developed by Seafood Positive, which Dr Gillies formed last year to finance ocean conservation programs, with the caveat: “We can’t always replace two fish for every fish sold or consumed on a like-for-like basis, but our projects endeavour to holistically increase fish populations.”
“This solves an ethical dilemma for sustainability-conscious seafood consumers and provides a way to positively connect seafood consumption with ocean health,” Dr Gilles said. “The funds will help provide finance for third-party ocean conservation programs including seagrass and reef restoration, and fish restocking programs to measurably improve fish and marine life across Australia.”
OneFishTwoFish is funded by annual public and business subscriptions, and its foundation supporters include Taronga Zoo Sydney and St Kilda’s Stokehouse restaurant. “It’s a simple way for seafood consumers, retailers, restaurants and other businesses to give back to the environment through their seafood consumption,” Dr Gillies said. “We would love to have everyone who sells or buys seafood sign up to the program.
“We send (public subscribers) a certificate, information about sustainable seafood, seafood recipes, interviews with chefs, stories on the latest marine science and technology, and updates on the projects their subscriptions are supporting. Business subscribers receive project images, videos and stories to use, marketing collateral, logo use and invitations to special events. We also provide them with access to our OneFishTwoFish sustainable seafood network that connects like-minded businesses and customers. We’re committed to transparency and will post project reports and other documentation on our website so people can review outcomes for themselves.”
Looking to the future, Dr Gillies said Seafood Positive hoped to achieve B Corp Certification – which acknowledges a business is hitting high social and environmental targets and exhibiting accountability and transparency – and eventually expand OneFishTwoFish to other countries. “One of the best ways of re-creating healthy fish populations is to make sure young fish survive beyond their first few weeks of life, and we can do that by restoring the habitats that nurture fish and through targeted breeding programs.”
Find more about OneFishTwoFish at www.seafoodpositive.org
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