FOREST & BIRD MEDIA RELEASE
TUESDAY 13 NOVEMBER

Best Fish Guide 2007-2008 launched: More fish go red but some nearly green

Seven more species of fish have joined the red list of unsustainable fisheries, but several come close to earning a sustainability tick on Forest & Bird’s new Best Fish Guide.

Today (Tuesday, November 13) Forest & Bird launched its third Best Fish Guide to help consumers make the best choices for the sustainability of the marine environment when they buy fish.

Forest & Bird Conservation Advocate Kirstie Knowlessays it is disappointing to see that seven more fish species – red snapper, moonfish, striped marlin, blue shark, mako shark, porbeagle shark and lookdown dory - have joined the list of fisheries which are environmentally unsustainable since the guide was last compiled in 2005-06.

“On a more positive note, several species – kina, anchovy, pilchards, sprats and blue mackerel – are within just 1-2 points of making it into the green list of fisheries which are sustainable. Again, no species are ranked as sustainable, but with improvements to fisheries management we could potentially see some fisheries be ranked in the green list in future.”

Orange roughy is again ranked as the worst fishery for environmental sustainability. Years of over-fishing have decimated orange roughy populations to the point of collapse and bottom trawling used to catch orange roughy inflicts severe damage on the marine ecosystem.

Fisheries are ranked in the Best Fish Guide according to management of fish stocks, levels of habitat damage, bycatch of marine mammals and seabirds, and adequacy of monitoring.

“By using the Best Fish Guide wallet card, and making the best choice, consumers can make a difference to how well we protect New Zealand’s marine environment and species,” Kirstie Knowlessays.

Forest & Bird is also encouraging consumers to ask their fish retailer which methods are used to catch fish – and avoid buying fish that is caught using gill and set netting, middle-depth trawling and bottom trawling in particular.

The Best Fish Guide was launched today (November 13) at Martin Bosley’s Restaurant in Wellington, with award-winning chef Martin Bosley preparing mouth-watering nibbles showcasing some of the more sustainable fish species.

WORST 10
Orange roughy
Southern bluefin tuna
Oreos
Porbeagle shark
Mako shark
Pacific bluefin tuna
Blue shark
Hoki
Snapper
Swordfish

BEST 10
Kina
Anchovy
Pilchards
Sprats
Blue mackerel
Skipjack tuna
Garfish
Yellow-eyed mullet
Cockles
Kahawai

(From noon Tuesday 13th the new 2007-2008 website and full reports for the Best Fish Guide will be available at www.forestandbird.org.nz)

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