Sustainable sushi

Sustainable sushi is sushi made from fished or farmed sources that can be maintained or whose future production does not significantly jeopardize the ecosystems from which it is acquired. Concerns over the sustainability of sushi ingredients arise from greater concerns over environmental, economic and social stability and human health.

The Sustainable Sushi Movement
Starting in February 2008 with the founding of Tataki Sushi Bar—generally regarded as the first sustainable sushi restaurant in North America—a growing number of sushi chefs and restaurateurs have adopted sustainability as a guiding principle and have come together to form what they refer to as the "sustainable sushi movement." These individuals espouse the use of only environmentally responsible seafood products as a means of preserving the art of sushi and the health of the world's oceans. Currently, there are upwards of 10 sustainable sushi restaurants in the United States. The gravity of the movement has been acknowledged by many media outlets around the world, including TIME Magazine, which recognized the founders of Tataki (Kin Lui, Raymond Ho, and Casson Trenor) as "Heroes of the Environment" in 2009.

Effects on Human Health
Advocacy for sustainable sushi emerged as a response to reckless fishing practices and the endangerment of many fish and other marine life. Industrial pollution from power plants, waste incinerators and mining operations has led to the increasing levels of mercury found in marine life today.

Environmental Sustainability
Sustainable sushi raises questions about the sources of the fish used—whether ingredients were caught or raised. It also raises questions about the vulnerability of the species (longevity and reproductive capability) and whether humans are overfishing the stock. Many of the current methods used to fish leads to overfishing and the unintentional killing of fish and other marine life. Irresponsible fishing practices if allowed to persist unabated would lead to a seafood species worldwide crash by 2048 (in a worst-case scenario). It is estimated that worldwide, 90% of large predatory fish species are gone. Of the 230 US fisheries assessed, it was determined that 54 stocks are overfished, 45 are currently undergoing overfishing while the status of a bit over half of the US’s stocks are unknown. These problems are largely due to the lack of regulation fishing has had in the past. In the 1960s there was complete access to the fish supply. Marine fisheries were not regulated and largely exploited fishing for economic gain as calls for the expansion of US fishing fleets were met by increased fishing efficiency.

In the 1970s fishing was met with regulation as American fishermen were threatened by the growing presence of global fishing fleets around the US. Congress in 1976 passed the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, which expanded federal jurisdiction of fisheries to 200 miles offshore when it had previously been 12 miles offshore. This act established American regulation over its fisheries through the creation of eight Regional Fishery Management Councils.

From the 1980s to the present day, laws and regulations on fishing have been much stricter. Today there are restrictions on vessels and gear and on the number of days fishing fleets are allowed to be out at sea. This has created an atmosphere of intense competition between fishermen and regulators, which has translated into “ghost fishing” and increased numbers of “bycatch” or "bykill". For example, when regulators made the fishing season shorter, fishermen responded by increasing the size of their fishing fleets and by using more powerful ships. Incentive structures are set up so that fishermen are compelled to take drastic and irresponsible measures to ensure a catch. In efforts to maximize their earnings with increasing restrictions on fishing, many fishermen put out more hooks, lines and nets. Fouled gear is cut adrift and less selective gear is used and instances of bycatch grow dramatically. Often, fishermen exceed their catch limits and fish populations decrease faster than they can be replenished which has resulted in crashing fish stock.

Social Sustainability
While some groups advocate for a complete stop to fishing, there are societies and cultures still in existence that rely on fishing for their livelihood. Not only is sea life a large part of their diet but many times fishing is their main source of income as well. As overfishing and unsustainable practices continue, these fishermen will have to go out further and further away from the coastal shelf to find fish to catch. As it becomes more difficult to find fish, it also becomes more expensive to fish commercially. The higher cost of fishing would lead to fewer jobs for fishermen.

Possible Solutions
A possible solution to unsustainable fishing practices and alarmingly decreasing fish stocks, besides responsible fish consumption, are "catch shares." The belief is that aligning conservation and economic incentives through assigning "a share of the catch to an individual fisherman, a group of fishermen or a community which can also be area-based, such as a Territorial Use Right for Fishing, delineating and dedicating a specific area for management by an individual, group or community." The Environmental Defense Fund champions catch shares as a promising solution to reviving fisheries and fishing communities. The EDF believes that catch shares foster better fishing practices, higher prices and less waste. It also changes incentives among fishermen, so that, like stockholders, their desire to see their shares go up lead to their actively protecting their fishery.

The Marine Stewardship Council takes a similar "multi-stakeholder" approach to sustainable fishing. In a 2004 article that appeared in the "Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management Journal," author Alexia Cummins describes the success the Marine Stewardship Council has had as a NGO-business partnership. The council established an "eco-labelling programme designed to reward sustainable and well managed fisheries with a visible environmental endorsement."

The MSC as the only international fisheries organization, works to provide a market-based incentives by encouraging consumers to make the best environmental choice in seafood, by setting a standard against which independent accredited certification bodies assess fisheries. The MSC devotes its resources bringing a broad spectrum of stakeholders together and maintaining s steady stream of dialogue with all fishing sectors. The importance of stakeholder input is evident in the growing number of fisheries that are voluntarily engaging in the certification process set up by the MSC. Markets are beginning to recognize that consumers expect retailers to make responsible and ethical decisions about the sustainability and environmentally conscious sources of the fish they sell as part of their corporate social responsibility. This has been a critical part in enabling the MSC to reach the market exposure it requires in order to effectively highlight issues of overfishing and the importance of sustainable fishing in maintaining equilibrium levels of fish stock worldwide.

Conclusion
An increased demand for sushi made with sustainably fished or raised seafood would decrease the amount of overfishing and bycatch as well as help mitigate all of the negative effects of unsustainable fishing practices. Demanding sustainable sushi is a practical way consumers can contract the market for unsustainably acquired fish while expanding the market for more sustainable seafood.

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Advisory lists

 * Sustainable Sushi
 * Sustainable Seafood Guide
 * Fish & Seafood Handbook