Celebrity chefs and cooks dish out succulent sustainable prawns, Taronga Zoo’s seals steal the show, and the Western Australian Government announces the first bioregion of fisheries to be assessed as sustainable. Across the country from coast to coast, Australians will be celebrating Sustainable Seafood Day on Friday March 15.
"This year our partners are coming together to join in the celebration of Sustainable Seafood Day by encouraging seafood lovers from coast to coast to choose Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified sustainable seafood," said MSC manager for Australia, Patrick Caleo.
Celebrity chefs and cooks
In the lead up to Sustainable Seafood Day, celebrity chefs and cooks have been talking up the benefits of seafood with the MSC ecolabel. Host of My Kitchen Rules, Pete Evans, cooked up a delicious dish of MSC certified Northern Prawn Fishery (NPF) banana prawns on channel 7.
"As a chef who loves cooking seafood, enthusiastic fishermen, a surfer and a father, I care passionately about the future of the oceans and if you do too it’s important to choose sustainable seafood," said Pete Evans.
At Taronga Zoo in Sydney, 2012 Masterchef winner, Andy Allen will be cooking up a storm after the marine mammal show at the 11am on Friday March 15. For Andy Allen sustainable seafood is about caring for the oceans.
"Taronga Zoo and the MSC do an exceptional job of making us aware of how special and lucky we are to have the wildlife which exists today, they also educate us on the steps we can take to make sure the ecosystem is improving for generations to come".
In South Australia, Simon Bryant of ABC’s Cook and the Chef fame will be serving up free MSC certified seafood tasters in Adelaide’s CBD during lunch hour. In Sydney, TV chef and restaurateur, Tom Kime will also be cooking up MSC certified Northern Prawn Fishery prawns on channel 9.
How you can get involved
To follow the masters in cooking sustainable seafood simply visit your local ALDI, Coles and Woolworths and look for the MSC ecolabel in store.
"As well as celebrity chefs and cooks showing you how you can cook sustainable seafood at home, there will be more than 170 venues across Australia participating in Sustainable Seafood Day, where you can dine in and enjoy delicious menu items that contribute to healthy oceans," said Mr Caleo.
Food service operators Compass will have more than 150 restaurants, cafes and work place canteens serving MSC certified seafood meals and Sodexo will feature MSC certified seafood to more than 400 staff at their Star Awards that evening.
Western Australian celebration
In Western Australia, four popular music venues, Clancy’s Fish Pubs have undergone independent assessments to be Australia’s first pubs to gain Chain of Custody certification.
"Chain of Custody certificate ensures there is a traceability process in place from ocean to plate so you can be sure you’re eating seafood from MSC certified sustainable sources," said Mr Caleo.
Western Australia will also be celebrating its Gascoyne fisheries being announced as the first to undergo pre-assessments in the WA Government’s new $14.5 million initiative to certify the state’s commercial fisheries against the MSC standard.