OCEAN WISE

•  A Vancouver Aquarium conservation initiative presented in conjunction with local restaurants and other conservation partners.  

What need does OCEAN WISE address?

•  Some seafood dishes are environmentally better than others, but knowing how to tell the difference can be a real challenge for diners and restaurants alike. Ocean Wise allows diners to confidently identify and choose restaurants that provide environmentally responsible seafood menu items, and provides restaurants with the information and support to continuously improve menus from an environmental sustainability perspective.

•  Environmental issues concerning seafood are many and varied.   Broadly, these include:

Overfishing - removing too many fish from the sea and not leaving     enough to re-populate themselves in time for the next catch;

Bycatch - removing animals from the ocean that were not intended to be part of the catch, such as sea turtles, dolphins, seabirds and sponges;

Habitat degradation - fishing or producing seafood in areas that affect the quality of water, reefs and other ocean habitats that then negatively impacts sea life.  

C Restaurant

•  Vancouver 's Premier "Ocean Wise" Dining Destination and
Ocean Wise's Founding Restaurant Partner

PARTICIPATION

•  Participation is open to any Vancouver restaurant that regularly serves seafood dishes

OCEAN WISE PROGRAM

•  A commitment to continuous improvement by restaurants

•  Promotion of participating restaurants via listing on a "Preferred Restaurant" guide, to be made available to diners at the Vancouver Aquarium and other locations in Vancouver

•  Education and support materials for restaurant staff

•  An Ocean Wise website providing up-to-date information for restaurants and consumers on the changing status of menu items

GETTING INVOLVED

•  Contact Tara Taylor, Director of Conservation Programs at the Vancouver Aquarium, oceanwise@vanaqua.org

MEDIA CONTACT

•  Brenda Jones, Vancouver Aquarium, (604) 659-3516