Sustainable Seafood Fest debuts in S’pore

SINGAPORE — There’s something fishy taking place in Singapore and everybody should know about it.

The inaugural Sustainable Seafood Festival, which kicks off on Sunday and runs for a week, is organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Singapore in partnership with the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).

Launched in tandem with World Oceans Day, it aims to encourage sustainable seafood choices at all levels across the board, from supply chains and retailers to restaurants and consumers. This means selecting seafood that is fished and farmed responsibly without endangering the marine ecosystems and sea-life.

Over 30 Singapore establishments, from hotels to heartland eateries, are participating in the festival. These will be running exclusive Pick The Right Catch dining promotions. Other festival activities include school workshops, public roadshows and a fundraising gala dinner.

Cold Storage, the first supermarket chain in Singapore to initiate a No Shark’s Fin policy, has also come on board by expanding its existing range of MSC-certified sustainable seafood products. Which means shoppers will be able to purchase wild Patagonian scallops, Asiatic hard clams, Atlantic cod, pink salmon and Alaskan pollock without worrying about contributing to the global problem of overfishing.

“We are excited by the strong support the festival is getting from the food industry. These businesses are stepping up to make an investment in their future and the ocean’s future,” said Elaine Tan, chief executive officer of WWF Singapore.

“The only way we can create a sustainable future for our oceans is for all of us to do our part to move the supply chain towards sustainable sources. Businesses and consumers alike need to do this right now, during the festival and every day after.”

But how does one tell the difference between what’s sustainable and what’s not?

WWF considers seafood as “sustainable” if it has been vetted through stringent standards by the MSC and Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), or is on the “green list” of the WWF Singapore Seafood Guide.

The guide, which helps consumers make informed choices on 46 of the most commonly consumed types of seafood in Singapore, is a result of WWF Singapore’s work on the issue of sustainable seafood over the past three years. They have also since started the WWF Sustainable Seafood Group, a business initiative to assist companies committed to sustainable seafood sourcing.

With Singapore’s long-standing love for seafood, it’s obvious why our country should get actively involved. Tan revealed that Singapore is one of the biggest seafood consumers in the Asia-Pacific region, with an average of 140 million kilogrammes of seafood devoured each year.

“Much of the seafood in Singapore may be from areas that have been overfished for years,” she said. “We need to do our part to ensure that future generations get to enjoy the same seafood that we have by being responsible about our seafood choices.”

The Sustainable Seafood Festival runs from June 8 to 15. You also stand a chance to win a one-night staycation for two at Shangri-La’s Rasa Sentosa Resort & Spa by participating in the festival’s contest on Instagram. Post a photo of your sustainable seafood of choice with a detailed description and include the hashtags #PickTheRightCatch and #wwfsg. For more information on the festival and contest details, visit http://picktherightcatch.com/.