November is Ocean Wise Month

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VANCOUVER — For the month of November, Ocean Wise partners from across Canada will be donning aprons at a number of celebratory events, including sustainable chowder competitions in Wolfville, N.S., Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver.

Ocean Wise has also launched a new website to help kick-off Ocean Wise month where users can easily search for nearby partner locations, look up the latest scientific information about a seafood item and find food-focused events in their area.

Ocean Wise Month helps raise awareness of overfishing — research shows 90 per cent of the world’s assessed fish stocks are currently overexploited or at capacity. A poll from the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre, conducted this year by Insights West, found 33 per cent of Canadians are aware of Ocean Wise and three in four Canadians (76 per cent) think we are doing too little to conserve and preserve our oceans. The health of our oceans is a worry to the vast majority: 84 per cent of Canadians are concerned about overfishing.

“Overfishing is a monumental global issue. It’s the greatest threat to our oceans and it’s clear from our research that it’s top of mind for most Canadians,” says Ann-Marie Copping, Vancouver Aquarium Ocean Wise program manager. “During Ocean Wise Month in November, we encourage Canadians to join us in taking small steps to help reduce overfishing simply by choosing Ocean Wise seafood at restaurants and markets. We have hundreds of partners where consumers can find ocean-friendly seafood. Simply look for the Ocean Wise symbol next to a seafood item for our assurance that you’re making a sustainable choice.”

Ocean Wise began as a grassroots movement in Vancouver in 2005 and is now Canada’s most recognizable sustainable seafood program. What began as an initiative involving 16 chefs has expanded to include more than 650 partners with locations from Victoria to St. John’s.

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