OTTAWA — The University of Ottawa has solidified its commitment to sourcing and serving wild seafood that meets the world’s most rigorous standards for sustainable fishing and traceability. The university, which is working towards 100-per-cent MSC-certified wild seafood for its state-of-the-art dining hall, was recently granted Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification.
The university, which feeds 7,500 people a day and prepares 20 tons of seafood each year, ranks as the second-most sustainable university in Canada, according to the UI Green Metric Ranking.
“Aquatic ecosystems around the world are under tremendous pressure from a combination of environmental change, habitat degradation and over-harvesting. This commitment by the University of Ottawa will make a real difference in encouraging and supporting sustainable seafood harvesting,” says Nathan Young, interim director of the School of Sociological and Anthropological Studies at the Faculty of Social Sciences.
By choosing seafood with the blue MSC label, University of Ottawa diners can trust they’re making an ocean-friendly choice that directly rewards fishers, companies and institutions dedicated to preserving healthy oceans and sustainable seafood supplies for generations to come.
“World Wildlife Fund Canada applauds the University of Ottawa’s decision to address the problem of unsustainable fishing by purchasing Marine Stewardship Council-certified seafood. Choosing MSC means supporting a healthy marine environment by only consuming fish from stocks that are well-managed and sustainably harvested,” says Bettina Saier, vice-president of Oceans, WWF-Canada.
