SEAFOOD WATCH

 

Title: SeaFood Watch
Media: App
Genre: Guide, lifestyle, education
Rating: 4+
Creator: Monterey Bay Aquarium
Edition Reviewed: 3.0.14

(My apologies for an even shorter review than last time. I have been preparing for my college final projects and a new job as an interpretive naturalist. When things settle down, I'll try to start pumping out longer reviews again.)

Show of hands: who loves seafood?

There's a reason why health experts say we should eat seafood twice a week. It comes in so many varieties: fried fish, steamed shrimp, sushi, and more. It has a flavor and texture unlike any meat those landlubbers enjoy. It's good for you, too: it improves your heart, strengthens your immune system, and prevents cancer (see http://www.fitnessbegin.com/nutrition/seafood.html for more seafood health information). Best of all, the fish are not treated as cruelly as livestock: they aren't jacked up on hormones or kept cooped up their whole lives (unless we're talking about fishery buildings, but even then it's less “prison” and more “aquarium”). All of these add up to a winning food combo.

 

Unfortunately, the increasing demand for seafood has decreased the numbers of fish. The “plenty of fish in the sea” statement is not as true as one would lead us to believe. Here's a real-life example: in the 1970's, the Texas population of red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus, and now you know where I got my name from) was driven to near extinction. The popular “blackened red drum” dish had increased fishing and poaching rates. At the same time, a severe freeze and a red tide bloom hit the shores. This combination of overfishing and uncontrollable changes in nature depleted the red drum numbers dramatically. We almost wiped them out. Thankfully, people stepped in and stopped it by building some fish hatcheries: this brought up the red drum population whilst educating the public on proper care of the oceans/respectful fishing habits. And now? Our red drum population is thriving: they got a happy ending.

 

Today's review is on an app that attempts to have the public step up and let other fish have their happy endings (as corny as that sounds). Through education!

 

SeaFood Watch is an app created and released by the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It is a continuation of their SeaFood Watch educational program: a program that instructs the public on good seafood choices. If a species is being hunted to extinction, SeaFood Watch provides more healthy ocean-friendly alternatives that taste just as wonderful (and are often much cheaper).

 

The entire program is easy to use: you choose your current region, check the guides for fish species, and then order those the next time you eat out. The app simply streamlines the process: you choose a species, and it lists alternatives for you instead of having to scan the whole guide yourself). You can also access all of the guides, rather than having to print out one for each section. The app also provides some interesting info on the biology and the fisheries for each species, to allow the user to fully understand why the species is in decline/increase.

 

 

 

There isn't much to say about this app. It's an easy way to help the environment/discover new seafood, for starters. It's nicely designed. It provides interesting information on various fish species. And best of all, it's completely free! The only change I would like to see is the addition of more species. Other than that, this app comes highly recommended!