Two years ago, I’d written the following post about sustainability. Let’s sea see what has changed, and more importantly, what has not.

Sustainable seafood is a slippery word. It has become trendy to say “sustainable,” sometimes even used to impress, and it is commonly misunderstood.

Since “sustainable” has become more mainstream and its usage is in our everyday language, there is a greater need for meaning and understanding. I decided to embark on a quest of sorts, and ask, “What does sustainable seafood mean?” and “How can you support it?”

Knowing what sustainable seafood means will help you become more responsible and active about how you shop, fish, eat and prepare seafood for you and your families. This is an ongoing process as we’ll sea see in a minute.

The easiest way to get started on supporting sustainable seafood is to understand what it means.

It simply means being responsible. Educate yourself. Know what terms like, “Best Choice,” “Good Alternative,” “Avoid” mean. Think of these terms like the traffic light colors. Green means go, or “Best Choice,” yellow means caution or “Good Alternative,” and red means stop or “Avoid.” These lists change over time, meaning what’s on the “Avoid” list, could move to the “Best choice” list, as we’ve discovered earlier this year. Also, seafood species on these lists will change as fisheries management works to reduce bycatch and increase fish populations.

There are organizations dedicated to helping you make the right choices, (sea see the list below). The people that make up these groups hail from the best of the best. You can support these organizations by following their guidance. Several of them have Apps for iPhone and Android, which make shopping for sustainable seafood easier than ever.

Here are a few more tips.

  • Learn to ask the fish monger or the grocery store clerk where the product is from, and how was it caught. Two words to live by, “troll” and “pole.”
  • Eat small, whole fish or smaller species.
  • Eat seafood that is seasonal and local, when possible.
  • Learn about sustainable seafood one species at a time (my series on this blog), and share your knowledge with your family and friends.

Need more info? Here are a few resources to get you started:

The biggest change in the last two years from my perspective, is the awareness of what sustainable seafood means. Granted, the water is still murky on several issues and certainly there is more to uncover as we move forward.

By reading this post and exploring one or two of the organizations listed above to sea see their efforts on supporting sustainable seafood, you’re already on your way to becoming more responsible. After all, we only have one chance to get this right.

How do you support sustainable seafood?

(The views expressed here are sole responsibility of the author and only an opinion. Logo photographs courtesy of Monterey Bay Aquarium and Marine Stewardship Council. This post is not sponsored by any of the above mentioned organizations, product endorsement nor a promotional, paid post.)