A guide to sustainable fish eating

In this week's edition of Tuesday Tips, we are bringing you a guide on being more sustainable during Chinese New Year with the specific focus on fish consumption. Here's why:

It is without a doubt that our oceans are overexploited. If we continue to fish at the current rate that we are, experts claim that our oceans will be emptied out by 2048. This impact has a devastating repercussion to our planet's health. Our oceans and the life that they sustain are critical to maintaining a balance in our earth's ecosystems. It has therefore brought to our attention that we need to be more aware of our seafood consumption behaviour.

During Chinese New Year, certain dishes are eaten for their symbolic meaning. The auspicious symbolism of these traditional CNY foods stems from their pronunciations or appearance. Such lucky food is especially served on the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner as it is believed to welcome in good luck for the coming year.

Fish (鱼 Yú) — a symbol of prosperity

Fish is probably one of the most traditional dish served on Chinese New Year due to its meaning. The pronunciation of fish (yú) sounds like ‘surplus'. This dish represents having a surplus at the end of the year which is believed to ring in more abundance and prosperity for the new year. Additionally, eating the fish as a whole is crucial. The entirety of the fish symbolises the carry-through of something from beginning to end and signifies a successful completion of the year. So it is very important to cook the whole fish without cutting/chopping it.

With food surplus being what we aim to tackle, we can't help but appreciate the irony between the symbol of fish and our philosophy at CHOMP. And this ties in with why we bring you a guide to sustainable fish eating during the Lunar New Year. With fish being a traditional dish to serve, let's have a look at how we can consume it more sustainably.

Sustainable Seafood List

We have compiled a list of the "First Choice” seafood that should be prioritised when selecting your ingredients for your CNY meal. When purchasing your seafood, make sure to ask the vendor where the product is from and their fishing/farming method. If the supermarket lacks the information, perhaps shop at an alternative store where transparency can be provided. The World Wide Fund HK has classified seafood species into 3 categories: “Green – First Choice”, “Yellow – Second Choice” and “Red – Avoid” to allow for informed decision making. Click on this link to view the full list.

We hope this article has provided a helpful guideline to prepare you and your family for your CNY celebrations (and even day to day food consumption).

Special credits to WWF HK for collating the information on sustainable seafood in Hong Kong.