More and more people are considering seafood as a healthy and alternative natural protein source. Spurred on by the globalisation of markets and by the trend setters in the culinary world, seafood has become the most traded commodity in the world. It has exploded onto restaurant menus and retail store shelves.
But less widely known are the conservation issues surrounding seafood species. Many of our seafood species are harvested at unsustainable rates, and in many cases the activity of fishing may cause unacceptable damage to the oceans ecosystem with potential for serious long-term effects. To stop unsustainable fishing, WWF and SASSI have made up a species list that will help you make better consumer conscious choices when shopping for your favourite seafood.
Green
These are the most sustainable choices from the healthiest and most well managed fish populations. These species can handle the current fishing pressure.
Anchovy
Angelfish (Atlantic pomfret)
Bluefish (bluenose)
Blueskin (trawl soldier)
Blue hottentot
Butterfish
Chub mackerel (makriel)
Dorado (dolphinfish; mahi-mahi)
Gurnard
Hake (stockfish)
Harder (mullet) – not from estuaries
Horse mackerel (maasbanker)
Hottentot
Jacopever
John Dory
Monkfish
Mussels
Octopus
Oysters
Panga
Queen mackerel (Natal snoek)
Sand soldier (red tjor-tjor)
Santer (soldier)
Sardine (Pilchard)
Snoek
South coast rock lobster
Squid (calamari; tjokka)
Steentjie
Tuna- not bluefin; pole caught is better
West coast rock lobster (west coast crayfish)
White stumpnose
Yellowtail
Orange
Exercise caution when choosing these as they are reasons for concern.
Abalone- not farmed
Bluefin tuna
Carpenter (silverfish; silver)
Dageraad
Elf (shad) – no sale in KZN
Englishman
Geelbek (Cape salmon)
King mackerel (couta;cuda)
King soldierbream
Kingklip
Kob (kabeljou; dusky, silver and squaretail kobs)
Langoustines- local trawled
Marlins
Poenskop (black musselcracker)
Prawns- local trawled
Red steenbras (copper steenbras)
Red stumpnose (Miss Lucy)
Rockcods – all except potato and brindle bass
Roman (red roman)
Scotsman
Sharks – all except those on red list
Skates and rays
Slingers
Snappers – all except river snapper
Sole- local
Swordfish
Red
These species are illegal to buy or sell in South Africa.
Baardman (bellman; tasslefish)
Banded galjoen
Blacktail (dassie; kolstert)
Brindle bass
Bronze bream
Cape stumpnose
East coast rock lobster
Galjoen
Garrick (leervis)
John Brown (Janbruin)
Kingfishes
Knife jaw, Cape and Natal (cuckoo bass; kraaibek)
Large-spot pompano (moony; wave garrick)
Natal stumpnose (yellow bream)
Natal wrasse
Potato bass
Ragged tooth shark
River bream (perch)
River snapper (rock salmon)
Sawfishes
Seventy-four
Southern pompano
Spotted grunter (tiger)
Spotted gulley shark
Springer (ten pounder)
Stonebream
Striped cat shark (Pyjama shark)
West coast steenbras
White musselcracker (brusher; cracker)
White steenbras (pignose grunter)
Zebra (wildeperd)
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