When it comes to environmentalism, people naturally pay more attention to their own living space – the solid earth. Our oceans have been relatively ignored by the general public’s environmental efforts until publications such as Science Magazine’s “The Future for Fisheries,” published in 2003 and National Geographic’s special, “Still Waters, the Global Fish Crisis,” published earlier this year.

These articles communicate a similar message: this planet-wide emergency must be countered with a global response. In order for fisheries to compete in today’s market they must ignore the quotas set by environmental policy makers – if they chose to uphold the quotas they would not be viable in a sea full of cheaters. However, it’s not fully the fisheries’ fault that the ocean is being depleted at an incredibly unsustainable rate; those who set regulations to foster sustainability separate the ocean into regions based on national and political boarders. This method is inherently fatal because the ocean itself is a fluent ecosystem, and its boarders cannot be determined by anthropogenic divisions.

Saving the world’s fish stock will take a unified effort between nations, policy makers, fishermen, and most of all, the consumers. This begs the question: How can we help?

Fortunately for us, the Monterey Bay Aquarium released a consumer’s guide on how to make environmentally healthy choices when it comes to eating seafood. The guide ranks specific fish based on the environmental impact of fishing or farming each type. Check out Monterey Aquarium’s Seafood Watch to start doing your part. And click here for tips on how to use the guide, whether in a restaurant or at a fish market. PS – did you know that October is National Seafood Month?

Photo Credit, top pic: Brian Skerry of National Geographic