Leading restaurants celebrate World Oceans Day

The Environmental Justice Foundation’s (EJF) Save the Sea Restaurant Campaign is now in full swing, with 54 restaurants raising awareness and funds throughout the month of June to spread the word about sustainability and traceability in seafood supply chains, and to celebrate World Oceans Day.

Over the past two years, 43 restaurants with 32 Michelin stars between them, have raised £20,000 for EJF’s Oceans Campaign, and this year’s Save the Sea Restaurant Campaign is already supported by a staggering 54 restaurants, including culinary greats Martin Wishart, Shaun Rankin and Andy Waters.

For the month of June, participating restaurants are promoting sustainable seafood and raising awareness of the need to protect marine biodiversity, as well as demonstrating how sustainable sourcing and consumer choices can help protect oceans and keep seafood on our menus in the long-term.

Andy Waters says that “EJF’s Save the Sea campaign is a fantastic cause that I am proud to be supporting in my restaurants”, which highlights “the importance of responsibly sourced fish, whilst raising funds to support EJF’s vital work”.

Restaurants are adding an opt-out £1 donation onto every bill or offering a sustainable seafood dish with a £1 donation included in the menu price. 100% of funds raised will directly support EJF’s Oceans Campaign in West Africa, which empowers coastal communities to combat illegal fishing and to protect their fish stocks and marine environments. By protecting the diverse and rich waters of West Africa, EJF aims to ensure the livelihoods and food security of coastal communities who depend greatly on the fish as a source of protein.

London’s Feng Sushi restaurants, who are donating £1 from every Shellfish Cerviche dish, say they are “incredibly excited to be a part of the Save the Sea Restaurant Campaign!” and that “it’s a great way to generate awareness and raise funding to ensure the important work can be done to protect marine life.”

Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) or ‘pirate’ fishing has been identified as one of the most serious threats to the world’s fisheries. EJF’s work has resulted in prosecutions, fines and the eradication of illegal fishing vessels from areas reserved for artisanal fishers in Sierra Leone. This initiative for World Oceans Day aims to highlight how UK restaurants and can make a huge difference closer to home by sourcing and choosing sustainable caught fish caught using environmentally friendly methods.

A consistent supporter of the campaign, Martin Wishart, says that “by supporting this campaign in my restaurants, we can help to educate the public on this pressing worldwide issue. Diners’ contributions are so greatly appreciated. I strongly believe this cause will help to minimise further devastation in our seas”.

The campaign has also reached the shores of Australia, with British chef Tom Kime’s Fish & Co. café in Sydney donating three dishes from their menu. Tom Kime says that “Being sustainable is about everyday seafood choices”, and that we “must all choose ethically caught fish from sustainable sources to help Save Our Seas for all our futures”.

EJF’s Oceans Campaign aims to eradicate ‘pirate’ fishing. EJF is working to create full transparency and traceability within seafood supply chains and markets and to actively promote improvements to policy-making, corporate governance and management of fisheries along with consumer activism and market-driven solutions.

We’re delighted to have such great support from so many restaurants, and what other better time to celebrate sustainable seafood than for World Oceans Day!

You can see a list of all the participating restaurants you can visit to celebrate World Oceans Day 2014: http://www.ejfoundation.org/savethesea