Tonight, and for the next 60 nights, diners in Vancouver, Canada will step aboard the Plastic Dining Room for a special dinner featuring 100% sustainable seafood.

The Plastic Dining Room is a raft made of pinewood and 1,700 plastic bottles complete with an oval table with room for 12 guests.

The concept is the brainchild of local chef, Robert Clark, who has long touted the gastronomical and ecological benefits of low level feeders like abalone and geoduck.

The operation is a fundraiser for the Vancouver-based School of Fish Foundation, which is dedicated to persuading culinary schools throughout the world to include a comprehensive sustainable seafood course as a requirement prior to graduation.

If you are going to be in Vancouver over the next 2 months and want to get on board (quite literally) visit the School of Fish Foundation website and book yourself a seat!

Albacore tuna are found in temperate oceans worldwide. They are one of the smaller and faster growing tunas, weighing between 20-40 pounds at full size. As you can see, albacore are characterized by a dark blue hue on top with a lighter shiny underside.

The albacore pictured, is being caught using a catch method known as “trolling” which is highly selective and results in minimal bycatch. Troll caught U.S. & Canadian North Pacific Albacore have been ranked as green “Best Choice” by the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Albacore tuna is not only healthy for the oceans; it is also healthy for you as it is typically low in mercury.

Most albacore is sold as the higher value “chunk white” canned tuna however more recently, Albacore has begun to appear on menus where less sustainable tuna like bluefin and yellowfin were once featured. This shows a commitment and desire for change on the part of foodservice operators AND customers, something FishWise always applauds!

For green ranked albacore products, see our producer partners Wild Planet and American Tuna.

DNA testing was conducted on 240 random seafood samples and has shown the MSC traceability scheme to be functional.  None of the products tested were mislabeled and DNA testing has been established as a useful tool for combating eco-label fraud.  The MSC plans to expand the DNA testing program later this year.

Testing was conducted on Alaskan salmon, Alaskan Pollock and South Georgian Patagonian toothfish (aka Chilean seabass).  A team of scientists took samples from MSC-labeled products sold in the USA, the UK, Germany and Japan and compared their DNA profiles with those of previously taken reference samples.  All proved to be the species declared on the pack, providing assurance that only MSC-certified seafood is used in the final, packaged product.

MSC supply chain manager, Evi Mateboer, said:  “Traceability is a very hot topic in the seafood industry: mislabeling is a recognized problem and undermines confidence in the supply chain.  These tests confirm MSC chain of custody as a valid tool in ensuring only MSC certified fish is labeled as such.”

“…DNA analysis provides a positive identification of species, but it won’t, by itself, tell us that the product originates from a certified fishery. In combination with the rigorous traceability requirements demanded by our Chain of Custody standard, such testing gives consumers and stakeholders extra assurance that the product they are buying is correctly labeled.”

MSC chief executive, Rupert Howes, said:  “DNA testing helps build public confidence in product sourcing and labeling claims.  Traceability is an essential business requirement and the MSC will continue to develop systems that help protect our partners’ investment, markets and reputation.”

The next stage of the DNA testing program will assess more products containing salmon, pollock and Patagonian toothfish, and develop tests for four more fish species: Pacific cod, hake, hoki and herring.

For more information read the full article here.

Some of you may have used the FishPhone service before; an initiative of FishWise NGO Partner the Blue Ocean Institute . The original service was text message based where consumers could send the name of the fish, plus the word FISH to 30644 to receive relevant sustainability information.

As of last week, you can go to the iPhone app store and download the FishPhone iPhone app which builds on the basic sustainability information of a range of different fish and now includes flavor profiles, wine pairings and recipes from renowned chef Barton Seaver.

With the FishPhone, Seafood Watch and Alaska Seafood Marketing Institution applications, receiving up to date sustainability information on the go has never been easier!