The world’s seafood supply is at risk. At the Aquarium, we’re working to change that by shaping the seafood industry from the ground up.
If you care about the ocean but also love seafood, it can be hard to know how to make ocean-friendly choices. Our Seafood Watch program rates seafood caught or farmed around the globe based on scientific criteria of environmental sustainability. People and business owners can use our recommendations and our consumer guides to find seafood that is sustainably produced.
Over the past quarter century, Seafood Watch has grown from advising consumers to working directly with businesses and governments around the world — increasing both the market demand for, and a reliable supply of, sustainable seafood.
Seafood Watch is working around the globe to transform how seafood is produced. Our team works with all levels of the supply chain — from small-scale farmers to large-scale producers, governments and seafood buyers — to create customized paths to sustainability, each one tailored to the industry and region.
The Aquarium stands up for sustainably managed fisheries in the United States and abroad. Our experts have addressed leaders from the U.S. Congress to the United Nations on the importance of sustainable fishing and science-based management.
Our Blue Ribbon Task Force, a group of prominent chefs and culinary leaders, knows that strong fishery and aquaculture management is key to ensuring a stable, long-term supply of seafood. We help these chefs introduce their diners to sustainable seafood options — and encourage them to speak up for sustainable seafood: in the press, on their social media platforms, and even in the halls of Congress.
The Pacific bluefin tuna population struggled for decades, nose-diving by over 98 percent since the onset of industrial fishing. Now, thanks in part to the work of our science, policy, and sustainable seafood teams, this remarkable ocean traveler is on the road to recovery.
Pacific bluefin tuna migrate across ocean basins, which can make them difficult to protect. By tagging and tracking Pacific bluefin, our science team has learned where and when — and even why — they migrate, spawn, and feed. Tagging also alerts us to potential challenges, such as where the tuna are susceptible to fishing fleets.
Our policy team brings this scientific knowledge to key forums that decide how to manage this vulnerable species. These efforts paid off in 2017 when Pacific fishing nations made a landmark agreement aimed at recovering the Pacific bluefin tuna population to a sustainable level, starting with a commitment to rebuild the population to 20 percent of historic levels by 2034. This is the minimum level scientists consider necessary to protect many fish species. According to the latest international assessment, Pacific bluefin tuna stocks now exceed this, meeting the target a decade ahead of schedule.
In 2024, Pacific bluefin tuna fisheries in the Eastern Pacific region earned a yellow rating for environmental sustainability from the Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program. This is a first since the program began conducting assessments 25 years ago. Pacific bluefin tuna’s recovery is something to be celebrated, but there’s still work to do.
To prevent this iconic fishery from backsliding, Pacific nations must adopt a new population target and a long-term and precautionary management plan that carefully monitors population levels and adjusts catch limits as needed.
We’re committed to working with countries, markets, and other stakeholders to secure a long-term management plan that will ensure the Pacific bluefin tuna population not only survives, but thrives.
While our recommendations focus on environmental sustainability, we know that truly sustainable seafood comes from fisheries and aquaculture operations that provide decent working conditions and respect human rights.
We developed the Seafood Social Risk Tool to help businesses take the first steps in identifying and managing the risk of human rights abuses in their seafood supply chains. The tool identifies areas in seafood supply chains around the world that are at higher risk of involving forced labor, human trafficking, and hazardous child labor. This allows businesses to focus their efforts on improving human rights and labor conditions.
To explore ways to promote a human rights-based approach to sustainable seafood, we launched a Social Sustainability Advisory Group. This group of academic researchers, human rights professionals, seafood social equity professionals, economists, and others provides valuable guidance and expertise as we work to transform how seafood is fished and farmed so that people and the planet can thrive.
Our Seafood Watch program initially sprang from an exhibition that opened here at the aquarium in March 1997, called “Fishing for Solutions: What’s the Catch?” Along with the exhibit, we placed tent cards on our café tables describing the steps we’d taken to remove unsustainable seafood from our menu, and we noticed that these cards were disappearing with regularity! Visitors reached out to ask if we could suggest environmentally responsible seafood options. We happily obliged.
Less than 18 months later, the exhibition spawned the Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program. Today, the onsite experience at the Aquarium continues to spread the word about Seafood Watch in exhibit features like the “Real Cost Cafe," personalized interactions with staff and volunteers, and daily public programs like the Open Sea Feeding.
Our cafe serves only ocean-friendly seafood. All of our seafood selections are Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Best Choices or Good Alternatives.
Check out how the Aquarium is transforming the seafood industry.
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The Quinault Indian Nation's northern razor clam fishery is rated green for environmental sustainability by Seafood Watch thanks to a strong management plan rooted in both traditional knowledge and modern science.
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The Aquarium’s 30-plus years of work has been central to this success story.
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October is National Seafood Month. This year, three great chefs prepare delicious, environmentally sustainable seafood dishes in our Cooking for Solutions video series.
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Seafood Watch rates farmed clams around the world as a Best Choice. Monterey Bay Aquarium Executive Chef Matthew Beaudin gives his best tips for how to purchase and prepare clams.
