Click here to download the Know your Seafood? booklet in pdf format.	Click here to download the Consumer's Seafood pocket guide.

:: Consumer’s Seafood Species List
A species list has been compiled to help you make choices that are better for the environment, when buying seafood or dining out. This list will inform you about the conservation status of popular fish species and allow you to consider your seafood choices from an ecological perspective. In South Africa all living resources in the marine environment are managed according to the Marine Living Resources Act (Act 18 of 1998) and its amendments. This Act (or the MLRA) determines how, and by whom, different species may be utilised. Regulations are based on the most recent fisheries research.

:: How does the list work?
Species, or in some cases groups of similar species have been placed into different colour categories. Each colour has a different meaning:

:: GREEN
These are species that are from relatively healthy and well-managed populations that can sustain current fishing pressure. Some green species are not targeted by any particular fishery, but are managed as a sustainable bycatch. These species are recommended as the most sustainable choices available.

::ORANGE
These species may be legally sold by registered commercial fishers and retailers. However, an increased demand for these could compromise a sustainable supply, due to one or more of the following reasons:

• The species may presently be rare because they are overfished.
  
• The fishery that catches them may damage the environment through the method used and/or high bycatch.
  
• The biology of the species makes it vulnerable to overfishing, or it may not have been adequately studied, but it is suspected that it will be unable to sustain heavy fishing pressure based on information for related species.
  
• Consumers are encouraged to consider the implications of these choices.
  

:: RED
These species are illegal to buy or sell in South, Africa according to the Marine Living Resources Act. Some of these “no-sale” species are very important recreational species that cannot handle commercial fishing pressures, and may therefore only be caught for your own enjoyment and use, subject to the possession of a valid recreational fishing permit and other restrictions that may apply (such as daily bag limits, closed seasons and minimum sizes).

Click here for the SASSI Seafood Database.