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The species must be fit for consumption and offer a flesh content that allows for a certain degree of profitability.
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No population of the species shall have any status whatsoever, as per current COSEWIC designations.
COSEWIC is the assessment committee for endangered wildlife in Canada. Every year, it assesses and designates wildlife species in danger of disappearing from Canada. To meet this criterion, all populations of the species must be designated “Not at Risk” by COSEWIC. In other words, a species whose southern gulf population is designated “Not at Risk”, but whose estuary population has been deemed a “Species of Concern” does not qualify for the Smarter Seafood list.
At a minimum, the species must be able to regenerate fast enough to offset the volume of authorized catches. -
The species must be harvested using sustainable fishing gear, or a majority of catches must be made with such gear.
In our assessments, “sustainable fishing gear” refers to any device that generates little or very little habitat disturbance to seabeds such that fishing can be practised in these waters for years without resulting in habitat degradation. Trawls and traditional dredges do not meet sustainable fishing criteria, with the exception of the northern shrimp trawl, which has been modified to meet such norms. If the species is harvested using different types of gear, it may be deemed “Smarter Seafood” if the majority of catches are made using sustainable fishing gear.
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The level of commercialization is assessed according to a scale developed by Exploramer. Several statuses are used to characterize the degree of commercialization:
marketing status
1- Known, caught and eaten here and elsewhere
2- Little known, little fished, little eaten here
3- Unknown, fished, fully exported
4- Unknown, rejected, not consumed here
5- No commercial fishingFor a species to be considered “Smarter Seafood,” it must fall into categories 2, 3 or 4.
It should be noted that mariculture and aquaculture species are always considered Smarter Seafood. These species are found at the end of the Smarter Seafood list in the “Mariculture species” section.
What is the ecoguide?
Every year, in anticipation of the new fishing season, Smarter Seafood establishes a list of marine species that are edible, sufficiently plentiful in the St. Lawrence, sustainably harvested with regard to marine ecosystems, and with which consumers may not be overly familiar. These species represent an opportunity to diversify your consumption of seafood products and explore new flavours while supporting the conservation of biodiversity.
Consult the 2024 ecoguide
Methodology
To ensure the soundness of the Smarter Seafood certification, Exploramer has developed a simple, participatory, inclusive and effective methodology to compile its annual list of species that it seeks to promote.
Firstly, it is important to understand what the “Smarter Seafood” label actually stands for. For a species to be considered “Smarter Seafood,” it must fulfil 4 criteria. A species that fails to meet any of these criteria will be removed from the list, but will be re-assessed the following year.
The selection criteria are described below. ►
The Smarter Seafood list is reviewed every year according to this same methodology.
To establish the list of Smarter Seafood species, Exploramer first revalidates the stocks of edible species in the St. Lawrence.
Secondly, scientific and commercial data are gathered from content generated by various stakeholders within the scientific community and the fishing industry.
Subsequently, an initial selection is made by Exploramer by cross-matching data. This preliminary list is presented to a committee of social and scientific experts for commentary and critique. The Exploramer team is ultimately responsible for signing off on the final list.
