Saving the sushi

Safe sushi guides available online

By Caroline Cummins

October 22, 2008

Yeah, we know you love sushi. We do, too. But of course, sushi can be problematic. Fish are overfished. Popular sushi fish like tuna are high in mercury. It’s gotten so that one sushi restaurant in Portland, Oregon, is overhauling its entire operation: Masu East will close its doors November 1 and reopen shortly afterwards as Bamboo Sushi, a “sustainable sushi” restaurant.

Which, given that the Monterey Bay Aquarium has decreed October 22-28 to be “Sustainable Sushi Week,” seems most timely. The aquarium, together with the Blue Ocean Institute and the Environmental Defense Fund, is encouraging sushi-lovers to download a sustainable-sushi pocket guide starting Wednesday, October 22, and celebrate sustainable fisheries by, yup, ordering only the guide-approved fish in your favorite local sushi joint.