Seafood Watch is a program of the Monterey Bay Aquarium designed to raise consumer awareness about the importance of buying seafood from sustainable sources. We recommend which seafood to buy or avoid, helping consumers to become advocates for environmentally friendly seafood.  Since our program began we have distributed millions of paper pocket guides that outline which seafood is a best choice or a good alternative, and which seafood should be avoided. Our iPhone app is the next step, it allows users to always have the most up-todate information with them. Over time, we hope the app will allow us to reduce our paper use. We’d also like to have Blackberry, Windows Mobile and Android versions of the app to expand its reach.  

Currently we’re looking for ideas for the next iteration of the app, including new features and functionality, innovative data mashups and displays, and ways in which users can contribute data points and interact with one another.

In addition: Since its debut in 1999, the Seafood Watch program has grown to include six regional pocket guides, with three Spanish-language options, each featuring popular seafood found in different regions of the United States. The pocket guides are updated every six months to reflect ongoing research, ranking seafood into three categories, “Best Choices,” “Good Alternatives” or “Avoid”. 

In partnership with zoos, aquariums and other institutions across the U.S., the Monterey Bay Aquarium has put over 22 million Seafood Watch pocket guides in the hands of consumers; over nine million guides were included in the 2007 DVD release of the Academy Award-winning animated film Happy Feet. Tens of thousands of guides are printed each year from the website www.seafoodwatch.org. A mobile version of the pocket guide is also available for cell phones or other mobile devices with an Internet connection.

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