The Ghent University Sustainable Seafood Project and the role of educational institutions in raising awareness about sustainable seafood

Worldwide, capture fisheries are under threat. Overfishing and global change have resulted in a decline of fish stocks, unselective fishing results in unwanted bycatch and destructive fishing gears severely impact marine habitats. Strong governmental top-down control is required to rebuild fish stocks to ensure profitable and sustainable fisheries in the long term. Another way to bring about change is through market-based initiatives which aim to shift purchasing decisions towards sustainable ones by increasing awareness among consumers or businesses (Jacquet et al. 2009). The rationale behind this is that consumers ultimately determine the market, and thus which fish is caught. In the Ghent University Sustainable Seafood Project we investigated the ecological sustainability of current seafood purchasing at Ghent University and proposed a sustainable buying strategy for the future. We also reached out to students and staff by organizing a sustainable seafood week (7-11 May 2012).