"Choosing the right fish is good for the sea and good for you."
If every person in France ate a species recommended by Mr. Goodfish just once a year,
20,000 tons of endangered species could be saved.
Since 2017 the Mr.Goodfish programme has also given recommendations for products originating from responsible aquaculture.
Launched in March 2010 in France by Nausicaá, in Italy by the Acquario di Genova and in Spain by the Aquarium Finisterrae, the Mr.Goodfish programme promotes public awareness on the sustainable consumption of seafood.
The programme mobilises all the players in the sector, from fishmongers, fish merchants, fishermen, processors, wholesalers, restaurants and school canteens to consumers.
By 2023, 204 restaurants and caterers, 123 fishmongers, 62 schools, 14 fishmongers, 4 processors, 7 boats, 2 distributors and 19 producers will have signed up to the programme.
Each season, Mr. Goodfish publishes a list of seafood products recommended by specialists in marine resources, thereby turning consumers into stakeholders.
The aim of this approach is to preserve fragile seafood stocks by consuming other stocks that are abundantly available.
Every 3 months, at each change of season, Mr.Goodfish and its committee of experts determine which species should be preferred for sustainable seafood consumption. There are recommendations for every coastal front.
Four scientific selection criteria are taken into account to select the species:
Since 2017, Mr.Goodfish has also offered a list of recommendations for farmed seafood.
Nausicaá has decided to offer local products at the Le Calypso restaurant and participates in the Mr.Goodfish programme.
Mr.Goodfish helps you choose fish that are not threatened with extinction, through awareness campaigns, as well as a website and a handy mobile application where you can find lists of fish that are recommended according to their origin for each season, as well as recipes to prepare them.
Each quarter, at the change of season, Mr.Goodfish presents a poster listing the species recommended for sustainable seafood consumption. Each seafront has its own recommendations.
Download the smartphone application! The opportunity to consult the recommendations and latest news from Mr.Goodfish.
You will find all the information you need to know about what fish to eat and where to find them.
To help you cook delicious seasonal dishes, Mr.Goodfish publishes a book of recipes for each month of the year, written by chefs and other experts.
This booklet was financed by a donation from the Nausicaá Endowment Fund.
Mr. Goodfish, a committed industry.
Dominique Godefroy, Director of Ifremer (French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea) English Channel / North Sea: "Ifremer plays an upstream role in the acquisition of data on a European level concerning both the state of stocks and the general state of the marine environment. They allow Mr. Goodfish to help and guide both restaurant owners and consumers on the right way to consume seafood. In figures, this amounts to monitoring 200 species and for Ifremer, this means 25 campaigns per year. Even today, about 26% of species are overfished and that is why Mr. Goodfish contributes to marketing fish that are sustainably exploited rather than fish that are endangered by overfishing or overexploitation."
Eric Guygniec, Head of fishing company APAK in Lorient: "Mr. Goodfish fits somewhat with our way of seeing things. That is, there was a time when people would fish for the sake of fishing. Today, we fish with regard to a resource, an environment and a market. The philosophy is that we take care of the resource, we just take the interest and we don't touch the capital. When we target a species, we have three important points: the resource must be there, and we must have the quotas and the markets. If these three points are not fulfilled, we will not pursue this specific species. Mr. Goodfish promotes fish that is affordable, very good and in season."
Aymeric Chrzan, General Secretary of the Mareyage Boulonnais trade union in Boulogne-sur-mer: "For some years now, the fish market has been identifying the species, the products are Mr. Goodfish. Consumption is directed towards products that are resource friendly and consumers are also encouraged to diversify their consumption. We are also on lists that enable us to discover species that consumers are not very familiar with. We are in Boulogne, one of the largest fishing ports for squid, cuttlefish and whitefish, … In France, these species are not well known and are not widely consumed."
Valentine Courageux, Fishmonger, Le MINCK in Grand-Fort-Philippe: "It was an obvious choice for us to join this programme. Our role is to be able to give customers advice on seasonal products, to give them ideas for products that they don't usually eat, to give them ideas for recipes and to teach people about what fish is in season. There are people who have their own consumption habits and there are certainly a lot of products that are not well known. However, once people have been invited to taste the fish, they find it delicious and they will take it again. This involves everyone and this is what is important. I think it is a great advantage to participate in this kind of programme."
Henri Hellin, Production manager at Gloria Maris sea farms in France: "Aquaculture and fishing will be two complementary trades in the marketplace. We are sea farmers. Our goal is not to produce at low cost, at whatever price, no matter what, but to have very high-quality products. This requires a completely different philosophy of approach. This means that all the parameters on which we have a potential to act must be taken into consideration to optimise all the impacts. Mr. Goodfish is all about respecting the environment in the broad sense of the term, which I consider to be very noble. And we feel that we are directly implicated, both by our actions and by the impact of the environment on our activity. When we found out that there was a process to identify the criteria that make aquaculture virtuous, we were very keen to be a part of this process, to work together with them and move in this direction.
Gaël Orieux, Chef of the Restaurant AUGUSTE - Paris: "The reason I joined this programme was mainly because I had noticed that from 2007 onwards, there were shortages of certain well-known fish species, such as sea bass and turbot. There were also many issues related to tuna and anchovies. My reasoning was: what can I showcase so that other species can breed in peace during this time? So, I looked for what I could cook and serve on my plates. It also made me change my menu significantly, because there were species that I hadn't necessarily heard of. As far as I'm concerned, fishing is a bit like harvesting, you have to take what is abundant at particular seasons."
Find all our partners at www.mrgoodfish.com and on the Mr.Goodfish application.