How to Be a Conscious Eater

caught my attention in the months afterward, as did “Thai

seafood: Are the prawns on your plate still fished by slaves?”

years later. Well into 2018, journalists and NGOs continued

to unearth more disturbing details while keeping tabs on

the issue. Tragically, as The Guardian reported in 2018, despite

pledges from the Thai government to clamp down, many of

the problems have persisted—from migrant workers sold like

goods and subjected to unfathomable working conditions to

physical abuse and the injustice of not being paid at all.

In 2014, Barack Obama established the Presidential Task

Force on Combating IUU Fishing and Seafood Fraud. Visit

iuufishing.noaa.gov to see how the action plan is unfolding.

WHAT CAN YOU DO? ABOVE ALL, INSIST ON

T R AC E A B I L I T Y.

There are several ways to make sure what you’re buying can

be traced to legitimate fisheries whose practices have been

verified.

The Marine Stewardship Council blue eco-label that applies

to sustainability standards also verifies the specific fish-

ery where fish and seafood are sourced, and therefore that

they’re worthy of certification. But remember, this is for

wild-caught fish and seafood only.

For farmed products, the Aquaculture Stewardship Council’s

label is a good way to verify strict standards for not only

sustainability but also social responsibility and traceability.

With Seafood Watch already having established itself as

the go-to guide for sustainable seafood, used by millions

of people each year, it was fitting—and much needed—

that the Monterey Bay Aquarium helped launch a database

called the Seafood Slavery Risk Tool. (You can find it at

seafoodslaveryrisk.org.) Although this feature is primarily

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