Numerology: Sustaining our fisheries

70%That’s the share of products carried by Richmond’s Albion Fisheries that are certified sustainable–up from 26 per cent in 2010. Albion was the first major supplier to sign up to the Vancouver Aquarium’s Ocean Wise sustainability assessment program, which has grown from 16 partners when it launched 11 years ago to 700 today, including restaurants, retail chains and distributors across Canada.The Aquarium will showcase the program–and its new executive chef, conservation advocate Ned Bell–as Vancouver hosts the International Aquarium Congress from September 25 to 30. Program manager Anne-Marie Copping says aquariums have a role to play in supporting sustainable fisheries. “This is about Canadian chefs, small-scale businesses, First Nations fisheries like arctic char and gooseneck barnacles,” she says. “They don’t hit the radar for larger American ratings programs, but they really affect communities.”