Campaign Urges Consumers to ‘Be Happy’ With Seafood Choices

Eight North American ocean conservation organizations have joined forces to roll out “Be Happy,” an online community for seafood-loving families to find out more about sustainable seafood.

The campaign’s applications enable Facebook users to pledge support for eco-friendly seafood while they upload fun pictures of friends and family making funny fish faces to vie for “Fish Face of the Week” honors. Fans can also get easy ideas for preparing seafood at home, ask questions of sustainable seafood experts and dive into fish trivia.

“We found that our partners all over North America had the same message -- your seafood choices matter and can make a positive difference in the world’s oceans,” said Kassia Perpich, sustainable seafood manager at the Chicago-based Shedd Aquarium. “Be Happy was an ideal opportunity to unite with fellow conservation leaders and share information with each other and families in a fun way.”

In addition to the Shedd Aquarium, collaborators on the project are Blue Ocean Institute, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.; David Suzuki Foundation, Vancouver, British Columbia; FishWise, Santa Cruz, Calif.; Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch, Monterey, Calif.; New England Aquarium, Boston; Vancouver Aquarium’s Ocean Wise in Canada; and SeaChoice, Vancouver.

“We want people to ‘Be Happy’ about their seafood choices,” noted Lana Gunnlaugson, national manager for SeaChoice. “Choosing ocean-friendly seafood is an easy way to ensure we have healthy oceans for generations to come. We’re hoping that people across North America will have fun trying new seafood, while finding creative ways to inspire their friends to make a difference, too.”