The island’s “forgotten seafood” is going to get a blitz promotion through a new campaign that hopes to get consumers to make more sustainable choices when buying fish.

“We don’t want to tell people what not to eat. I think they’ve already heard that. Instead, we want to tell people, ‘why not try something new, authentic, and sustainable’,” John Daniel Farrugia (also known as JD), who heads green fishing coalition Fish4tomorrow, said when contacted.

The lobby’s campaign, which is being rolled out tonight, is aimed at promoting some three dozen fish varieties, which are often overlooked on fishmongers’ displays.

We don’t want to tell people what not to eat. I think they’ve already heard that

These are types of fish, including horse mackerel (sawrell) and painted comber (burqax), which Mr Farrugia said had fallen out of favour due to shifts in culinary fashion.

Changes in the model of fish supply had also put other, less sustainable options, such as tuna and salmon, on top of the menu, Mr Farrugia believes.

The reality, however, is that the lesser-known seafood options were once a major part of the Maltese diet and as Mr Farrugia said: “There’s no reason not to incorporate them back into our diet.”

In the hope of encouraging curious diners to try the sustainable options, the lobby is today releasing its first miniature guide to 45 different fish, pinning down those that are farmed and imported against those which are caught using traditional line methods.

“There are fish which the booklet says you can eat freely. There are others, such as dentex, which we are saying you should eat less frequently. This is more about realising that there are alternatives to the usual fish most people buy,” Mr Farrugia said, adding that the guide was in English and Maltese to help decipher those tricky restaurant fish displays.

The credit card sized booklet is a follow-up to the lobby’s first campaign back in 2012, which had featured a report on local fishing habits and a short film about the impacts of unsustainable fishing on the island.

Titled 25 Nautical Miles, the short documentary was entered into a number of film festivals and told the stoic tale of a traditional line fisherman who had seen dwindling catches due to reckless trawling. It also spoke to divers, restaurateurs and other stakeholders who have witnessed the “clearing out of the Mediterranean seabed”.

“People watched the film and asked which fish they could eat, so we thought we’d better tell them,” Mr Farrugia said.

The lobby is also keen on helping out those who want to cook the fish themselves.

To spark off ideas, the group will be offering a selection of sustainable fish meals at next week’s Science in the City festival, which will be available at Streat Whisky Bar and Bistro on Strait Street, Valletta.

For more information on sustainable fishing and ways to incorporate them in your diet, visit www.fish4tomorrow.com.

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