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Jesse Kelly (left), Tammy Wilson (middle), and Ainsley Hill聽have created a website to highlight sustainable seafood choices.聽(Photo Nick Pearce)

At the Halifax restaurant The Wooden Monkey, you won鈥檛 find Atlantic halibut on the menu any longer.

The flatfish has been heavily fished over the past century, putting the status of stocks at a critical level. Caught by trawlers, their habitat along the continental shelf has been severely affected.

鈥淲e try to be very conscious of all the foods we bring in,鈥� says Matthew Gass, manager of The Wooden Monkey. 鈥淲hat did it take for this food to get on this plate? How is it produced? How is it prepared? How great a distance does it have to come? These are the kinds of questions we鈥檙e asking.鈥�

The Wooden Monkey is one of the restaurants highlighted on YourChoiceHalifax.ca, a new website aimed at promoting sustainable seafood choices in Halifax. The website was started by four Dalhousie marine biology students spurred to action after viewing The End of the Line, a documentary feature film exploring the impact of overfishing on the oceans. Dalhousie professor Boris Worm is one of the experts cited in the film.

鈥淏eing marine biology students, we were of course already aware of declining fish stocks,鈥� says Tammy Wilson.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not that it was new information,鈥� adds Jesse Kelly. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just that it鈥檚 presented so clearly. We just thought, 鈥榳e know all this so now we鈥檝e got to do something about it.鈥欌��

The End of the Line follows investigative reporter Charles Clover as he confronts politicians and celebrity restaurateurs, who exhibit little regard for the damage they鈥檙e doing to the oceans. In particular, the documentary examines the imminent extinction of bluefin tuna, brought by increasing world demand for sushi.

Raised on tuna sandwiches鈥攈er favorite鈥擜insley Hill no longer has the stomach for them. But it got her wondering, what fish can be eaten without having a twinge of conscience?

鈥淭hat鈥檚 the idea of the website鈥攚hat are some good choices?鈥� she asks.聽 鈥淗ow can we replace unsustainable choices, such as tuna, with sustainable choices鈥攆ish that鈥檚 being harvested sustainably?鈥�

The students鈥攖he fourth member of the group is Kandace O鈥橞rien鈥攕pent the summer canvassing restaurants and talking to the owners and chefs. Then, they reviewed the restaurants, highlighting sustainable seafood offerings.

On the students鈥� website, they highlight 鈥渂est choice鈥� menu items, such as the blackened haddock at Five Fishermen, Cape Breton rock crab cake at Tempest and Nova Scotia mussels from Indian Point at Press Gang. 鈥淲e did all the footwork to take the guesswork out of it,鈥� says Mr. Kelly. The students made their assessments using the seafood guide developed by SeaChoice. (See: )

Back at the Wooden Monkey, Matthew Gass applauds the students鈥� efforts. 鈥淩eally, until I started working here, I didn鈥檛 realize how ignorant I was. I think anything that helps consumers to become more aware is fantastic. Because that鈥檚 the thing: consumers can make a huge difference. They really affect what goes on the menu.鈥�

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