Ocean Wise and the story of saving future
Recently, we have usually heard about the word ‘sustainable’.
Most of the time, sustainable comes up, such as clothes and electricity, though, actually, it is a very important keyword for the world of food. Especially for Sushi, which uses seafood a lot, the influence on the environment is terribly large.
That’s why the number of words “Ocean Wise sushi” in the restaurant is increasing these days, even in Vancouver. In addition to that, our Iroha Sushi truly understands and sympathises with this idea, so we decided to think it is important to create sustainable sushi.
However, some people will say, “What’s the difference between sustainable sushi and normal sushi?”, “Is that tasty?”.
For their sake, in the article, I’m going to kindly introduce how to choose delicious and eco-friendly sushi.
What is Ocean Wise?
Ocean Wise is a sign born in Vancouver for saving seafood for sushi
Ocean Wise is the program that Vancouver started for saving the sea. The purpose of the program is very simple.**making the future sea clean in order to enable fish to live well.
Nowadays, some people say that we can not use fish for sushi anymore in the future because most people catch fish too much and dirty the seas in the world.
That’s why Ocean Wise thinks like that :
・Not to overfish so that the number of fish can keep increasing
・Try to catch fish in a kind way or other creatures in the sea.
・Not forced to catch a lot, and use well-cultured fish.
Only fish which has the special sign meaning Ocean Wise recommended. In short, in the restaurant using this sign, not only are the meals delicious, but they also care about the health of our seas.
Take an example, if you have a salmon nigiri at one sushi restaurant and the salmon with the Ocean Wise sign, it means that the salmon is very eco-friendly.
In brief, having one sushi contributes to the sea being preserved.
What's the difference between NORMAL Sushi and SUSTAINABLE Sushi?
Apparently, sustainable sushi looks almost the same as normal sushi. Even though their backgrounds them are totally different.
Sustainable sushi has many exclusive seasonal ingredients, and not only specialty but also delicious. When we compare the general sushi and sustainable sushi, there are many differences from some perspectives.
When it comes to the origin of the fish, mostly fish that are sent from all over the world are used, but on the flip side, basically only fish that are caught in the local west side of Canada are used for sustainable sushi. Choosing local ingredients can decrease the environmental strain from shipment.
Next, we’re going to focus on the way to fish.
For the fish used in normal sushi, there is an overfishing risk depending on the case. On the other hand, for sustainable sushi, they choose fish that are caught in an eco-friendly way. For example, the number of some specific kinds of fish is constrained so that we can keep the number stable, or safer equipment is used so as not to hurt other creatures.
Also, there is one more big difference — the connection with the season.
Usually, many sushi restaurants serve the same toppings all year.
But for sustainable sushi, it’s really important to serve “seasonal fish,” which is best at that time.
You can say it’s a food culture that respects the rhythm of nature.
And at the end, we also need to think about the future of fish.
For regular sushi, popular fish might disappear someday in the future because of too much fishing.
But in sustainable sushi, they take care of resources well so the next generation can also enjoy tasty fish.
As you can see, sustainable sushi is not only “just delicious” — but it’s also a kind choice for our environment and future food safety.
Why Iroha cares about sustainable sushi
At Iroha, we’ve always cared about “the background of ingredients” since we started.
No matter how good it looks, we don’t want to use fish that were caught in a harmful way for the ocean or the environment.
That’s why we do these things:
- We use fresh salmon and scallops from BC as much as we can (fresh and less pressure for transport)
- We only choose fish with the Ocean Wise mark (safe, trusted, and good for the future)
- We don’t use fish if their population is getting low (we think life is more important than just taste)
For example, if one fish we always use gets removed from the Ocean Wise list, we sometimes decide to take it off our menu.
It’s not easy.
But we really wanna keep serving sushi that we can be proud of, now and in the future.
So we choose “future fish” instead of “now profit”.
What can customers do when having sushi?
You might think, “Sustainable sushi sounds good… but what can I do?”
Don’t worry — you can do small and simple things:
- Ask the staff, “Do you have Ocean Wise sushi?”
- Choose fish in the menu that says “BC” or “Today’s special.”
- Not only check the price, but also ask yourself, “Where did this fish come from?”
Just doing this can already help protect the ocean.
Your choice has power.
One sushi can protect the future
If you search “sushi restaurants near me” on Google, you’ll see so many options.
But actually, what you choose and what you eat can change the future of the ocean.
At Iroha, we don’t just want to make delicious sushi.
We want to make sushi that we’re truly proud of.
Each piece shows Japanese tradition, the chef’s skill, respect for nature, and the strong wish to keep fish for the future.
One sushi, one future
Next time you eat sushi, just think a bit like,
“Is this sushi also kind for the future?”
Maybe that one bite is like a letter of care from you to the sea.
And maybe, it’s the first step to protect the ocean 10 or 20 years later.
We at Iroha support your kind choice.
Iroha Suhsi
Originally established in 1924 in Tokyo by Taro Iroha.
And then, his decsendants inherit it. In 2024, for their 100 year aniversary, they decided to open their brunch in Vancouver so that people living abroad can have authentic sushi.
And then, his decsendants inherit it. In 2024, for their 100 year aniversary, they decided to open their brunch in Vancouver so that people living abroad can have authentic sushi.
Iroha Suhsi
Originally established in 1924 in Tokyo by Taro Iroha.
And then, his decsendants inherit it.
In 2024, for their 100 year aniversary, they decided to open their brunch in Vancouver so that people living abroad can have authentic sushi.