As the party season approaches, Dorset Wildlife Trust is urging people to make sealife-friendly choices when they book their festive meals. Christmas diners and retailers can help bring back a healthy and productive marine environment by choosing locally caught seafood, sourced responsibly and using environmentally sensitive fishing practices, according to DWT’s Living Seas team. Their Great Dorset Seafood campaign is already being taken up by restaurants and shops from Lyme Regis to Christchurch, all pledging to use high quality, low impact seafood harvested responsibly from Dorset’s coastal waters.

Emma Rance, Dorset Wildlife Trust’s marine conservation officer, said: “Many Christmas menus include the more exotic and vulnerable seafood species. “With tuna and swordfish, it’s difficult to be certain whether they have been caught overseas in regulated fisheries or by pirates.

“Other issues include bycatch, where endangered species of turtles, sharks and dolphins are caught accidentally upon long lines and drift nets.

“Nearer home, other species such as halibut or skate are also vulnerable to commercial fishing as they are slow to mature.”

Conscientious sourcing of seafood involves an understanding of fishing techniques, biology and environmental impact. The Great Dorset Seafood campaign endorses provenance and regulated fisheries by recommending seafood that is fresh and locally caught, using more selective capture methods.

Visit www.greatdorsetsea food.org.uk for information.

You can also follow Great Dorset Seafood on Twitter @GtDorsetSeafood.