There was something unusual about the Sustainable Seafood Festival 2015 and every visitor began to understand it when attending the event held at Kuta Beach, June 13-14. In every corner of the event area, "Not an ordinary fish market" was displayed, implying something different from just another culinary event.

"The seafood presented here is environmentally friendly seafood, meaning that it is free from illegal fishing, caught with non-destructive fishing gear, and comes from small-scale fisheries," said WWF-Indonesia CEO DR Efransjah in his opening remarks. Also present in this activity were Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Udayana University Drh I Made Kardena MVs, Head of BPSPL Denpasar Ir Ikram M Sangadji, and Davina Veronica, an honorary supporter of WWF-Indonesia who is also one of the Ambassadors for the Buy the Good Campaign.

This "Not an Ordinary Fish Market" activity is the second time WWF-Indonesia held in the framework of World Ocean Day (World Ocean Day) which falls every June 8 and Coral Triangle Day (Coral Triangle Day) on June 9. In June 2014, WWF-Indonesia has organized the first Sustainable Seafood Festival 2014 titled "Bukan Pasar Ikan Biasa" at Nine Walk, Sektor 9 Bintaro, South Tangerang. In accordance with the theme, the concept of "Bukan Pasar Ikan Biasa" is unlike any other fish market, and is the first of its kind in Indonesia. In this activity, the public can directly find out more about environmentally friendly fisheries practices, buy quality seafood products and appreciate the fishermen and seafood cultivators who are members of JARING-Nusantara.

In addition to interacting directly with fishermen, visitors also participated in the Cell Phone Photo Clinic by the BaleBengong Community, various talkshows about environmentally friendly fisheries and choosing good seafood, and enjoyed music while eating seafood dishes cooked by Fish N' Blues and chefs from Novotel Benoa.

The Earth Hour community was also involved in spreading information on good seafood guidelines and representatives of PT Hatindo Makmur and PT Satu Enam Delapan Benoa, which are also Seafood Savers member companies, spoke about the seafood industry. The involvement of various sectors is aimed at changing the behavior of those who use or enjoy seafood to reduce pressure on fisheries that have reached or are close to reaching overfishing status.

Since 2011, WWF-Indonesia launched the "Choose Seafood Wisely" campaign, aimed at consumers so that they can still consume their favorite seafood without causing its population to decline. In 2015, Bukan Pasar Ikan Biasa became one of the series of the Responsible Seafood Campaign with the hashtag #BeliYangbaik to encourage all parties to make good choices of fishery products based on reliable information.

Seafood is one of the most popular food sources from the sea. Rich in protein and nutrients that are very important for health, seafood has become a favorite menu and a source of food security for people in Indonesia. However, the resources on this earth will not be able to fulfill human appetite if we are not wise and responsible in choosing what is served on our table.

In order to maintain the health benefits of seafood, we must understand the intricacies of selecting, processing, and how the fishery products are caught or farmed. Let us be consumers who realize the importance of obtaining complete information about fishery products in order to be more selective in choosing seafood. Let's #BuyTheGood

Author: Dwi Aryo Tjiptohandono - WWF-Indonesia Marine & Fisheries Campaign Coordinator