In French, the “poisson d’avril” is the equivalent to a fish-themed April Fool’s Day.
But this April 1, the catch of the day at Stars’n’Bars is no joke, as they sign the “Mr Goodfish” charter, joining forces with the Prince Albert II Foundation to promote the responsible consumption of seafood.
The goal of the Mr Goodfish initiative, created in 2010, is to offer an alternative to consumers by encouraging them to try new species selected from a list established by the Mr Goodfish campaign.
The Mr Goodfish charter is a very serious commitment, according to Stars’n’Bars co-founder Didier Rubiolo, “Too many fish species are currently overfished and threatened with extinction while there are actually lots of other types of sustainable fish that are not widely known but are abundant and very delicious.”
In signing the Mr GoodFish charter, Stars’n’Bars has pledged to tailor its fish purchasing requirements and menus, and to showcase its commitment to sustainable fishing by means of a message on its menu.
Furthermore, signing the charter during Monaco Ocean Week, Mr Rubiolo said that Stars’n’Bars has always supported the goals of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation and its commitment to preserving threatened marine species. “When Prince Albert asked Monaco restaurants to stop using the endangered bluefin tuna in 2009, we were among the first to respond and even helped the Foundation to reach out to other restaurants and food suppliers to explain how to make the transition to other types of fish.”
The aim of Monaco Ocean Week (March 30-April 4) is to bring together the key players in the field of marine biodiversity and raise public awareness of the action taken to safeguard the marine environment. Across the week, there are a total of 30 events planned at various venues (some may require booking, and are subject to the availability of seats – monacooceanweek.org). Stars’n’Bars will be the location for a number of technical conferences and symposiums on preserving marine biodiversity, in addition to four “awareness-raising” workshops open to the public.
Among the subjects addressed this week are the relationship between climate change and the degradation of the oceans, the issue of plastic pollution in the Mediterranean, the importance of developing Marine Protected Areas, the need to promote the sustainable consumption of seafood and the preservation of marine biodiversity.