Save the fish

Many sustainability advocates are also rejecting blanket boycotts, saying that many fishing operations are working hard to recover their species, and their efforts should be rewarded with steady business. They argue that big-spending clients are the only ones who have the clout to successfully pressure these fisheries for change.

"If you as a consumer just say no and all your friends say no, it's not enough to matter," said Mark Powell, vice president for fish conservation at the Washington, D.C.-based Ocean Conservancy. "We're trying to build a new model. We're saying don't reject unsustainable fish, roll up your sleeves and help us fix the unsustainable fisheries."

Instead, advocates encourage consumers to seek out and patronize retailers who are buying responsibly.

Chicago-based seafood wholesaler Plitt Seafood Co. has begun doing just that. Rather than purge its inventory of Chilean sea bass or Atlantic cod or other fish on the "avoid" list, in the last few years Plitt has used its economic muscle to try to force change in troubled fisheries.

"If people can't buy imported shrimp from us, they're going to buy it from someone else," said Plitt's marketing director, Mary Smith. *