Consumers with questions about seafood sustainability and safety now need to look no further than the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Web site for answers. At the International Boston Seafood Show, NOAA Administrator Conrad Lautenbacher launched the agency’s new Fish Watch site, designed to answer consumer questions.

“Steering the public to Fish Watch is a great way for consumers to get all the facts,” said National Fisheries Institute (NFI) President John Connelly. “The seafood-buying public deserves the most accurate and up-to-date information on safety and sustainability and NOAA has it.”

During a news conference announcing the site, Lautenbacher said, “Our hope is that you will go here for ground-truth science. It is not about making decisions for you.”

With the proliferation of unwarranted seafood health scares and myriad sources dictating what are good fish and bad fish, the new agency Web site aims to arm the public with an unbiased education and provides a balanced clearing house for consumers.

“Environmental issues are very important but mixing environmental concerns with potential health effects is confusing for consumers,” said Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian of Harvard University, who joined Lautenbacher’s panel of experts at the unveiling.