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WHAT’S INSIDE: Louisiana Foods - pg 3 Sustainable Seafood - pg 6 Chef’s Corner - pg 10
MYGULFWILD.COM
Gulf Wild is a non-profit organization that is inspiring positive, industry-wide change and conservation throughout fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico. Engineered by environmentally conscious professional fishermen, it is setting the standard for genuine, traceable, responsibly caught fish - from the sea to the kitchen, from the fisherman to the chef.
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IN THIS ISSUE 2
FROM THE EDITOR Stephanie shares her take on sustainable seafood.
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SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT Louisiana Foods knows sustainable seafood and is proud to share it.
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SALTY DAWGS Next on the adoption stage is Captain Brian Breaux - captain of the fishing vessel Pisces, landing in Grande Isle, Louisiana.
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SHAREHOLDERS’ UPDATE When the boats speak, we listen...
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SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD The fish, the economy and the politics that make seafood sustainable.
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SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT Chefs Collaborative is all about sustainable seafood solutions.
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CHEFS CORNER Executive chefs from around the country provide tips for cleaning, preparing, and cooking a sustainable seafood dinner at home.
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SEAVER SAYS... Barton Seaver, a famous Chef, cookbook author, and lecturer inspires us with his wisdom.
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KNOW YOUR FISH... Because every fish has a story.
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EVENTS - BYCATCH Gulf Wild is featured at SXSW Eco.
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BYCATCH OF THE DAY Eat your way to marine conservation.
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GIRLS GONE “GULF” WILD Two young women learning the ropes about sustainable fisheries in a dock full of salty dawgs.
COVER Rick Moonen, Executive Chef at RM Seafood says “Diversity is the key to sustainable seafood,” as demonstrated in this beautiful display of Alaskan Halibut wrapped in cucumber. Photo: RM Seafood
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FROM THE EDITOR
Hooked On! Sustainable Seafood
Dear Seafood Lover, The sustainable seafood movement can be at times complex and challenging. Yet, there’s a very simple thing that we as consumers can do to make a difference: ASK about your fish. Most consumers don’t question where their fish comes from, how it was caught, and what the impacts are of catching it (impacts on habitat, other fish, etc). As an informed consumer, you should know what you’re eating. Responsible markets, chefs and restaurants know the answer and care about the environment, and want to help you care too. We at Gulf Wild figured out that if we offer a brand of seafood that can be trusted, we can make it more simple for people to choose sustainable seafood. And we do this for not only the popular fish like snapper and grouper, but for lesser known but equally as delicious fish like porgy and mangrove snapper. In this issue, we are Hooked On! Sustainable Seafood. I want to extend a giant thanks to the amazing chefs that contributed to this issue with their sustainable seafood experience. We encourage you to try Porgy, our Bycatch of The Day for this issue, and as always, don’t forget to adopt your own Salty Dawg and support your local fishermen! The seafood sustainability movement is like the ocean, alive and constantly moving. Staying atop the trends in seafood can be a daunting task. Our goal is to share, inform and educate whenever possible as is written into our conservation covenants. This includes tapping into the wisdom of great friends, partners and resources. We especially want to give “fishkudos” to: Louisiana Foods, Katie’s Seafood, Harlon’s LA Fish and Seafood and Fortune Fish Company for their sponsorships and support. Thanks to them, this digital magazine is free of charge for our readers and an important tool in growing demand for sustainable fisheries. Please consider a sponsorship for the next issue, and as always, please spread the link!
Stephanie Rousso Scientific & Outreach Director Outreach@MyGulfWild.com
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SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT
Louisiana Foods
Austin | dallas | San antonio | houston | 800-799-3134 | www.louisianafoods.com
Louisiana Foods has been a leader in the seafood industry for over 40 years. Its founder, Jim Gossen, tells us “We are dedicated to responsible and sustainable practices. While Louisiana Foods sells products from all over the world, we are very excited about the seafood we feature from the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.” Louisiana Foods easily decided the importance of a Gulf brand for sustainably caught, high quality seafood that people can trust, “The Gulf Wild brand of seafood is like a Tiffany box, once the customer sees the brand, they know without question they are getting the best Gulf product possible,” stated Gossen. Louisiana Foods not only shows they care about sustainable seafood by purchasing Gulf Wild, they started their “Total Catch Program” about 5-6 years ago and wrote a manual of all the different types of legal by-catch seafood that can be eaten but are also delicious. These species are not targets for catch, but are accidentally caught while fishing for targeted species. Instead of throwing them back, possibly just to die anyway, these species provide great economic seafood options. By choosing species from the Total Catch Program with Louisiana Foods, educated consumers are helping to
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reduce pressure on the high demand species and help to balance out the ecosystem. Gossen continues, “Our goal is not to waste anything!” The partnership between Louisiana Foods and Katie’s Seafood Market (the flagship Gulf Wild fish house) is a great relationship for both, purchasing about 20% of the whole Gulf of American Red Snapper quota, Louisiana Foods has built this program from a few thousand pounds of Gulf Wild catch to over a 1,000,000 pounds a year. These sustainable seafood savvy guys both know that there is not an unlimited supply of fish. Jim says, “We want to make sure no one delivers better or fresher fish and seafood than us.” Louisiana Foods are dedicated to finding the best, highquality products, which is why they choose Gulf Wild. If you would like to sponsor Hooked On! and receive a sponsor spotlight page about your business, please contact Stephanie at Outreach@MyGulfWild.com
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SALTY DAWGS
Commercial fishermen say, “We fish for you-literally!” In every issue of Hooked On!, we promote our new Adopt-A-Fisherman program. This program offers a chance for you, the responsible seafood consumer, to support sustainable fishing by adopting a hardworking “Salty Dawg” and help support this way of life for the next generation.
This issue, we are featuring Captain Brian Breaux of the fishing vessel Pisces, from Grand Isle, Louisiana. Captain Brian has been fishing for 22 years; he lives and dies for commercial fishing. Today, he catches mostly red snapper, and lands his reef fish in Grand Isle, Louisiana. A proud Gulf Wild Captain, Brian is a primary supplier through Katie’s Seafood to the greater New Orleans area and restaurants as Red Fish Grill, and Bayona to name a few. When asked why he fishes in the Gulf of Mexico, he says proudly, “It is in my blood and the most exciting thing I’ve ever done.”
Captain Brian Breaux proudly standing on his home away from home, fishing vessel, Pisces.
Very few know Grand Isle, Louisiana even exists. Yet, it is a key landing site for Gulf Wild fish into the Gulf states. This small coastal town, situated on a barrier island, has had their fair share of hard times like the direct hit from Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and BP Gulf Oil Spill in 2010. Yet like other survivors, Captain Brian has embraced the conservation and traceability of his fish since WANT TO adopt a he has seen first hand the fishery destruction. He embraced the concept of fisherman? tagging his bycatch species to embody the term, sell what he catches. As a thank you to our first Adopt-A-Fisherman sponsors, Brian Mellon and his crew made this personalized and “funny” video for Catanese Classic. Check it out!
This feature page of Salty Dawgs is brought to you by Harlon’s LA Fish and Seafood.
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If you would like to sponsor one of our hard working “Salty Dawgs” or learn more about the Adopt-A-Fisherman program, check our website and please contact us: Outreach@MyGulfWild.com
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SHAREHOLDERS’ UPDATE The Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholders’ Alliance is a 501(c)(6) non-profit trade organization that represents the interests of commercial fishermen and other stakeholders that want to bring sustainability and accountability to fisheries management. Since the last issue of Hooked On!, the Shareholders’ Alliance has made important progress towards fishery conservation and seafood sustainability. But you don’t have to take our word on it - listen to the guys who spend their lives on the water. Captain Jim Zurbrick (f/v Jolly Roger II, Fish For America LLC, Steinhatchee, FL) says, “Thanks to the work of the Shareholders’ Alliance and our friends, we were able to fend off a scheme that would’ve taken fish from the American consumer like you and commercial fishermen like me.” Captain Steve Tomeny (f/v Louisiana, Steve Tomeny Charters, Port Fourchon, LA) adds, “We finally made some progress towards getting the recreational charter/headboat fleet our own accountable management plan. This is a huge step forward, and we couldn’t have done it without the Shareholders’ Alliance and our partners at the Charter Fisherman’s Association.” Capt. Steve Tomeny PHOTO: Kayte Martens
Capt. Jim zurbrick With Wife patt y PHOTO: J. Zurbrick
Captain Kenny Guindon (f/v Falcon Galveston, TX) also says, “The Gulf Council has never had a commercial reef fisherman on it. That’s just wrong. So we decided to do something about it. Now, for the first time ever, we were able to help get a commercial reef fish fisherman a seat on the Gulf Council. Now we’ll finally have a voice.”
If you want to meet these fishermen and others who help supply the American public with healthy and sustainably-caught seafood, please join us: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council
Capt. Kenny Guindon PHOTO: K. Guindon
October 20-24, 2014 Renaissance Battle House, 26 N. Royal Street, Mobile, AL 36602
For more information, or to become a Member today, please contact Eric Brazer, Deputy Director at eric@shareholdersalliance.org or visit our website at www.shareholdersalliance.org
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SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD
Overharvesting Strains Seafood Populations The sustainable seafood movement started back in the 1990’s when the world began to notice that humans put a strain on fish populations by overharvesting.
Back in 1999, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) listed 98 stocks as “overfished.” Now, two decades later that number is down to 40. The current status of stocks from 2013 reports that 34 previously depleted fish stocks have now been “rebuilt” or rebounded to a healthy level.
STATUS
2012 (%)
2013 (%)
No Overfishing
255 (90%)
272 (91%)
Overfishing
29 (10%)
28 (9%)
Not Overfished
178 (81%)
190 (83%)
Overfished 41 (19%) 40 (17%) Fishermen have actively become the conservationist of their resource. Captains of the seas began working Rebuilt 32 34 in earnest with scientists, government bodies, environmental organizations, chefs, restaurateurs, and Stock Status Chart Source: NOAA the entire supply chain to not only promote sustainability but ensure it. These fishermen, know that through improvements to their fishing practices and by promoting responsible fishing, the world can and will make better seafood choices today and in the future. The Office of Sustainable Fisheries (OSF) within NOAA describes sustainable seafood when fish populations are managed in a way that provides for today’s needs without inhibiting the reproduction of fish species and fisheries are ensured for future generations. Sam Rauch, NOAA Fisheries Deputy Assistant Administrator agrees by stating, “The commitment to sustainable practices and innovative approaches developed by groups like Gulf Wild and their members, demonstrate the strength of U.S. fisheries management and the global reputation for sustainable seafood our fisheries have earned.”
Sustainable Seafood allows chefs to be creative, elegant, and diverse. Photo: Louisiana Foods
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The good thing is that all these efforts are making a difference globally! Fisheries are improving, stocks are replenishing, traceability is on the forefront of standardization, but there is still much work to be done (those are different stories altogether) and our focus here is on seafood sustainability.
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When it comes to seafood and how to choose what you eat there are hundreds if not thousands of voices weighing in on your decision. There are seafood choice cards, sustainability indexes, food conversion charts, certification schemes, scientific research documents and foodie blogs that share opinions “Some fisheries need more attention and give advice. It is literally information than others and those that [are] moving overload in a world faced with making fast decisions in a digital age. Even a towards fishery improvement projects should simple search in google images reveals be recognized for that progress.” hundreds of different examples.
John Connelly We decided to keep our focus on our own wheelhouse, the Gulf of Mexico, while still providing some powerful quotes and information. Below, we present examples of organizations, chefs, and scientists who work collaboratively with fishermen to bring us all sustainable seafood. A key example of cooperative improvements and guiding direction comes from the industry leader, National Fisheries Institute (NFI). Members work together to proactively promote seafood sustainability by implementing a model that shows industry can and should lead in this effort and has generated results; on the water and in the market. Globally, NFI developed the global tuna-focused International Seafood Sustainability Foundation and they launched the NFI Crab Council to enhance sustainability in Asia. John Connelly, President National Fisheries Institute states that, “Sustainability is not about forcing one solution into another problem. Retailers and restaurants have figured that out. NFI members are committed to helping their partners fill in the pieces that make up the seafood sustainability puzzle.” Andrea Moore, Marine Biologist and Fisheries Writer from Halifax, Nova Scotia notes that, “Fishermen are trying, scientists are trying, all we need is the citizen army to make ‘sustainable’ as sought-after in the seafood section as ‘organic’ is in the rest of the supermarket.” Yet, this requires a fundamental understanding of what sustainable means and again that interpretation if varied. Sustainability is also supporting chefs and restaurants who serve up seafood that is well managed, rebuilt or rebuilding, working under a Fishery Improvement John Connelly, President Project or underutilized species, or invasive species. For example, Chef Flynn National Fisheries Institute from GW Fins in New Orleans, uses lionfish in his recipes because he knows they are wreaking havoc on reef ecosystems throughout the Gulf of Mexico. Taking predatory, invasive species such as lionfish out of the equation helps to balance out the ecosystem. In fact, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) encourages people to eat more lionfish to help reduce the negative impacts that this species is having on our native wildlife. Underutilized native species can also provide new economic opportunities for fishermen and the seafood supply chain
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providing incentive for more of an ecosystem style of seafood enjoyment from hook to cook. According to Chef William Briand from Fishers Restaurant in Orange Beach Marina, “When I think [seafood] sustainability, I first think where my money is going. It should always go the local fishermen because celebrating the Gulf and what it has to offer to us is very important and we have the opportunity to eat the best seafood, in my mind, in the world.” Sustainability is supporting fisheries research and gear improvements. For example, Texas Sea Grant staff scientist, Gary Graham has been working over the past decades on reducing sea turtle and finfish bycatch mortality in shrimp trawls. Graham partners with Texas A&M University and the Gulf and South Atlantic Fisheries Foundation to provide development and outreach for shrimp trawls with BRDs (bycatch reduction devices, which are excluder devices for finfish) and TEDs (turtle excluder devices). Chef TeNNey Flynn of GW Fins Restaurant prepares various sustainable seafood dishes like this grilled pompano with blue crab.
Sustainability is all of the above. Support your local fishermen, support good management of our fisheries, support science, support traceability efforts, support eating seafood that creates a smaller seafood “footprint” and utilize the plethora of resources in our world today that can educate, inform, and guide you to a healthy, sustainably satisfying and sustainably caught or farmed seafood meal.
Gary Graham reviews Turtle Excluder Devices (TED), that promote sustainable shrimping by reducing bycatch impacts to sea turtles. Photo: Texas Sea Grant
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SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT Chefs Collaborative works by engaging chefs in a network that inspires and educates them to change how they source, cook, and serve food. A non-profit organization, they provide a number of outreach and education programs for chefs and food professionals. Since early 2013, Chefs Collaborative has been working with teams of chefs to host “Trash Fish Dinners” in cities across the country. “Trash fish” are underutilized species that would otherwise be thrown back by fishermen, and have long been undervalued in our current seafood markets. Some examples of trash fish that are used at the Dinners include hake, dogfish, scup, and lionfish, porgy (see recipe in this issue), and snapper species such as mangrove, silk, and lane. The Trash Fish Dinners are a hands-on way to introduce people to these under appreciated species - and highlight just how delicious they are. Chef Steven Phelps from Indigenous Restaurant tells us “Hosting Trashfish dinners are truly a great way for chefs to reach out through their guests and the community to educate over fishing and waste. Introducing new species to everyone can cut back on the purchase of more common species such as tuna and salmon that have become threatened. Many local fisheries bring back bycatch that is amazingly easy to prepare and delicious, but end up throwing a good amount away because the ‘average’ diner or shopper is not aware of these fish.” To date, Chefs Collaborative has hosted dinners in Boston, Chicago, Portland, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Denver, and Sarasota. In the year ahead, Chefs Collaborative will
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Members of Chef’s Collaborative preparing an exquisite taste for the “Trash Fish Dinner.” PHOTO: L arry Leibowitz
host Trash Fish Dinners in new areas of the country, including a forthcoming dinner in Washington, DC. Registration is now OPEN for the 2014 Sustainable Food Summit. This event brings hundreds of chefs and food professionals together from across the country to share ideas and get inspired. If you would like to sponsor Hooked On! and receive a sponsor spotlight page about your business, please contact Stephanie, Outreach@MyGulfWild.com
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CHEF’S CORNER SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD CHEFS Gulf Wild rounded up some responsible Executive Chefs to explain how they promote Seafood Sustainable in their kitchens. Through their diverse recipes and seafood choices, they show their care for the environment. Chef William Briand from Fishers Restaurant in Orange Beach Marina is Seafood Sustainable in Alabama. “The reason why I use Gulf Wild is because it is the freshest seafood around. It’s also knowing where the fish is caught and who catches it.” Chef Briand cooks a diverse seafood plate such as grouper, cobia, and red snapper. Chef Montero of Café B showed his stuff at the 7th annual Louisiana Seafood Cook-Off which was held during the 2014 New Orleans Wine & Food Experience. When Judges Susan Spicer, Chef and owner of Bayona Restaurant - and Susan Ford, Publisher Louisiana Kitchen and Culture magazine approached him, he showed his Gulf Wild tagged red snapper and explained the tagging process to them. Chef Montero received second place after he competed against nine other executive chefs from across the great state of Louisiana as they battled for the title of the King of Louisiana Seafood.
Chef Chris Montero shows off his prized Gulf Wild tagged snapper at the “King of Louisiana Seafood Cookoff.” Photo: Jeff Pounds
Chef Montero says about the competition, “It was a true joy when I was able to describe not only all the components of our competition dish, but to credit the Captain and location in Louisiana where the snapper was harvested. The judges were all nodding in agreement when I proposed that the Gulf Wild cause is of great significance to our customers and to the local restaurant industry.”
Chef Tenney Flynn from GW Fins Restaurant is taking Sustainable Seafood into his own hands, literally. Through his recipe creations using the invasive, venomous, yet beautiful lionfish, he is serving up marine conservation on a plate to his customers. Chef Flynn confesses that, “Scuba diving just a few miles off the coast has opened my eyes to the [over] population [of lionfish]. Plus it gives me an opportunity to kill a bunch.”
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Diversifying our options of seafood is a simple choice we can make that can have big, positive impacts.
Chef Rick Moonen in action cooking one of his famous savory sustainable seafood meals. Photo: Jeff Pounds
Chef Moonen is probably the most well-educated, passionate man about sustainable seafood that has ever stood in the kitchen. For the past 25 years, he has made it a personal mission to advocate for sustainable fisheries and educate anyone that will listen. Chef Moonen believes in supporting and applauding companies like Gulf Wild, MSC, and others, that are doing more to promote sustainable fisheries rather than complain about the ones who don’t. Chef Moonen’s message is simple, “Diversity.” While the seafood and fisheries industry is complicated, especially when we throw in climate change, habitat destruction, bycatch, and other problems, diversifying our options of seafood is a simple choice we can make that can have big, positive impacts. “It is ridiculous that almost 90% of our seafood is imported. It shows that we (Americans) do not realize the value of our own oceans. While there is substantial damage to be undone, if we actively attempt to teach those around us the importance of sustainable practices, there is a brighter future for our oceans and those impacted by them.” Chef’s Coll aborative prepare tantalizing appetizers using underutilized fish species. PHOTO: Chefs Coll aborative.
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SEAVER SAYS... “Attempting to define sustainability is one of the hazards of my job. Not because I don’t have an answer, it’s that I don’t have your answer.” Sustainability is an ambiguous term used to confirm our unique biases. Too often between industry and environment, potential collaborations find division due to nuances in what sustainability is expected to achieve. This stifling ambiguity is because we mine a host of personal concerns born uniquely of our experiences, and from which are formed unique hierarchies of values.
“Sustainability begins with people.” Everyone has a subjective interpretation of various expectations and desired results of sustainability. This also applies to their sense of responsibility. In my definition, sustainability begins with people though rarely do we ask the most basic of questions; what is it that we want to sustain? When people are encouraged to reflect upon this larger purpose, most often the answer is the same. We are trying to sustain ourselves. Each of us may have a different path through which to pursue this effort, be it preservation of jobs, preserving inherited cultures, or simply sustaining our health. Though lacking in common strategy, by all efforts we seek equal results. Despite the shifting definition of the term sustainability, the results of any effort described as such must fundamentally be measured by our capacity to thrive as human communities.
Barton Seaver is an Explorer with the National Geographic Society, and the first Sustainability Fellow in Residence at the New England Aquarium. Photo by: Marcus Nilsson
A highly in-demand lecturer, Barton Seaver has delivered major addresses to a wide range of audiences, including the U.S. State Department, National Institutes of Health, National Academies of Science, the Smithsonian, the prestigious TED conference, and is a regular participant at the Aspen Institute. In 2012, Barton was named by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to the United States Culinary Ambassador Corps.
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If you have a question for Barton, please let us know at Outreach@MyGulfWild.com
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Katie’s Seafood Market Pier 19 | 1902 Wharf road | Galveston, tX 77550 | 409 763 8160
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KNOW YOUR FISH...
Because every fish has a story.
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Traceable Gulf Wild Fish Gulf Wild is the only brand of seafood that requires participating fishermen to fish under a series of strict conservation covenants. When you trace the serial number on your Gulf Wild tagged fish, you probably will know more about the fish you buy than anything else you eat that day. Freshness Check Ask where seafood came from and when it was caught. Chef Steve Phelps says, “When choosing whole fish, the eyes should be clean, not slimy or cloudy. Look for a bright red color in the gills and the flesh should be fairly firm and have no real scent to it. Remember, bacteria smells, fish do not.” Chef Briand agrees and adds, “Don’t be afraid to ask the where it’s from and how long it has been out of water.” Avoiding Seafood Fraud When the 80-90% of imported fish arrives to the U.S., it must be labeled with the country it originated from. Yet many of these same fish can be caught here in the US or even in the Gulf of Mexico itself. Keep asking until you know where your seafood comes from and how it was caught. Programs like Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch are dedicated to keeping the consumer informed. Diversify There are a host of sustainable and delicious treasures from the sea. Chef Moonen says sustainable seafood can be simple if we diversify our choices: Almaco Jack, Barracuda, Bearded Gertula, Brotula, Hake, Ling/Cobia, Rainbow or Blue Runner, Triggerfish, Jolt or Red Porgy. “Other” grouper: Rock Hind or Graysby Grouper, “Other” snappers: Mangrove, Silk, and Lane Snapper, and even lionfish! ALL Gulf of Mexico reef fish species. Support Local Fishermen This is an easy one. Demand local fish at markets and restaurants. Lend your voice to the fishermen fighting to improve fishing regulations, to ensure healthy fisheries for the next generation. Our fishermen thank you. But again, should you not find Gulf Wild, ask, ask, ask. If you are not getting answers, contact us and we will be happy to help you in your search for sustainable seafood from the Gulf of Maine to the Pacific Northwest to our own Gulf of Mexico. Sustainable seafood can be on your on plate when you just ask.
Send us your questions – We encourage our readers to send questions that we can answer. When we don’t know the answer, we will tap into the experts from our growing list of partners. Please send your inquiries to: Outreach@MyGulfWild.com
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EVENTS South by SouthWest (SXSW) Eco Conference Our very own Tj Tate, the ambitious and passionate Director of Sustainability for Gulf Wild, has been invited to plan and moderate at the next South by SouthWest (SXSW) Eco Conference. Tj will sit among some very accomplished colleagues to discuss the topic of fisheries bycatch.
As a corporation, SXSW believes in the benefits of responsible corporate citizenship and recognizes that environmental issues are an important measuring stick that distinguishes one event from another. Tj will join Captain Buddy Guindon, Owner Katie’s Seafood Market and Executive Director of the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholders’ Alliance; Chef Barton Seaver, Director Healthy and Sustainable Food Program at the Center for Health and the Global Environment Harvard School of Public Health; Laurel Bryant, Chief, External Affairs NOAA Fisheries Communications Office; and Tom Wheatley, Manager US Oceans at the Pew Charitable Trust; at the table to debate whether bycatch should be your choice of seafood. These experts will discuss how the global concern of fisheries bycatch becomes a debate as to what is on your dinner plate. The bycatch topic is housed under the Food Systems category along with eating bugs, farming for the billions, the broken coffee industry, and the big packaged industry. Other categories explore climate change, natural gas use, and bring together the next generation of green leaders. The panel session will be presented on October 7th at 10:30 at the Austin Conference Center. Bycatch can have significant social, environmental, and economic impact. As part of its National Bycatch Strategy, NOAA Fisheries is committed to implementing conservation and management measures for living marine resources that will minimize, to the extent practicable, bycatch and the mortality of bycatch that cannot be avoided.
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If you have an event coming up in early 2015 and want to showcase it here, please let us know. Outreach@MyGulf Wild.com
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BYCATCH OF THE DAY Ocean conservation starts with you, the consumer. Consumers are individuals, chefs, fishmongers, and everyone in between – we all can make a cumulative difference, if we work together as smart consumers. So, this month, eat porgy and do your part for Ocean Conservation right at home. At your next trip to market, look for Porgy (sometimes known as Scup). This species is caught as bycatch in longline fisheries along the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico. Back in colonial times, this fish was a favorite which resulted in overfishing. Due to successful management programs, however, the species was declared recovered in 2009, and now a great economic alternative choice. This ByCatch of the Day choice helps diversify seafood options which helps balance out the ecosystem. It is a low-sodium, low-fat source of protein, high in niacin, phosphorus, vitamins B6 and B12, and selenium. Porgy/Scup is often referred to as a “pan fish,” because its small size is excellent for cooking whole. Chef Bill Briand prepared a quick and simple recipe (below) for grilled porgy, but you can always pan fry or sauté the whole fish. Once cooked, you can top off the porgy with a fruity salsa, as does the Seafood Lady, Maureen Berry (see photo). A perfect dish for the end of summer.
porgy is a great alternative for sustainable seafood. Gulf wild uses green tags to identify ByCatch species. Photo: vicky delacruz
Let’s talk Porgy A simple two-step recipe from Chef Briand 1. Make the Marinade: 1 teaspoon fresh thyme + zest of 1 lemon + juice of 1 lemon + 1 teaspoon olive oil + 1 pinch salt and pepper. 2. Marinate, then grill the whole fish until meat is white. The scales will fall off the fish easily once cooked.
Strawberry mint salsa makes a perfect complement to sautéed, grilled, or pan fried porgy. Photo: Maureen Berry, Seafood L ady
“With Chefs sharing more recipes for these uncommon species we can build a demand for fish that usually goes to waste.” Chef Steve Phelps. Please send us in your favorite ByCatch of the Day recipes Outreach@MyGulfWild.com
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GIRLS GONE GULF WILD It can get pretty wild down on the docks. Ice cold, fresh grouper, snapper, and tilefish fly off the boat, past the interns, inches from their faces, landing into buckets, sorted into species, and then caravanned along a platform. These fish are all quickly stapled with Gulf Wild ID tags. Interns simultaneously record all the information about the catch before the fishermen heads for his well-deserved beer. The information then is magically transported to the serial number on the gill tag. Interns gain hands-on training and education that they do not receive from their university programs. According to Gulf Wild intern Nadine McKane, “I’ve learned that the color of certain fish is a Intern Brooke McDonald product of their environment, and how to with a newly tagged “other” quickly to identify them on a wild, hectic snapper species. offloading day. I really enjoy working with the fishermen. Even when we’ve got thousands of pounds of fish to unload, and you can tell everyone is tired and ready to go home, they still are willing to have a good laugh while getting the offload done. It’s a great place to be.” At the dock, interns hear stories about large sharks that were incidentally caught by fishermen and the resulting fight that occurred while safely releasing it from the line. They also hear about the occasional wahoo caught Interns sport the Girls Gone Gulf Wild shirts while working on the line or the predatory lionfish at the docks. that is overpopulating the reefs. Interns PHOTO: Nadine McKane confess they learn more about gulf reef fishes from the fishermen than any university class could provide. The fishermen they speak with have years of experience on the water in a very unpredictable environment, and have seen some crazy things. McKane is excited. “Someday, I want to work in the field. This internship actually helps with that, because we’ve been allowed a certain independence but get to work alongside some really great experienced individuals. It really has been a joy.”
Intern Nadine McKane with red snapper ready for tagging
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Students and recent grads interested in internship opportunities are invited to contact Outreach@MYGulfWild.com.
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Louisiana Foods Austin • Dallas • San Antonio • Houston 800-799-3114 • www.louisianafoods.com
FRIENDS OF GULF WILD We want to introduce to our readers some of our partners and sponsors who make our work a little easier.
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Choose it, Trace it, Eat it! Here is an abbreviated list of where you can find Gulf Wild tagged fish. If you are not on this list and should be, please let us know. Outreach@MyGulfWild.com distributors
retailers
Restaurants We are lucky enough to have you covered coast to coast in sustainable seafood. If you are looking for a restaurant in your area, please reach out to us and we will connect you.
SEPTEMBER
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2014
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ISSUE 2
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MYGULFWILD.COM
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