ON DECK
Seafood Science
Locally Caught Seafood: It’s Not Just About Taste
Doug Stewart
By Maureen Donald
Gulf of Maine hake, pollock and cod from 50-foot gillnetter Maria & Dorothy.
or most seafood lovers, it’s all about taste. But few are aware of the amazing health benefits of eating fresh seafood, especially locallycaught. A brand-new initiative is breaking down just how beneficial it is to add more fresh seafood to our diets. “The Science Behind Your Local Seafood” is a campaign dedicated to sharing the facts about our nation’s rich and ever-expanding seafood industry. While it’s no secret just how great a role seafood plays in feeding our friends, family, and neighbors, there is more to seafood than just being a tasty treat. Science has shown just how good eating seafood is for our bodies — and it is this science that lies at the heart of the initiative. “This campaign is much more than simply celebrating our local seafood— it’s about the many health benefits supported by science,” says Maureen Donald, a National Fisherman contributor and creator of the campaign. “While it’s natural to focus on taste and appearance, there’s so much more to choosing what’s on your plate.”
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8 National Fisherman \ Summer 2022
Many consumers likely have a basic understanding of the benefits of eating seafood, and this campaign is dedicated to sharing the details that often go unheard — even in communities where seafood plays an integral part in people’s diets and livelihoods. For example, eating fish and other seafoods regularly can decrease the risk of cardiovascular death by roughly 17 percent as has been documented in the Journal of American Medicine. People with higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids in their blood (the same acids provided by seafood) have their lifespans extended by over two years. All this information can be found on www.scienceandseafood.com which is the online centerpiece of the initiative. The website provides a convenient hub for all of the campaign’s research, bringing the facts to you in just a few clicks. Whether you want to glance it over or take a deep dive into the issues covered by the campaign, the site can provide for all who visit it. The Science Behind Your Local
Seafood was organized for two primary reasons.The first was to provide a resource that explained the long and shortterm benefits of eating seafood, with information backed by well-respected health professionals. It seeks to sell those wary about fish on the idea of welcoming it into their diets through the power of science. The second reason, however, was to draw attention to a pressing issue that poses a threat to the seafood industry in America — imported seafood. According to the Berkeley School of Public Health, around 85 percent of all seafood consumed by Americans is imported from foreign countries. Most of that imported fish is farm-raised in the growing aquaculture industry. While farming seafood seems like a good idea, the issue lies in how different the regulations for raising aquatic produce are in those foreign nations. Some have lower standards of health for their fish, while others employ the use of drugs that are banned here in the U.S. To raise alarms even more, the Berkeley School also discovered that most of the seafood brought into America is unsupervised by the Food and Drug Administration. That means that seafood contaminated by drugs and bacteria can make it past our federal regulations and into our kitchens and fish markets When your fish is prepared by our nation’s fishing communities, you can rest assured that it will follow all appropriate regulations and standards while retaining its fantastic taste. After all, the same people preparing your meal will likely be eating some of it themselves later. This is not something you can take solace in when consuming imported fish. The question is, how can someone tell the difference between locally caught fish and imported fish to begin with? “Consumers are definitely becoming more savvy when it comes to their diets,” said Donald. “Seafood in particular poses challenges — is it imported, is it fresh, is it handled in a sanitary facility? Understanding what to look for when purchasing seafood is key to gleaning all www.nationalfisherman.com
