Sustainable Seafood Sustainable Seafood has become a buzz word throughout the restaurant and seafood industry. Conservation and environmental groups have been ranting for years about over fishing and the reckless harvesting practices of commercial fishermen. They have lobbied governments all over the world to reduce or stop the harvest of many species of seafood. They have held peaceful and sometimes not so peaceful protests. All while the commercial seafood industry has struggled to survive and maintain itself. Reduced harvests and quotas have driven many from the industry. Aquaculture has lowered the raw material price of many types of seafood so much that catching wild seafood can often be a losing proposition. Both sides have fought long and hard but one thing they have finally agreed on, the oceans have proven not to be an infinite source of fish and shellfish. After years of confrontation, disagreement, and even name calling, the commercial seafood industry and conservation groups have finally realized that they have to work together for the good of nature and man. People want quality seafood and they want it form the wild as well as from the farms. With retail and foodservice giants like Walmart and Sysco calling for a move to Sustainable Seafood the commercial seafood industry has realized that they need to adapt and work to ensure a consistent supply of seafood from our oceans. Conservation and fisheries management works and without it, the resource cannot survive. There have been many success stories in fisheries management and some not so successful. In the coastal waters of the US Striped Bass have been declared fully recovered and catch limits on both commercial and recreational fisherman have allowed the fishery to maintain itself. Atlantic Swordfish are over 95% recovered and constantly improving. Fishery reporting is showing the average size of the Swordfish being caught is larger than it has been for over 25 years. Alaska, who has the best Fisheries Management Department in the US, has done a tremendous job managing its seafood industry. They are the leader in United States coastal waters. By enforcing strict catch reporting, and studying weather patterns, migration, statistics of the species size, and numbers caught, they have learned to manage their fisheries. They use all these things to come up with a Bio-mass, which is an estimate of the population of a seafood species that is used to regulate an industry. There is no exact science to this method, but with better catch reports, research, and technology, fisheries management is improving. The US is not the only country involved in fisheries management. Japan has pledged to cut its Atlantic Blue Fin tuna catch at least 23% by 2010. Northern European nations have reduced their Cod and Haddock catches to help replenish the species. Argentina has lowered their quotas for Whiting, Flounder, and Squid. Many areas off the coast of Chile have been closed Sea Bass fishing to protect this popular fish from more over fishing. Overall worldwide fisheries management continues to improve and with the cooperation of the fishing industry, governments, and environmental groups working toward a common goal, we can sustain or fisheries for future generations. For more information on Sustainable Fisheries look on the internet for the Seafood Choices Alliance. They recently sponsored a summit in Jacksonville, FL focusing on this topic. This organization is focused on making good choices in seafood and the environment. www.seafoodchoices.org Membership is free and there are links that allow you to print off guides to eco-friendly seafood choices in your area.
The challenge of working with nature is to continue a safe and continuous supply of seafood for future generations.