Sustainable Seafood

By Clara Fishel

August 12, 2008

Some friends of mine went fishing this past weekend near Darrien. Over two solid days on the water they caught nothing but sharks. Having recently heard similar stories from other recreational fisher-folk I know, seemed to be a good time for a post on sustainable seafood.

The worldwide depletion of ocean fisheries is not new news. But it is a fact that doesn’t get much attention in the whole enviro-food discussion. Overfishing, overconsumption, polllution>habitat destruction and fisheries mismanagement are the main culprits. According to the Environmental Defense Fund,

Worldwide, it is estimated that some 90 percent of species of large predatory fish are gone. Domestically, of 230 assessed U.S. fisheries, 54 stocks are classified as overfished, 45 are experiencing overfishing, and the status of just over half of the nation’s stocks are unknown. America’s fishing communities are also suffering. The collapse of New England’s cod fishery in the early 1990s cost an estimated 20,000 jobs. About 72,000 jobs have been lost because of dwindling salmon stocks in the Pacific Northwest alone.

To be sure, fisheries management is an extremely complex issue (only further complicated by global climate change) that involves common pool resources, multiple stakeholders, intra-state and international agreements. You can find a wealth of related information from these websites . . .
South Atlantic Fisheries Management Council

Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary

Marine Stewardship Council
but in the meantime, what can we do to address this issue in our everyday lives?

Well, this is just one less thing for vegetarians to worry about I guess. But for the rest of us, I highly reccomend checking out the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s guide to sustainable seafood buying in the southeast region. Note that delicious and iconic local fish Grouper, Flounder and Red (& Vermillion) Snapper are all on the list of fish to avoid. However, we are lucky in that there is plenty of yummy local seafood that makes the best choices and good alternatives lists, including: Blue Crab, Wild Shrimp, Mahi-Mahi (troll/pole caught), King Mackeral, Croaker, Mullet, Striped Bass, Lane & Yellowtail Snapper, Yellowfin Tuna (troll/pole caught) and one of my alltime faves, Wahoo.

Savannah area resources that get the green light . . .
Russo’s Seafood 201 E. 40th Street (@ Abercorn)
Mathew’s Seafood 121 Kicklighter Way (just off Louisville Rd in Garden City)
Bowie Seafood 801 1st Street, Tybee Island (especially for live blue crab)
Dubberly Seafood, Savannah, 912-925-6433 (best Wild GA Shrimp around)

Asking questions (at restaurants, fish markets and grocery stores) is another way to make sure you are getting the goods. Asking questions also lets retailers know that you are interested in sustainable seafood options. My favorite French blogger, Clotilde Dusoulier (check out her excellent post on sustainable seafood here) has some good advice about how to ask questions . . . The trick is to adopt just the right tone so as not to sound high-and-mighty, yet make it clear how important it is to you.

Comments, tips and resources from readers would be greatly appreciated!

Posted in Conservation, Education, Food, Health