Start your year off right by making informed, sustainable seafood decisions to help protect our ocean and keep plenty of fish in the sea!
Eating seafood can be both healthy and delicious, but it can also be harmful to our ocean if not done sustainably.
For years the saying, “there are plenty of fish in the sea,” was taken literally, and the ocean was thought of as an inexhaustible resource. However, we are quickly realizing that may not be the case for all fish species. With the demand for seafood higher than ever, fish populations are struggling to keep up with increased fishing rates.
So, what can we do?
The answer is purchasing and eating sustainable seafood.
Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program defines sustainable seafood as “seafood from sources, whether fished or farmed, that can maintain or increase production without jeopardizing the structure and function of affected ecosystems.”
Photo by Harrison Haines on Pexels.com
In other words, sustainable seafood comes from sources that have a stable or increasing population, and when taken as food, will not have a negative effect on the population or ecosystem around it. Loggerhead Marinelife Center is a proud Seafood Watch Partner and is dedicated to helping keep plenty of fish in the sea for generations to come.
Ways that YOU can help!
- Buy local – local seafood is almost always the best and most sustainable option!
- Support restaurants striving to provide customers with sustainable seafood options
- Download the Seafood Watch App on your phone and use it to make smart seafood choices
- Know where your seafood is coming from, and always ask the question “is this seafood sustainable?” when purchasing it from restaurants and stores
Recommended Seafood Choices for Southeast US:
Best Options 2020:
| Barramundi (US & Vietnam farmed) Bass (US hooks and line, farmed) Catfish (US) Clams, Cockles, Mussels Cod: Pacific (AK) Crab: Blue (MD trotline) Crab: King, Snow, & Tanner (AK) Crawfish (US farmed) Lionfish (US)* Mahi Mahi (US handlines) Mullet: Striped (US) Oysters | Pompano (US) Salmon (New Zealand) Shrimp (US farmed) Snapper: Mutton (US diving, handlines) Squid (US)Sturgeon (US farmed) Tilapia (Canada, Ecuador, Peru & US)Tuna: Albacore (trolls, pole, and lines) TunaWahoo (US Atlantic) Wreckfish |