Sustainable Seafood Choices
By D. S. Mitchell
Introduction
While I am confined to my home, due to the coronavirus threat, I have worked, every day on my blog. For the last several weeks many articles I have posted are related, in one fashion of another, to the pandemic. But, today I want to temporarily shift gears. I want to share some information on how to support sustainable U.S. seafood.
James Beard Foundation
The James Beard Foundation is an organization at the center of the nation’s culinary culture. The Beard Foundation has been, for over 30 years, on a mission to promote, through education, a food culture that encourages delicious, diverse, and sustainable. The Trump administration is working to roll back conservation provisions that had helped rebuild depleted fish stocks and cut over-fishing. The Beard Foundation is encouraging the chefs of America to become the voice of sustainability in their communities. ‘Smart Catch’ is a Beard Foundation project created to help chefs serve seafood, fished or farmed, in environmentally responsible ways.
Fish on Friday
When I was a kid, we had fish for dinner on Friday. We were not Catholic, but we followed what seemed a national tradition, or at least a neighborhood tradition. From childhood, eating seafood has been part of my culinary experience. Today, 80% of the seafood consumed by Americans is imported. Forty-five per cent of that total comes from traditional options, such as shrimp, salmon, and tuna. Expanding your seafood palate is a good strategy for eating healthier, saving money and helping protect the oceans. By small changes in your eating habits you can reduce over-fishing and contribute to ocean resiliency.
