As the new home of WashPIRG's environmental work, Environment Washington can be contacted regarding this news release.
Seattle–Amid plates
of sustainable seafood prepared by five of Seattle’s top chefs, a coalition
of fishermen, chefs, and conservationists gathered at Matt’s in the Market
Restaurant today to promote sustainable seafood and to call for significant
changes to United States ocean policy. The coalition called attention to serious
problems facing America’s oceans and urged lawmakers to adopt the recommendations
of the Pew Oceans Commission, which released its report this summer.
"Hard scientific evidence
shows that if we don’t take steps now to end overfishing, reduce pollution,
and stop habitat destruction, few fishermen will be catching fish, and we won’t
be enjoying seafood like this in the future," said Chris Wells, oceans
associate for the Washington Public Interest Research Group (WashPIRG). "It’s
time that federal policymakers overhaul the way our oceans are regulated."
"Many chefs are very
concerned about the health of ocean fish populations," said John Sundstrom,
executive chef at Earth and Ocean at the W Hotel, and who will soon open Lark.
"Overfishing and destructive fishing practices are making it harder and
more expensive to prepare fish of the quality and size we would like to serve."
The coalition is calling
for federal policymakers to heed the Pew Commission’s advice and adopt
policies to:
• End overfishing.
• Reduce bycatch, the
fish accidentally caught in the process of catching targeted fish.
• Minimize habitat
destruction, the damage done to fish habitats by certain methods of fishing,
such as bottom-trawling and dredging.
• Reform conflict-of-interest
management by separating allocation decisions (who gets to catch which fish)
from conservation decisions (how much fishing an ecosystem can sustain).
"The practice of sustainable
fishing is really about caring about the fish you’re catching and using
appropriate equipment," said John Foss, a sustainable fisherman and fishmonger
from Ballard. "You need to fish in a place where fish populations are healthy
already, you need to limit your catch to a number the population can replenish,
and you need to use gear that isn’t going to kill unintended species or
harm the development of future generations."
The event highlighted some
things for consumers to look for when they purchase seafood. While place of
catch and method of catch may not always be labeled, markets will tell customers
where fish is from if asked, and asking for sustainable seafood strongly encourages
stores to sell more. For consumers who want to learn more about which seafoods
are sustainable, wallet-sized reference cards such as the ones produced by the
Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Audubon Society are helpful.
"Consumers have a responsibility
to make sure the seafood on their dinner table is sustainable, but President
Bush and Congress need to change the way we regulate our oceans," Wells
said. "That means taking the recommendations of the Pew Commission very
seriously."
Chefs at the event prepared
gourmet dishes of crab, albacore tuna, oysters, and scallops
