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Boaters
Boaters, anglers, conservationists, retailers, &
restaurants collaborate on seafood guide
By Staff
Tue, Sep 25, 2007
A unique collaboration of fishing, boating, marine manufacturers, and
ocean conservancy groups are joining forces with retailers and restaurants
to launch a campaign to help protect the world's declining fish
populations.
The participating partners are launching an ambitious campaign to help
millions of people make seafood selections that are good for the ocean.
They've pledged to distribute five million wallet-sized copies of Blue
Ocean's Guide to Ocean Friendly Seafood to help consumers make informed
choices about the seafood they buy and consume- and help reverse the drop
in fish populations.
The coalition includes representatives from fishing groups including:
American Sportfishing Association, International Game Fish Association,
American Albacore Fishing Association, Coastside Fishing Club, United
Anglers of Southern California and Coastal Conservation Association. Other
partners in the distribution campaign include Blue Ocean Institute,
Oceana, the National Marine Manufacturers Association, West Marine, Chefs
Collaborative and the Green Restaurant Association.
The Blue Ocean Guide to Ocean Friendly Seafood contains color- coded
"sustainability" rankings for popular seafood species in part based on the
species' abundance and the way they are caught or farmed. Many fish
populations are victims of overfishing, declining to roughly 10 percent of
what they once were. Yet, consumer demand for fish continues to grow and
is expected to increase almost 40 percent over the next decade, according
to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. In a recent
ground-breaking study, scientists revealed that by the year 2048, the
world will run out of seafood if declines in marine species continue at
current rates.
Fish in the Blue Ocean guide that are ranked "green," including U.S.
farmed Tilapia and Alaska Salmon are considered abundant or are caught or
raised in an environmentally responsible manner. Fish with red rankings,
such as Atlantic Bluefin Tuna and imported shrimp, are overfished or
caught in ways that harm the environment. The guide also contains
information on mercury and PCB health risks.
The groups are kicking off the massive distribution campaign by sending
guides to their combined 1 million-plus members. Each guide also contains
a link to an online questionnaire to assess how and why people make
certain seafood choices. Every 50th person to fill out the questionnaire,
available at www.blueocean.org/feedback starting September 18, will
receive a free gift.
"Getting good seafood information out like this will help millions of
seafood lovers see how they can enjoy seafood and help the ocean-at the
same time," said Blue Ocean President and Co-Founder Dr. Carl Safina. "Our
partnership with West Marine - which is financing this tremendous effort -
and the committed organizations who are spreading the word among their
members can really help improve fisheries, increase the abundance of fish,
and improve our ability to enjoy our oceans."
"West Marine is excited to lead the Seafood Guide distribution effort to
make more people aware that their informed choices will help insure
sustainable populations of fish for consumers and anglers," said Randy
Repass, founder and chairman of West Marine, which has 380 stores located
in 38 states, Puerto Rico and Canada.
Blue Ocean's Guide to Ocean Friendly Seafood was the first such guide
published in the United States. Fish are analyzed and ranked by assessing
life history, abundance in the wild, habitat concerns, and fishery
management practices. The result is a comprehensive, peer-reviewed,
user-friendly guide that translates marine conservation information into
appealing, inspiring and understandable language. |
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