Sustainable seafood is the practice of harvesting wild-caught seafood products in ways that both protect habitat and allow different species to repopulate. There are many ways to find seafood products that are kind to the sea, local fishing communities, and our planet overall.
What Is Sustainable Seafood?
Sustainable seafood balances the demand for seafood products with sound science to determine how many fish can be caught in an area to allow them to continue repopulating healthily. The idea is to keep the ecosystem balanced, protected, and productive. This is determined by analyzing trends in different fish populations and adjusting harvesting operations appropriately.
Another part of sustainable seafood practices is using gear that will have a minimal impact on surrounding wildlife and their habitats. This includes biodegradable lines, nets, lures, and traps.
The sustainable seafood movement also takes into account the impact on local communities, ensuring that a fishing area isn’t “cleaned out,” thus depriving fishermen of their living. Sourcing USA fish ensures that a way of life is supported and also utilizes the large network of businesses and community members that work in the industry.
Companies that practice sustainable fishing work closely with the locals to strengthen and support their communities.
How to Identify Sustainable Seafood
When you choose sustainable seafood products, like wild-caught salmon, you’re making a conscious choice to support healthy oceans as well as those communities where fishing is their livelihood. Sadly, as with many environmentally sensitive products, the practice of “greenwashing” occurs with seafood. Greenwashing is a marketing practice in which companies use certain buzzwords to mislead their customers into thinking they are eco-friendly or use sustainable practices in creating their products. So be aware when making your choices.
Sea to Table also uses data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fishwatch program, which helps monitor and promote sustainable seafood products when determining the sustainability of products.
Why Choose Sustainable Seafood?
Opting for sustainable seafood keeps our oceans and the fish ecosystem healthier, and supports local fishing communities both economically and socially. Additionally, this practice ensures that seafood products will be available for future generations.
When you choose sustainable, wild-caught seafood, like Sea to Table’s wild-caught salmon, you’re getting a healthier, tastier fish. You can see the better quality in texture and taste the difference immediately.
Even better, you can easily get sustainable seafood online! At Sea to Table, our network of American fishermen wild-catch everything from Alaskan seafood to Gulf shrimp, Maine lobsters, and more. As much as ninety percent of the seafood you find at the store is imported; we only fish in American waters, from Maine to Alaska, using sustainable practices.
Our wild-caught seafood is flash-frozen on board or soon after and tagged with the date and location of the catch. Your family can enjoy the freshest, healthiest seafood products, all the while knowing your responsible choices are helping the planet.
Sustainable Seafood Certifications and Labels
Several organizations promote sustainable seafood, by working with commercial seafood providers and fishermen. They also focus on increasing awareness among consumers of the importance and value of sustainable seafood products.
Types of Sustainable Seafood
There are so many types of delicious, sustainable seafood. Wild-caught salmon, and Alaskan Halibut are caught in the icy waters of Alaska. Gulf of Maine Redfish, Atlantic Sea Scallops and Wild Maine Lobster are all great choices from the waters of New England. Wild Gulf Shrimp is sustainably harvested in and around the Gulf of Mexico. These are all great options when looking for sustainable seafood from the U.S.A.
At Sea to Table, all of our catch is wild-caught, such as shrimp from the Gulf waters, lobster tails from Maine, and halibut from the waters of Alaska. We work with local fishermen and seafood producers all over America to harvest the catch in an eco-friendly way that allows fish populations to recover on a natural timeline in their habitat.
Challenges in Sustainable Seafood
When it comes to sustainability in our oceans, overfishing is the number one concern. If wild fish populations are caught faster than they can recover, that can lead to a near-total crash in their numbers.
Climate change is affecting fish habitats, leading to harvest losses. Certain fishing methods, like some bottom trawling, also damage delicate ecosystems like coral reefs. It is important to know where your fish was caught as well as how.
The solution to these challenges is to educate the public on the critical importance of sustainable seafood. Not to mention, how much better and tastier it is! This will drive more demand, thus leading to improvements in fishing practices that will help keep our oceans healthy.
Conclusion
As our climate changes and the demand for healthy seafood continues, sustainability practices are essential to ensure that the sensitive marine ecosystem survives. The bad news is that overfishing and bad fishing practices are damaging our oceans. The good news is that science is partnering with the fishing community to create sustainable ways to harvest fish and keep seafood populations healthy.
Beyond helping the environment, sustainable seafood practices protect and support local fishing communities and farms.
Choosing to purchase sustainable seafood products from Sea to Table strengthens the efforts of this critical industry. Besides enjoying fresher, tastier fish like wild-caught salmon, each purchase moves the needle, encouraging better fishing practices and supporting the fishermen dedicated to protecting our delicate ecosystem.
At Sea to Table, our commitment is to provide customers with the freshest, finest wild-caught seafood products shipped directly to their door. We only work with American fishing communities to ensure the very best catch that’s flash-frozen and Labeled with individual traceability information Sea to Table works with leaders in the sustainability community, including NOAA’s FishWatch program. Sustainable seafood is a movement that not only provides healthier nutrition to you, your family, and the world but has a positive ripple effect on both the fishing industry and our planet.