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More Fish Information and Helpful Resources

Atlantic Cod fish fishing fisheries

Four Actions for Saving Fish and Fishing Communities.

For resources on finding and buying the sustainable fish, read on below the four actions.

 

  1. Change your sandwich from meat to fish – Enjoy health benefits while fighting climate change, which is hurting fish habitats
    • Harvesting seafood releases less greenhouse gases than raising animals for meat.
    • Eating local seafood further reduces emissions by reducing transportation.
    • Buying fish supports fishing communities
    • Seafood is generally lower in fat and higher in protein than meat and poultry. It’s also a good source of essential fatty acids, which are thought to support the prevention of heart disease
  2. Eat local seafood – Supports fish and local fishing communities because US fisheries are the best managed in the world
    • Local fish is fresher
    • Eating local seafood reduces greenhouse gas emissions by reducing transportation
    • Also you are benefiting your local fishing community
    • More than 90% of seafood consumed in the US is imported from other countries often with far murkier fishery management and food safety practices
    • US commercial fisheries are among the best managed and sustainable in the world.
      • Fishermen and US fishery managers are working hard to develop and follow sustainable fishing practices.
      • Fishermen, scientists and fishery managers are collaborating to increase our understanding of vital fish stocks to continue to improve fishery management and fishing practices.
      • Between 2000 and 2013, 34 fish stocks have been rebuilt and are now being sustainably fished thanks to the hard work of fishermen and fishery managers
    • Supports fishermen by eating local and fishery management by supporting a stronger Magnuson Stevens Act, which will assist them in building upon that success.
  3. Choose underutilized fish – It’s more affordable AND reduces waste and bycatch by bringing to market already caught fish that might otherwise be discarded
    • Underutilized fish costs less than more popular types and is just as delicious
    • Bycatch is fish that is harvested in a fishery, but not sold or kept for personal use, and are discarded.
    • More than half of the fish consumed in the United States comes from just three groups – shrimp, tuna and salmon.
    • The economic pressures on fishermen are toward greater and greater quantities of a small number of species of fish that large retailers demand at lower and lower prices. Consumers can contribute to marine conservation and support fishing communities by choosing less well-known underutilized fish.
    • Examples of underutilized fish include Pollock, Whiting, Atlantic Mackerel, Dogfish, Bluefish, Scup. However, each region will have particular fish types that are underutilized and plentiful.

Here are some helpful resources for more information:

 

  • FishWatch – US seafood facts for consumers, by NOAA – a good source of useful information about the safety, quality, sustainability and economic impact of different types of seafood – http://www.fishwatch.gov
  • Local Catch, a network of community supported fisheries – a good source for finding locally caught fish directly from the fishermen – http://www.localcatch.org/

Regional organizations: