National Seafood Month - Sailors for the Sea

National Seafood Month

 October 12, 2016  | By: Oceana

mussels, seafood, sustainable seafood, national seafood month
It doesn’t matter which way you cook them, mussels are always a best choice when it comes to eating seafood!

October marks national seafood month!  And what better way to celebrate the bounty the ocean provides for us than talking about sustainable seafood. Did you know that best practice #8 of the Clean Regattas program is all about food? That’s right – sustainable food can greatly lower your event’s environmental impact, and a great place to start is with the food that comes from the sea.

Team USA

Fisheries in the United States are a big deal, and arguably the best managed in the world. The main law in this country that protects and promotes sustainable fisheries is the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA). This year, the MSA celebrated its 40th anniversary – an epic achievement that has resulted in rebuilt fish stocks and rebounding coastal economies, following a spate of overfishing due to technology expansion after World War II. Reauthorizations of the act in 1996 and 2006 have led to reductions of bycatch, an increase of usable product brought to the marketplace, and 39 fish stocks in the U.S. rebuilt as of June 2016. Purchasing seafood caught or farmed in the US ensures it was held to high standards and hopefully didn’t travel very far.

Why are sustainable fisheries important?

The benefits of a well-managed fish stock are immense. Healthy fish create a healthy ocean environment, shaping ocean habitat around them. Healthy fisheries are also vital to our economy. In 2014, the commercial and recreational fisheries of the United States generated $214 billion in revenue and supported 1.83 million jobs. The U.S. is the third largest consumer of seafood in the world, but our seafood industry feeds millions of people around the world.

How to get the good fish

It is important to know where your fish comes from, because some sources are more ethical than others. Important questions to ask yourself when purchasing seafood are: Where did this fish come from? What methods were used to catch it? Is it wild or farm-raised? Where on the food chain does this species fall? The easiest way to know the right answer to these questions is to download the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch App. It is a phenomenal resource to help you make a decision about which fish to eat that will have less of an impact on the environment. And when you’re planning a meal for an entire regatta, the benefits are that much bigger! Armed with this knowledge, you’ll be able to serve the highest quality seafood to your friends and family.

Healthy Fish = Healthy People

Last but not least, seafood is a great part of a balanced diet! Fish are high in protein and low in fat, the perfect meal after a long day of sailing. Our friends at the Monterey Bay Aquarium teamed up with celebrity chefs to create delicious recipes, and we bet their Mussels Saint-Ex or Spiced Mahi Mahi Tacos would be a huge crowd pleaser.  (If you make these let us know, because we want to come to dinner!)

Take Action

  • Register for Clean Regattas today. You’ll get our toolkit that will teach you the in’s and out’s of having sustainable seafood at your event.
  • Download the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood App available on Apple and Android devices. Or check out their website:  http://www.seafoodwatch.org/