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October 2009 Newsletter
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In this Issue:
Partner news: Green Chefs Blue Ocean
Teach a Chef to Fish
Gulf Shrimpers, Working with NGO’s for Environmental and Economic Sustainability
Give Roughy a Rest, Substitutions for Orange Roughy
FishChoice.com User Tips |
Dear Friends, Partners and FishChoice.com Users,
In light of the new report on our oceans, Turning the Tide: The State of Seafood, released this week by the Monterey Bay Aquarium, FishChoice.com can play an important role in helping to increase demand for more sustainably farmed and caught seafood options.
And, after a brilliant launch this summer, FishChoice.com is off to a swimming start.
News of FishChoice.com, the first comprehensive online tool connecting commercial seafood buyers with suppliers of sustainable seafood, was reported in numerous media outlets. Restaurant and seafood trade coverage included Seafood Source, Gourmet News, Intrafish, and Seafood.com. Green Business publications like Triple Pundit and Treehugger were excited about FishChoice.com as a sustainable business solution. We even reached consumers through Barry Estabrook’s wonderful work in his Politics of the Plate column for Gourmet.com. With the untimely demise of Gourmet magazine we hope that a writer as talented as Barry finds another outlet for his thoughtful writing on sustainability.
Since our launch, registered users increased by over 100% and now total 853. New suppliers have been added for a total of 381 seafood product listings on FishChoice.com that are now easily accessible to buyers, with new products being added every day. We’re cranking away to make FishChoice.com more robust by adding suppliers and usability features to the site.
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More consumers are expecting restaurants and retailers to offer sustainable choices. Together with our NGO partners, Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program, Blue Ocean Institute, Fishwise, Marine Stewardship Council, New England Aquarium, and Sea Choice we can bridge the gap between information and research on sustainable seafood and the purchasing power of commercial buyers to make a real impact on the availability of sustainable seafood products.
Look for occasional newsletters like this to let you know about sustainable seafood events, exciting new suppliers, and users, and news about FishChoice.com, and FishChoice.com partners. Please feel free to forward this newsletter on to any seafood buyer or supplier you know would be interested.
Warmest Regards,
Richard Boot.
President, FishChoice.com |
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FishChoice Partner News
Our affiliate, Chefs Collaborative and FishChoice.com collaborating partner Blue Ocean Institute have created Green Chefs, Blue Ocean, an online training and resource center for culinary students and chefs who are interested in learning about all aspects of sustainable seafood. It promises to be a great resource for educating chefs about sustainable seafood. |
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Teach a Chef to Fish
We’re partnering with Teach a Chef to Fish to get the word out to more sustainable-minded chefs. At the Boston Teach a Chef to Fish event in October FishChoice.com was demoed to an enthusiastic group of attendees, from longtime sustainability advocates to newcomers to the issues. FishChoice.com will also be demoed at the upcoming Chicago and Toronto events. |
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 Making the Gulf Shrimp Fishery Economically and Environmentally Sustainable
Ocean Conservancy has joined with The Sustainable Fisheries Partnership, Texas Sea Grant and gulf shrimp fisherman to preserve an economic and culturally important US fishery, reduce bycatch, and greatly improve fuel efficiency. Not only will the fishery’s impact on the environment be lessened, but lower fuel costs and higher efficiencies will help gulf shrimp fishermen compete in the global shrimp industry. 
Patrick Riley (pictured at right with modified shrimp net), a commercial fisherman and plant manager of Western Seafood in Freeport, Texas, has been a leader in adopting newer technologies such as hydrodynamic metal doors on the trawls and webbing nets that reduce drag and cut fuel consumption by as much as 30 percent. His fleet also employs the highest performing bycatch reduction devices (BRDs) to reduce waste and streamline the catch-sorting process on deck. Captains from Patrick’s fleet will train other shrimp fishermen throughout the Gulf how to use the new gear. For an overview of the project and equipment, watch this video. Log onto FishChoice.com for details about Patrick’s White Shrimp and Brown Shrimp.
*Photo Credit: Ocean Conservancy
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Give the Roughy a Rest
Orange Roughy is a long-lived fish that is slow to reproduce. It is overfished, can be high in mercury, and is caught with bottom trawlers that damage the ocean floor. A better alternative to Orange Roughy is Sablefish (also known as Black Cod). It’s slightly higher in fat, but can be sautéed or baked using the same ingredients and techniques listed in any Orange Roughy recipe. It’s a moist, rich fish with a mild, flavor that is versatile in the kitchen. FishChoice.com lists 23 different suppliers for Sablefish – you will find the full list of Sablefish suppliers here. Please log on or register when you arrive at FishChoice.com. |
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 Get the Most from FishChoice.com
To make your FishChoice.com experience more valuable the FishChoice team has compiled some tips for you to follow when searching for sustainable seafood products. Check out our “Get the Most from FishChoice.com page” for some smart tips. |
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