EDFish

Canadian Fishermen Visit New England Counterparts

By Emilie Litsinger / Bio / Published: June 11, 2009

I love introducing fishermen to each other because they always have lots to talk about. Last week, EDF brought fishermen from British Columbia to six New England fishing communities. More than 100 fishermen from Massachusetts, Maine and Rhode Island attended the meetings, 35 people showed up in New Bedford, MA alone. The BC fishermen also met with 30 fishery managers.

The meetings focused on how catch shares work in B.C. New England fishermen are intensely interested in what’s going on in BC because the fisheries in New England are likely moving to catch shares in the near future. Becky Evans from the New Bedford Standard Times wrote an excellent story on the visits.

EDF has been brining fishermen together for years. We’ve arranged for fishermen to come to BC several times a year because we’ve found that fishermen are the best spokespeople for better fishing management. In fact, EDF brought fishermen from Belize to BC earlier this year.

Posted in New England / Tagged British Columbia, Catch Shares, New England | Comments are closed

Selecting Sustainable Seafood: The Challenge for Consumers

By Diane Regas / Bio / Published: June 10, 2009

Diane Regas is Associate Vice President for EDF Making sustainable seafood choices at the fish counter and at restaurants are daunting tasks for most people, even for experts such as New York Times food writer and cookbook author Mark Bittman. In his recent article, Bittman acknowledges the challenge of being a seafood consumer interested in both taste and environmental ethics.

“The buying has become a logistical and ethical nightmare,” Bittman states.

I’m glad that Bittman refuses to give up either eating fish or factoring sustainability into what he buys. He tries to keep his selection of sustainable seafood simple with a few rules of thumb focused on staying away from the most troubled fish stocks.

When we all demand sustainable seafood, I think it will help support some of the tough decisions that need to be made to get the oceans healthy again. Scientists tell us that the two best solutions are protecting the sensitive places in the ocean and managing the fish we catch properly through catch shares fishery management.

It is absolutely amazing that all the fisheries in the world are either fully fished at capacity or have been fished to collapse. Yet strong evidence published in the journals Science and Nature show that catch shares end, prevent and even reverse the collapse of fisheries. In addition to ending overfishing and rebuilding fish stocks, well designed catch shares provide economic stability for fishermen and fishing communities.

Fortunately for the environment, fishermen and consumers alike, support for catch shares management continues to gain momentum and is being considered in all coastal regions of the country. The new NOAA administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco is demonstrating unprecedented support for studying, implementing, and funding catch shares management. Just yesterday the House of Representatives appropriations committee included a big increase in the budget to make catch shares happen.

With continued support from fishermen and even consumers, this momentum and support for catch shares can lead to a new era for fisheries management that protects our oceans and make eating seafood all the more enjoyable.

Posted in Seafood / Tagged Catch Shares, Environmental Defense Fund, Fish, Fishing, Jane Lubchenco, Mark Bittman, New York Times, Seafood | Comments are closed

A Lesson in Catch Shares Cooperation

By / Published: June 10, 2009

Golden crab from the South Atlantic on ice For the past 10 years Doug Rader has worked with golden crab fishermen to protect deepwater corals off the South Atlantic coast. Between formal Fishery Council meetings and hallway conversations, a compromise of allowable fishing zones will keep golden crab fishermen fishing and deepwater corals out of harms way.

The golden crab industry has a history of being advocates for strong management. In 1995 it was the golden crab fishermen that petitioned for a fishery management plan and a limited entry fishery. Now with the deepwater protections on the verge of being adopted, many in the golden crab industry are looking to catch shares management as the next step for maintaining a healthy fishery.

Enter EDF staffers Eileen Dougherty (me) and Sarah Hagedorn. Starting about eight months ago, Sarah and I answered golden crab fishermen’s call to be educated on catch shares. Through many exchanges of information, Sarah and I learned about the fishery and fishermen learned about catch shares management. I helped fishermen understand how catch shares work and are designed and Sarah worked with the fishermen on the science behind catch shares and on defining an appropriate annual catch limit for golden crab.

Fishermen at the dock unloading golden crab What are the results of all this cooperation? The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council heard fishermen’s request to develop a golden crab catch shares program and are tasking the industry with taking the first crack at the design. Golden crab fishermen in return are looking to develop a collaborative process by which they can work together, with us, and Kate Quigley, the South Atlantic Council staff economist to craft a catch shares program that will meet their needs and continue the legacy of conservation and stewardship they’ve established. I look forward to continuing our work with the golden crab industry and am glad I’ve played a part in this lesson of catch shares cooperation.

Posted in Uncategorized / Tagged Catch Shares, Environmental Defense Fund, Fishing, Golden Crab, South Atlantic | Read 1 Response

Eating My Way Toward More Sustainable Oceans

By Phoebe Higgins / Bio / Published: June 9, 2009

Phoebe Higgins is a loan officer/project manager for the California Fisheries Fund, a project of Environmental Defense Fund.

I consider myself a green foodie, so I was really excited about Monterey Bay Aquarium’s “Cooking for Solutions,” an annual sustainable cuisine event. I got to meet world-famous chefs like Thomas Keller of The French Laundry and learn about sustainable seafood.

smoked black cod

Of course the food was out of this world. Who knew that an albacore tuna Reuben could taste so good? A close second was the mosaic fishcake paired with French breakfast radishes from Chez Panisse and a sardine crostini served up by Fish in Sausalito. Although the common thread behind these dishes was their “eco-friendly” status, I was really hoping the menu would share the stories behind the fish.

I’m always curious to know who caught the fish, where, and how the fisheries are being managed. In fact, I think food tastes better when I get to know the people who contributed to bringing it to my plate.

Phoebe Higgins with CFF consultant David Crabbe at Cooking for Solutions My project, the California Fisheries Fund, helps make this link. It supports fishermen who bring sustainable seafood to the American table. CFF is a $5 million, first-of-its kind revolving loan fund created to restore California’s fisheries, and we just gave out our first three loans. One of the borrowers, Roger Cullen, is a Morro Bay fisherman whose loan for a new vessel will allow him to fish for black cod and rockfish more efficiently with gear that reduces bycatch.

Roger unloads his catch with another CFF borrower, Morro Bay Fish Company, whose loan proceeds are helping grow its operations for unloading fish from local fishermen who use innovative trap and hook-and-line gear. After reaching the docks, much of this seafood is shipped to Central Coast Seafood, in Atascadero, CA. Their CFF loan has allowed them to upgrade its freezers and inventory and boost marketing for its sustainable products.

Butter-poached sole with cara cara oranges To connect people directly with our borrowers’ products and highlight CFF investments, we held a big launch at Google headquarters in Silicon Valley on March 30th. More than 100 people heard firsthand from the very folks whose livelihood is centered around bringing wild-caught fish to our stores and restaurants. We chose Google as a host because, in contract with Bon Appétit Management Company, they have a strong commitment to purchasing sustainable seafood.

I think the fact that the launch was covered by Fast Company, GreenBiz and Sustainable Industries proves that the business community is starting to take note of the profitability of America’s sustainable fisheries. Best of all, I was able to sit down to a meal of eco-friendly fish and hear the story behind the food I was eating. I’ll never look at smoked black cod toasts and butter-poached sole with cara cara oranges the same way again!

Posted in Pacific, Seafood / Comments are closed

EDF Celebrates World Oceans Day

By Tom Lalley / Bio / Published: June 8, 2009

A lot of people are thinking about the oceans today thanks to an official designation by the United Nations of World Oceans Day, so it’s a good time to step back and ponder why the oceans are so important. They cover 70 percent of the planet. One out of six people in the world depend on seafood for their protein and 200 million people rely on fishing alone for their income.

Of course much of what we hear about the oceans these day is bad. They’re being emptied of seafood, 90% of large fish like tuna and swordfish have been removed and fishing is fundamentally altering ocean ecosystems. But thankfully, there is some really good news too.

Years ago, EDF chose to focus its Oceans program on catch shares, a proven, innovative management system for fisheries that is proving itself around the world. A raft of new catch share initiatives are moving across the country and the prospects for broad change are growing. That’s certainly something to celebrate – for fishermen, consumers and the oceans.

Posted in Uncategorized / Comments are closed

Costello and Gaines Continue to Make the Case for Catch Shares

By Tom Lalley / Bio / Published: June 5, 2009

Professors Christopher Costello and Steven Gaines have recently sent ripples throughout the fishing world. Last year, they published a groundbreaking study in the journal Science, showing that fisheries under catch shares management dramatically outperform fisheries under traditional management in terms of preventing overfishing. Their most recent commentary discusses how catch shares can be customized to meet specific goals of a fishery and to address particular concerns. It also looks at how catch shares might be made more effective by, for instance, combining them with protected areas.

Posted in Uncategorized / Comments are closed