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Good Earth Attends 6th Annual Seafood Summit
As with most products the Good Earth provides we try to know everything there is to know about the seafood we stock and carry. Over the last few years, partner Al Baylacq has attended the Seafood Summit, an industry gathering sponsored by Seafood Choices Alliance, an international program that is bringing more transparency to the fisheries industry. Their mission is “to harness market forces around the globe in support of ocean conservation”. Good Earth’s seafood department, and all of our customers, are contributing to that mission by responding to our color-coded system on product, which makes it easy for consumers to choose sustainable seafood and help protect ocean health. This was made possible by our partnership with the Fishwise program (www.fishwise.org).
When the store expanded and moved 10 years ago, we struggled to find suppliers who would provide answers to questions that were important to us and our customers. Then we were approached by Fishwise, an educational and monitoring program for the sale of fish that provides consumers with accurate information on fish ecology, biology and catch methods. Under this program, suppliers are required to provide information on where the species was caught and what catch method was used, and then we decide what to carry using the standards set by Fishwise. “When we first started with the green, yellow, red labeling system, we ended up realizing that we were stocking some “unsustainable red-label” species like farmed Asian shrimp, troll caught red-snapper, even depleted swordfish. We didn’t immediately discontinue these items but after a period of time, folks stopped buying such red labeled items. Sales slowed on those items and we were led to more sustainable species with the help of FishWise networking abilities”, said Baylacq. The information provided by FishWise has proven to be based on good science by biologists around the world.
This year’s Seafood Summit made it clear that marine and river ecosystems are in peril and sustainability of fisheries around the world have become a primary focus for all levels of the fisheries industry. The bad news is many of the world’s fisheries are either gone or are severely affected. The good news is there is an unprecedented level of partnership forming by all concerned parties. Biologists from the World Wildlife Fund, Environmental Defense Fund, and other organizations have helped all parties understand the effects of over-fishing and the techniques and equipment that have strained the oceans capacity to produce.
Most key entities within seafood industry agree things need to change. Just ten years ago, there wasn’t consensus on what the issues were much less what solutions are needed. Marine closures and quotas are generally accepted. Destructive techniques and gear have been replaced or outlawed. In some cases, changes have precipitated improvements in some fisheries and allowed marine ecosystems to rebound.
One result of the depletion of wild fisheries has been the rapid growth of aquaculture, or farmed species. Approximately 65-70% of all seafood consumed on the planet is from aquaculture today. Currently, due to feed inputs and environmental pollution, Good Earth doesn’t stock farmed products. But we envision a time when we will carry some farmed products. We are not fundamentally opposed to providing aquaculture products but instead open to supporting operations that produce healthy, nutritious and sustainably produced seafood. We are aware of many operations that are using better ingredients and practices. In fact, we are closely following the progress the USDA is making. Recognition by the USDA of 3rd party certified organic farmed seafood products is greatly needed.
The Good Earth seafood department has recently been recognized nationally by Greenpeace with one of the highest scores a retailer can have for selling sustainable seafood. “We are honored to be recognized for our efforts but really it’s a tribute to our educated, caring customer base”, says Baylacq. “Our success in growing our seafood department, while providing only sustainable seafood, has become a beacon for others to follow”. The Good Earth is blessed here in Fairfax to have such a committed and educated customer base. It gives us hope that our actions can help save our oceans.
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