Sustainable Seafood

Sustainable seafood supports a healthy marine ecosystem with better food options.

Many of us ﬂock to the coasts during the summer to enjoy swimming, boating, ﬁshing, a break from the heat, and delicious seafood. In today’s globalized world, even those who live far from the coast have access to a plethora of seafood choices in our local restaurants and grocery stores. As you peruse your options, you may wonder which seafoods are best to eat, not just in terms of taste but also if they are sustainable.

But what does it really mean for seafood to be sustainable? By the simplest deﬁnition, a seafood product can be considered sustainable if it is captured in quantities small enough to prevent negative impacts to its population and is caught in a way that does not harm other species or marine habitats. Sustainability is all about the future productivity of marine ecosystems. But without a crystal ball, how can we know how the actions we take today will inﬂuence tomorrow’s ocean?

How do you know if you’re choosing the most sustainable option?

Since ﬁsheries scientists and managers are not fortune-tellers, they rely on several different metrics to determine if ﬁsh are harvested in a manner that promotes healthy marine ecosystems in the future. Our seafood choices consist of various species caught with many diverse methods from all corners of the globe, so there is no single metric that can be used to ﬁgure out if a given type of seafood is or is not sustainable. There are, however, a few key questions commonly asked to assess sustainability:

• What type of gear was used to catch this ﬁsh or shellﬁsh?
• How much bycatch does this gear usually cause?
• Does this gear type damage marine habitats?
• Where on the food chain does this species fall?
• Is it wild or farm-raised?

Fishing gear
Gear type is one of the most important aspects of seafood sustainability because it has a major impact on other species and on marine habitats. There are three very basic generalizations about the relationship between gear type and seafood sustainability:

• Indiscriminate gear, such as purse seines, gill nets and trawls, usually results in more bycatch compared to selective gear, such as hooks, traps and harpoons. Yes, you can buy seafood caught by harpoon!
• Gear that touches the seaﬂoor (such as bottom trawls and dredges) is more likely to damage marine habitats than those that avoid it.
• Ask your seafood dealer how and where the ﬁ sh was caught. (You may also be able to verify this by doing some Internet research.)

Discarded ﬁsh
“Bycatch” refers to ﬁsh that are caught incidentally by ﬁshermen who are usually targeting one or two species. In the U.S., ﬁshermen are permitted to ﬁ sh on a species-by-species basis and are subject to regulations on when and where they can cast a line and on the size and number of the ﬁ sh they are allowed to keep. Bycatch can include a species that a ﬁsherman is not permitted to harvest, such as one caught out of season or that is smaller or larger than the legal size. Sometimes ﬁshermen accidentally catch too many ﬁsh of a particular species, and they have to throw some back. This is also considered bycatch. Fishery regulations in the U.S. require that most bycatch be discarded at sea. Because it is usually dead, bycatch can have a major negative impact on marine ecosystems.

Habitat Damage

Trawlers, like the one pictured here, can wreak havoc on the seafloor and damage the ecosystem.

If ﬁshing gear touches the seaﬂoor, it can damage marine habitats. This causes major impacts on other species and on the overall health of marine ecosystems. Bottom trawls are the most notorious example of ﬁshing-induced habitat destruction. They catch ﬁsh by dragging heavy gear along the bottom and are particularly harmful to rocky habitats, sponges and corals. Pole-caught, handline, troll, or trap-caught seafoods are better options because they cause very little habitat destruction.

Food Chain
Fish that are low on the food chain are generally sustainable options because they are, for the most part, more abundant than ﬁsh that are higher on the food chain. They also reproduce at a younger age, which helps them recover relatively quickly from low to moderate levels of overﬁshing. In the U.S., we tend to prefer long-lived, predatory ﬁsh, such as cod, tuna, swordﬁsh, salmon, and halibut. By expanding your tastes to include species lower on the food chain, you can support healthy marine ecosystems by reducing pressure on the larger groups, several of which are overﬁshed.

Some tasty options that are low on the food chain include mackerel, tilapia, catﬁ sh, mussels, clams, and oysters. There are some exceptions to this rule, which is why it is important to do a bit of research when considering seafood options. For example, shrimp are low on the food chain, but most that are available in the U.S. were farm-raised in ways that cause signiﬁcant habitat damage. Americans consume more than one billion pounds of shrimp every year, and 90 percent of that is imported from overseas aquaculture facilities. Shrimp aquaculture operations in some developing countries have a particularly bad track record for habitat destruction and human rights violations.

Wild vs. farm-raised
Most of the seafood consumed in the U.S. is harvested from wild populations. However, the amount of farm-raised ﬁsh and shellﬁsh in American seafood markets is rapidly expanding. There are several beneﬁ ts associated with aquaculture, but also many environmental costs. Aquaculture tends to generate strong opinions, and some argue that it is necessary to feed a growing human population while also supporting the health of marine ecosystems by taking pressure off wild stocks. Others argue that aquaculture relies too heavily on wild-caught ﬁsh to create feed for farm-raised ﬁsh, that it pollutes the environment with ﬁsh waste and antibiotics, and that escapees can harm wild populations by introducing diseases or altering the wild gene pool.

Farm-raised mussels, clams and oysters are generally beneﬁcial to marine ecosystems because they feed by ﬁltering seawater and do not require artiﬁcial feeds. They also improve water quality in the surrounding region. By purchasing these farm-raised species, you can assure that you are supporting healthy marine ecosystems. For others, speak with your seafood dealer and decide if they are sustainable options or not. In general, it is best to avoid seafood from aquaculture operations in developing countries because they tend to have fewer regulations compared to the U.S.

Take action
First, to see which types of seafood are sustainable, go to seafoodwatch.org or ﬁshwatch.gov. Another great way to learn more about seafood sustainability is to buy it locally and talk with ﬁshermen and dealers specializing in seafood.

You may be able to ﬁnd it at your local farmers’ market or join a Community Supported Fishery (CSF), where you can feel conﬁdent that it is sustainable (communityﬁsheriesnetwork.org, localcatch.org). CSFs follow the model of Community Supported Agriculture in that they bring fresh, seasonally available, locally caught seafood directly to consumers. They also offer a great way to support both healthy marine ecosystems and coastal economies.

By Julia Beaty, ﬁsheries social scientist
Courtesy of Sailors for the Sea

Tiny Giants of the Sea

Nearly invisible marine microbes play a vital role in life at sea and on land.

Stories of mysterious creatures lurking deep in the sea have long captivated our imaginations and stirred our curiosity. Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in East Boothbay, Maine, is on a mission to show that truth is stranger than fiction—in a big way.

Looks can be deceiving: Pteropods are actually sea snails.

Tiny Giants: Marine Microbes Revealed on a Grand Scale is a photographic adventure featuring colorized and enlarged images of nearly invisible plants and animals that dominate the ocean. Their beauty will leave you awestruck. “Our idea behind the Tiny Giants images was to pique people’s imaginations about the invisible creatures that we study that are vital to our very existence,” says Dr. Benjamin Twining, director of research and education at Bigelow Laboratory.

Ostracods–tiny shrimplike crustaceans are also known as sea fireflies–give off a bright blue light.

But how do you stir up interest and raise awareness about organisms so small that hundreds of thousands can live in just a single drop of seawater? You make the invisible visible. Dr. Peter Countway, Laura Lubelczyk and other Bigelow Laboratory researchers used three types of microscopes—compound-light, confocal and scanning electron—to capture 18 incredible images of marine microbes. Each of the high-powered microscopes provides a unique perspective and allows us to peer into this invisible world, but it takes a skilled and practiced hand to create the magical images seen in Tiny Giants. The incredible magnifications—some of the images are as big as four feet wide by five feet tall—offer a unique glimpse at the intricacies of these marine-dwelling microbes; their exquisite shapes and patterns appear otherworldly.

Copepods make up more than 21,000 species. Photo credit: Dr. Peter Countway, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences with funding provided by the National Science Foundation.

Marine microbes are the foundation of life on Earth. They produce half of the oxygen we breathe and are the base of the food chain. In fact, 98 percent of the ocean’s biomass is made up of microbial life. Given their vital role in planetary processes and balance, it is important that we understand how ocean health issues such as ocean acidification and rising sea temperatures affect these organisms. In addition, marine microbes may lead to new advances in pharmaceuticals, fuel sources and nutritional supplements. Bigelow Laboratory is the only independent basic research institution in the world that focuses on microbial oceanography, and its researchers want to spread the word about the world-class discoveries taking place at their state-of-the-art campus.

Tiny Giants has been making the rounds throughout the northeast U.S. since January 2015. The exhibit has been featured in libraries, schools and art galleries. The response has been as impressive as the images themselves. “It was delightful to wander amongst the crowd and hear people exclaim about the beauty and wonder of marine microbes,” said Darlene Trew Crist, Director of Communications at Bigelow Laboratory, at the sold-out showing at District Hall in Boston, Massachusetts. Tiny Giants had a full summer schedule in 2016 including a World Oceans Day Summit on June 8^th in Newport, Rhode Island, presented by Sailors for the Sea and Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences.

Diatoms–single-celled algae–are giants of the microbial world. Photo credit: Dr. Peter Countway, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences with funding provided by the National Science Foundation

To promote unique, exciting ways to teach and learn, the Tiny Giants exhibit resided at Colby College in Waterville, Maine, throughout the 2015 fall semester. This innovative collaboration was used not only in biology and environmental science departments but also in theater, dance, art, and humanities. Educators used the exhibit to connect concepts of invisible marine microbes to their coursework. “We were excited to show the images in the Tiny Giants exhibition on campus last fall,” said Lori G. Kletzer, Colby Provost and Dean of Faculty. “Colby’s strategic partnership with Bigelow Laboratory provides world-class opportunities in marine science and climate science for our students—we knew that. The unique aesthetic for examining the natural microbial world through these photos completely reinforced the interdisciplinary approach that both our institutions value so highly.”

The wonders of the microscopic world aren’t reserved for scientists. With Tiny Giants, Bigelow Laboratory is making the mysterious marine underworld accessible to everybody. Next time you are out on the water, take a moment to think about the organized and diverse communities of tiny sea creatures that make our life possible. Check out the Tiny Giants schedule to see if there is an event or exhibit in your area at tinygiants.bigelow.org/schedule.html. Learn more about marine microbes and the cutting-edge research going on at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences at bigelow.org.

— By Jaime Blair, Communications Consultant at Bigelow Laboratory — Article courtesy of Sailors for the Sea, Southern Boating Magazine April 2017

Making (Green) Water

A Wilmington, NC trio is making fresh water green in an innovative way.

Nature has done a pretty good job of providing water for a few million years now, but it isn’t always the type of water we need where we need it. For example, many island and coastal communities have plenty of seawater at their shoreline but often struggle to produce enough fresh drinking water economically. If you happen to be cruising along the coast of North Carolina, you may see a young company’s attempt at a solution to this problem. Saros Desalination, founded by Chris Matthews, Justin Sonnett and Laura Smailes, has placed a test buoy just south of Masonboro Inlet. The buoy concept, explains Sonnett, “is for the buoy to be part of a wave-driven seawater desalination system, which has a minimal operational carbon footprint and that is powered solely by ocean waves. The Saros EcoH2O innovation aims to utilize renewable resources to provide inexpensive, clean water to developing coastal regions, areas looking for sustainable desalination solutions and communities struck by natural disasters.” The next phase of testing could see additional buoys placed in the vicinity of Wrightsville Beach fishing piers to enable easy transfer of seawater to a shore-based unit. More information on this unique project or how to contribute to their fundraising efforts can be found at sarosdesalination.com.

Beaufort International Film Festival

Beaufort, South Carolina, isn’t just a favorite destination for cruisers. The city and its scenery also draw filmmakers with notable box office hits like Forest Gump, The Big Chill, The Prince of Tides, and The Great Santini. This combination creates the perfect opportunity to tie your boat up at the Downtown Marina of Beaufort February 15-19, 2017, for the 11^th Annual Beaufort International Film Festival. The festival will feature screenings of original films, screenplays and workshops with the directors. Join actors and producers for the awards and requisite cocktail parties, and you will feel like Hollywood has moved east. Information on tickets and screening times is available at beaufortfilmfestival.com.

Florida art festivals

Starting in February there’s no better place to appreciate the work of fine artists and craftsmen than the open-air spaces of Florida’s coastal towns. Begin with the 16^th Annual Hobe Sound Festival of Arts February 4-5. This festival is set up along four blocks of A1A at 11954 SE Dixie Highway in Hobe Sound, Florida. Also produced by Howard Alan Events & American Craft Endeavors is the 27^th Annual Downtown Stuart Art Festival. This festival has become a premier event in central Florida with artists coming from around the nation to display their work. The festival runs February 25-26 on SW Osceola Street in downtown Stuart. Additional information on both the Hobe Sound and Stuart festivals can be found at artfestival.com.

Finally, consider visiting the ArtiGras Fine Art Festival in Jupiter, Florida. This highly anticipated event takes place February 18-20. Artists’ work will be on display at Downtown Abacoa, 1200 Town Center Drive in the city. Tickets may be purchased in advance at artigras.org.

By Bob Arrington, Southern Boating Magazine February 2017