Seafood Savvy

Some types of fish farming, or aquaculture, have more impact on the environment than others. This depends, in part, on what type of fish is being farmed, what type of farming method is being used and where the farm is located.

Seafood Savvy is a program designed to empower consumers to know the right seafood to buy and why. Your choices matter, and simple actions can make a big difference.

This means that the seafood comes from sources, either fished or farmed, that are able to maintain or increase production in the long term without negatively impacting the affected ecosystems.

There are several reasons! Seafood is a primary food source for people all over the world. Fish is a good source of omega 3 fatty acids, an important part of a healthy diet. Fisheries provide commercial productivity, and directly or indirectly affect 40,000 jobs in Georgia alone. Destructive fishing methods harm the global aquatic environment and contribute to a decline in our overall quality of life.

Our choices drive the seafood industry. Your purchasing power makes a difference. Your support of fisheries and farms that are better for the environment helps build a healthy future for the ocean. With almost 75% of the world’s fisheries either fully fished or overfished, these issues are extremely important. By using our Seafood Savvy guide, you’re making choices based on the most current information and supporting environmentally friendly fisheries and aquaculture operations.

Sustainability is determined by several different factors.

• Are we taking only what can be replaced?
• Are we harvesting the fish from healthy populations in environmentally friendly ways?
• Are we managing the ecosystem so that there is natural replenishment?
• Are we using fishing methods that will supply present as well as future needs?

Pick up a Seafood Savvy guide for yourself, a friend and/or family member. Ask questions at the market or at restaurants. Encourage your favorite restaurant or market to only supply sustainable seafood. Eat for the future. Eat sustainably.

On April 4, 2004, supermarkets were required to label unprocessed seafood with information regarding its location of origin and whether is it farm-raised or wild caught. If such information is not available in a store or on a restaurant menu, we recommend that you ask the following questions:

• Do you know where this item comes from?
• Do you know if it’s farmed or wild caught?
• If it’s wild, what was the fishing method?

The number of restaurants that serve sustainable seafood is growing all the time. Never hesitate to ask, make a call or do some internet research before you dine out. As for seafood markets, Whole Foods is committed to stocking only sustainable seafood.

80% of shrimp available in the U.S. market is imported from developing nations. Farms that occur along the coast in many tropical nations have adverse impacts on the environment, including the destruction of mangrove forests, salt marshes and flatlands. Many farms also release their untreated wastewater into the coastal environment, leading to pollution and disease.

Firstly, our food broker evaluates all seafood vendors before we conduct business with them to ensure that they use sustainable methods to harvest seafood for both animal and human consumption. Secondly, we have developed our Seafood Savvy program to educate our guests to make informed seafood choices.