|
Sam’s Chowder House is committed to both the environment
and ecological system from where our food is sourced and grown
– and we are striving to meet today’s needs without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their
needs. Whenever possible, we source fish using the Seafood
Watch recommendations published by the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Our nation’s fisheries are in trouble, with nearly
half of our managed fish populations struggling for survival.
Too many boats are chasing too few fish – a worldwide
problem. According to the United Nations, more than two-thirds
of fisheries the world over have been fully exploited or overfished,
and catches are declining. Billions of pounds of fish each
year are wasted as unwanted “bycatch,” and hundreds
of thousands of seabirds, marine mammals, sea turtles and
other marine life are also killed through destructive fishing
practices.
The way fish are caught or farmed may also harm marine habitat. Heavy trawl nets dragged behind fishing boats bulldoze the ocean floor, crushing and destroying sea life in their path. Some fish farms discharge pollution into surrounding waters, require more wild fish to be used as feed and may supplant vital fish shelter and breeding grounds.
Recent reports have shown that a growing number of the fish we love to eat are contaminated with heavy metals like mercury, industrial pollutants like PCBs and pesticides like DDT.
Some of these problems can be solved through implementing better fisheries management and by reforming our country’s ocean policies and laws. But we can do our part by choosing seafood to eat or sell that is caught or farmed in an environmentally sensitive manner, which protects the long-term health of individual fisheries and our ocean ecosystems as a whole. That’s our goal at Sam’s.
The good news is that seafood that is harvested or raised more carefully often has superior taste, freshness, and purity. And better managed fish farming operations use few if any antibiotics and other chemicals.
Learn more about Sustainable Seafood at http://www.mbayaq.org/cr/seafoodwatch.asp.
|
Looking for a gift they'll enjoy? Give Sam's Gift Cards...