Sea Change

Contrary to popular belief, there isn’t always another fish in the sea. Americans ate an average of 15.5 pounds of fish and seafood in 2015, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. While eating fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids is good for your health, eating too much of any one species threatens the ocean’s delicate balance. In Louisiana, organizations like the Audubon Institute’s Gulf United for Lasting Fisheries (G.U.L.F.) are leading the charge in promoting sustainable seafood and working with committed chefs to educate consumers and bring gulf and ocean conservation to the table.  

“Our mission is to work with the seafood supply chain, from harvesters to retailers, fishery management agencies, and consumers to ensure that fisheries in our region thrive for the benefit of future generations,” explained John Fallon, G.U.L.F.’s assistant director. Sustainability isn’t just about the species being harvested, he said.  The concept also spills over to species that interact with that fish and the physical environment in which it thrives. 

“As a chef, it’s important to have conversations with my purveyors, to know where the fish comes from and how it is harvested. I can make a choice not to have bluefin tuna on the menu at Angeline, for example, because there are questions about overfishing the tuna population right now. So I make that decision.”

Then there’s the human component. “We understand that here in Louisiana there are many family-owned fishing businesses that have sustained themselves on the Gulf for generations.” Five years ago, when Audubon initiated the program, it was met with some resistance. “Initially sustainability was a dirty word around here,” Fallon recalled.  Other environmental groups from outside the area had come in and tried to pressure the fisheries and force changes without trying to understand the culture. But Fallon has worked to break down barriers, to open conversations and bring all parties to the table when committees are formed to initiate fishery improvement projects (FIPs) like working with shrimpers to make sure turtle excluder devices (TEDs) are installed properly in their nets."

He and his team have driven from Brownsville, Texas, to Key West, Florida, and hit every major coastal seafood town along the way. “We’re local, we take a different, more collaborative approach.”

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Although there’s plenty of science and research behind G.U.L.F.’s initiatives, sometimes raising awareness is as simple as having dinner. The second annual Summer of Sustainability dinner series at Audubon Aquarium wraps up August 10, spotlighting local chefs of the G.U.L.F. Chef Council and Restaurant Partnership Program. The $150 a plate feast benefits G.U.L.F. and spotlights six local chefs: Tenney Flynn, GW Fins; Brian Landry, Borgne; Dana Honn, Carmo; Allison Richard, High Hat Café; Chris Lynch, Commander’s Palace; and Tariq Hanna, Sucré.

The idea behind sustainable seafood is simple: making responsible seafood choices is a winning proposition for everyone. “We all need to care about the future of our planet,” said chef Rick Moonen, an outspoken advocate for sustainable seafood based at RM Seafood at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas. Moonen grew up in New York and used to fish on Long Island every summer as a kid. “I love the ocean, and as I started to work at seafood-focused restaurants, I realized that every choice makes a difference.”  

Empowering the consumer is a big part of the conversation, noted Chris Lynch, chef de cuisine at Commander’s Palace.  “Always putting redfish or [endangered] bluefin tuna on the menu isn’t the answer.  We are looking more at introducing bycatch fish [fish that are caught unintentionally while catching another targeted fish] to our guests. Our challenge is appealing to the adventurous diner willing to try something different.” Non-native, invasive species that threaten the Gulf include lionfish and Asian carp, just two of the species that helped inspire the “Can’t Beat ‘Em, Eat ‘Em” approach to Gulf seafood. The Give Swordfish a Break campaign of the 1990s is a perfect example of sustainability at work. Launched in New York, the campaign kicked off with twenty-seven leading chefs, including Moonen, taking North Atlantic swordfish off of their menus until a recovery plan was put in place. Over the course of the campaign, hundreds of chefs signed the Give Swordfish a Break pledge, while others—the Peabody hotel chain, cruise lines, grocery stores, airlines and others—agreed to remove North Atlantic swordfish from their menus and dining choices. That concerted effort yielded results: by 2009, North Atlantic swordfish recovered to 105% of levels considered healthy, according to Blue Water Fishermen’s Association.

For Alex Harrell, chef/owner at Angeline, participating in the G.U.L.F sustainability seafood dinners is a no brainer. Harrell, who earned a degree in biology before concentrating on culinary arts, grew up in Dothan, Alabama, and has worked in New Orleans and Charleston. He’s also a fisherman and is well aware of the impact that over-fishing can have on seafood. 

“As a chef, it’s important to have conversations with my purveyors, to know where the fish comes from and how it is harvested. I can make a choice not to have bluefin tuna on the menu at Angeline, for example, because there are questions about overfishing the tuna population right now. So I make that decision.”

As the chef de cuisine at the Gulf seafood-centric Pêche, Ryan Prewitt is vigilant about the sustainability of his product, a practice he honed when he worked at a seafood house in San Francisco. “Here, there still are a lot of gray areas in the purchasing of seafood,” he said. “I’ve personally tried to work with various organizations to address that, and honestly it’s like steering a very large and slow ship—change comes very slowly.”  Red snapper is an example of a fish that was harvested almost to extinction, but because of regulatory measure has come back to a healthy, if not fully recovered, population.  “Now it’s sold on a tagged, quota system, so we know that the fish is being harvested sustainably. That said, I still rotate it off the menu from time to time.

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“I try to use a brighter, broader variety of fish species—to create a market for fish that aren’t as well known.” Meaty, satisfying fish like Spanish mackerel and King mackerel are two examples of fish with established markets outside of our region. “We are taking a commercially viable resource and shipping it outside the state. That makes no sense.” 

So what’s a seafood lover to do? Step up to the plate, do a little research, and patronize restaurants that respect the Gulf’s limited resources, for starters. Prewitt would like to make another suggestion to the seafood-loving consumer. “Broaden your horizons as to what you consider ‘good’ or ‘bad’ fish,” he said. Almost every fish is delicious if it’s cooked the way it’s meant to be cooked. Keep an open mind and you’ll be surprised at the delicious fish you discover.”

Tickets available for the August 10 dinner at audubonnatureinstitute.org.