Charley Williams, LWVOC Past President, interviews Cinthia Sandoval, Marketing Director, Wild Ocean Seafood Market, Titusville, FL - at community forum, Urban ReThink, downtown Orlando, May, 2011
First, how far out does the State of Florida control its waters for fishing?
United States control?
The state of Florida regulates fishing within the state and 3 miles off the coastline but federally regulated waters reach farther out (3miles to 200 miles). The United States Exclusive Economic Zone (via the Law of the High Seas Convention) is 200 miles from our coast, which gives us sole exploitation rights over that area. We can fish in international waters, but catch limits and regulations still apply to the fish that are brought back into the country. (On the west coast of Florida it’s 9 miles out for the state.)
How is Florida's fish population doing? Are we practicing sustainable catches? Are any species at crisis stage?
Depending on the species. Healthy would include Mullet, Sheepshead, Whiting, Spots, Bluefish, Cobia, Tilefish, Golden Crab, Canaveral White Shrimp, etc. Now, this is what we are seeing as a fish house. NOAA places Black Sea Bass, Pink Shrimp, Red Grouper, Red Porgy and Red Snapper as five of the most overfished species in the Southeast Atlantic. Mind you Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina are included within the Southeast Atlantic (North Carolina being a big harvester of Black Sea Bass and Red Porgies) so it does not necessarily mean this is happening in Florida. There is no doubting that Grouper in general is overfished in Florida and that is why last year they placed a Spawning ban from Jan.1 to April 31. I would say that Swordfish is also on that list.
We now know that many countries such Japan, China, Italy and less developed countries exceed the fishing limits set by international authorities. When we go to a restaurant, how do we know where the fish is coming from?
You never really know unless you ask and even then you can’t be sure. According to FDA reports from 2008, 80 percent of the seafood Americans eat is imported and I would say that most Florida restaurants sell a frozen product that comes from a box and they should be able to see the origin on the box (it’s the law). When it comes to shrimp, only 10 percent of shrimp sold within the USA is wild (mostly from Mexico), the rest is mostly farm-raised. Most Tunas come from Asian Countries where they are processed, CO2 treated, frozen and shipped out. A lot of fresh fish comes from Central and South America with a little bit coming from Africa.
It’s easier to know with the smaller restaurants, usually the higher end ones that market their sustainable fish menu know where their fish comes from. I would honestly stay away from seafood in the corporate restaurants and I even rarely order seafood out, I stay home and cook it because I know exactly where it is coming from.
What are the key questions to ask of restaurant ownership? Should they post their policy on their website? Is this a growing trend?
Where is your fish coming from? Who is your source? If a restaurant is serving a local, sustainable product, there is no doubt they will try to market it.
“What kind of steps are you taking in sourcing seafood from sustainable fisheries?” “Do you buy local fish?” “What kind of seafood do you serve? (just the predatory fish or smaller, sustainable fish), etc." They should post their policy. I think the growing trend for corporate entities is to pair up with organizations that certify sustainable fisheries (MSC, fishwise, Monteray Bay, Greenpeace, Cleanfish, etc) and get their approval/logo. Smaller, high-end restaurants are seeking more local seafood and some really adventurous ones are even using undesirable, sustainable fish on their menus (ex. Mullet). Mind you, since most of these businesses aren’t sourcing directly through the fishermen, even they can’t be 100 percent sure where it is coming from but hopefully they are dealing with fish houses that have trip tickets to prove the origin of their fish.
What report card grade should be given to Florida-based corporations like
Publix and Darden for their efforts to promote sustainable seafood catches/product?
I can tell you the Publix has yet to instill a sustainable seafood policy, and I rarely see any local product in their case. They are number 17 on Greenpeace’s redlist: http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/Global/usa/planet3/PDFs/oceans/CATO_V_FINAL-scorecard.pdf. Now don’t get me wrong, there are several points I disagree with when it comes to Greenpeace, but comparatively, Publix is neither leading or following what seems to be the industry’s new standards. Like I said before, I am very surprised they haven’t jumped on the ball with this issue. Darden seems to have a new website listing their sustainability efforts: http://www.generationcommitment.com/.
Looking at the worldwide stage, is public opinion turning to make a difference in
salvaging declining fish populations? Or are we just beginning? What can we as
Floridians do to help?
There is no doubt we are just beginning. I think with documentaries such as “end of the line” people are starting to pay attention. There are 3 big things I tell consumers to do when buying seafood:
1. Eat mostly from the lower Trophic levels (shellfish, mollusks, small, non-predatory fish)
2. 2. Diversify your pallet and be adventurous (we can’t keep eating only the same fish over and over again because something will have to give)
3. 3. Always ask where your seafood comes from and really steer clear of restaurants that do not buy locally or have a sustainable seafood policy (but more importantly that don’t buy local).
4. If you want to be further informed, go on the NOAA website and look up their fishwatch section. There is a lot of information that you can sift through.
On a 1-10 scale, how well regulated is Florida fishing? United States in general?
Personally, I would say a 7 for Florida and a 6 for the United States and this is specific to the amount and intensity of regulations placed on fishermen, not necessarily on how well-managed the fisheries are.
A lot of species in the Northeast are mismanaged (especially the Cod) but there are steps in place to get back to stable populations.
They say that long-line fishing, conducted over a single year, could wrap around the
earth 550 fimes. Where is this decimating practice being conducted?
I can’t speak to that figure but long lining is a fishing method practiced all over the world including the United States. Long-lining itself isn’t the most horrid of fishing methods, it’s just the excess at which its practiced. The biggest issue with long-lining is the unintentional bycatch that is associated with it and how incredibly effective it is to catch a lot of fish. Ideally you want very few boats with this type of gear, very few species that can be caught with this gear and a lot of closures throughout the year.... But you don’t see that happening around the world. I can go into a whole 5 page answer about longlining (both good and bad), we will leave this for another day.
Here is a link to USA regulations for Highly Migratory Fish (Tuna, Sword, Shark, etc), over 35 pages of regulations... Just to let you know.
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/hms/Compliance_Guide/Comm/Comm_Compliance_Guide_Total.pdf
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