The award underlines the untiring efforts of Ocean Conservancy in restoring Gulf of Mexico red snapper through innovative partnerships and science-based advocacy. Ocean Conservancy has been chosen for this prestigious award for working to restore Gulf of Mexico red snapper. By urging science-based catch limits by regulators and encouraging major seafood suppliers and retailers to engage in fisheries management and offer sustainable options we will be able to end overfishing and rebuild sustainable fisheries.
Mark Powell, Vice President of Sustainable Partnerships at Ocean Conservancy, told that as a result of these efforts, Gulf red snapper now has a management plan based on science and the population has a good chance of rebounding to historic levels. He also said that improving the sustainability of seafood begins long before seafood reaches consumers or where the fish are caught — it begins with responsible management.
According to Powell when conservationists and seafood businesses work together to end overfishing we’re beginning to build a better future where every fish is a sustainable fish. It is fact that fisheries have been depleted due to decades of overfishing, and setting science-based catch limits is an important way of reversing this trend in U.S. waters. Mary Smith of the Plitt Company, a national seafood wholesaler, informed that the seafood industry has an important role to play in the sustainability of our fisheries. We’re a critical link in a long supply chain that begins on the water and ends on the dinner table.
