Sheila Bowman of the Monetary Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Programme, told that the first thing people need to understand that seafood is seasonal. She said that there is a need to expand the seafood seasons by buying from farther away, Alaskan halibut or New England oysters.
It is true that many seafood species are migratory, traveling the ocean’s currents in search of the best food sources. Salmon are a good case in point. It takes salmon anywhere from 2-5 years of swimming in the open ocean before they mature and are caught for food.Alen Grover, biologist from California Department of Fish and Game, has studied salmon for more than 20 years. According to him every year still brings surprises. He was reluctant to speculate on the current salmon decline.
He told that salmon have a complicated life history, and any one thing can drive the population down. Kate Wing, ocean policy analyst for the Natural Resources Defense Council, told that the large number of agencies involved further complicates seafood management. But the management comes down to consumer choice because it is our buying dollars that drive the fishing economy.
Bowman of Seafood Watch has recommended eating Petrale Sole, along with all California flatfish, only a few times a year, due to issues with bottom trawling, which can damage or destroy fish habitat. The Seafood Watch recommends Alaskan halibut as the best alternative.
