Plenty of Fish?

There’s plenty of fish in the sea the saying goes. Until one day, perhaps, there’s not. A scary prospect to consider and one that is not too far off according to many experts.

According to the United Nation’s 3^rd Biodiversity Outlook, published in May 2010 (and available online here) about 80 percent of the world marine fish stocks for which assessment information is available are fully exploited or overexploited. A November 2006 research article in Science warns that by 2048, commercial fish and seafood species may crash and be unable to recover, leading to dramatic loss of biodiversity and huge commercial impact. The time to address this looming crisis is now, according to Zach Kell who, together with his business partner Seth Hendricks, is owns and operates Goin’ Coastal, a restaurant specializing in serving responsibly sourced, sustainable seafood.

And Zach should know. He spent several summers working on tuna boats while attending Johnson Wales University in Providence, RI where he graduated from their world-renowned culinary program. This is where he learned firsthand that while some captains would cut corners and skirt the rules for what fish were in season, there were others that understood the need to protect stocks when they were most vulnerable. Zach also noticed that those fisherman who plied their trade with integrity and showed a deep understanding and zealous respect for the fish were also more diligent, considerate and professional in other parts of their work. Without exception this would result in a better product. Generally, he observed that the small, family businesses, where fishing had been practiced for generations and the equipment, nets and trawlers – along with the knowledge and skill to work them – were passed from father to son, did a far better job of respecting the seas and operating with integrity than the large commercial fishing operations. Zach compares this to farming and raising livestock, where the measured hand of the small artisan producer tends to produce a far superior product, while also taking a much smaller toll on the environment and natural resources that helped produce it. This difference in quality is just one of the reasons why sustainably caught wild fish from small independent fisherman is a must for Zach and the only sort of seafood he will touch. And, similar to the farm-to-table trend transforming our other sources of food, he buys directly from the fisherman and maintains close relations with dozens of co-ops around the country who ship their product directly, literally hours after being caught. A further source of pride to Zach is that upwards of 95% of his fish comes from independent American fisherman and he will never deal with large, global fishing corporations like Mitsubishi, that use advanced GPS technologies, deepwater sonar and ocean-floor dragnets that can fish up to a mile deep.

Zach will have no part of such rapacious industrial approaches. Every guest at Goin’ Coastal receives a copy of the 2010 Southeast Seafood Guide, published by the Georgia Aquarium and based on information provided through the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program.