February 20, 2015 — Reaching out to students about 'responsibly harvested' seafood will benefit the Gulf of Maine fishery's long-term health.
Busy consumers don’t have time to research where their food comes from. They need a label they can trust. But while it’s easy to say that a product is good for the environment, it can be hard to get someone to back up that claim.
People who have fish on their shopping list can trust in its origins, as long as it has the Gulf of Maine Research Institute’s “responsibly harvested” label. Now the Portland-based institute is targeting a different audience: students at the many colleges and universities in New England. And the facts show there’s definitely a place for this consumer education campaign in institutions of higher education.
The Gulf of Maine Research Institute launched the branding program in 2011. The label applies to 10 species caught in the Gulf of Maine, between Cape Cod and Nova Scotia. To get the label, vendors must show that the seafood has been harvested in a way that supports the stock’s long-term health, as outlined in stock assessments and management plans.
Read the full editorial from the Portland Press Herald