WASHINGTON (Saving Seafood) — November 4, 2014 — Saving Seafood’s Executive Director Robert Vanasse presented on “Recognizing Advances in Sustainability” during the Successes and Challenges in Coastal Fisheries Sustainability panel.
Last week, part of the Saving Seafood team headed down to New Orleans to attend the 2014 Science and Sustainability Forum. At the conference, fisheries experts gathered to review the status, trends, and advancements in the sustainability of fisheries ranging from local Gulf topics to global objectives.
Also in attendance at the conference were representatives from NOAA, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission (GSMFC), the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF), international fisheries, and university programs.
Saving Seafood’s Executive Director Robert Vanasse presented on “Recognizing Advances in Sustainability” during the Successes and Challenges in Coastal Fisheries Sustainability panel. In his presentation, Mr. Vanasse highlighted how U.S. fisheries have made significant advancements in sustainability, but he further detailed how the industry has not made the same advances in sharing this progress with the public.
Mr. Vanasse explained, “The industry needs to present a unified front and coordinate efforts to publicize the truth about domestic fisheries.” Highlighting the positive work being done in U.S. fisheries by U.S. fishermen, as Saving Seafood did regarding oyster restoration efforts in the Chesapeake Bay in National Geographic, is crucial.
The Forum, organized by Ocean Trust and sponsored by Bonefish Grill, LDWF, Omega Protein, and several other companies and organizations, also covered management system sustainability, Gulf-specific sustainability initiatives, labeling issues, traceability, and legal challenges, among other topics.
Review live updates from the conference on Twitter @SavingSeafood or using the hashtag #SSF14 here