Supporting the Gulf Seafood Industry
Events, Chefs, Environment
November 23rd, 2010
In the six months since the BP oil disaster, the market for Gulf seafood has taken quite a beating. Though industry members and advocates vouch for the safety of the seafood that’s made it to market, they are faced with a skeptical public. And this already-fragile industry needs our support.
As the voice of chefs dedicated to sustainability and local/regional foodsheds, Chefs Collaborative has been urging chefs and consumers to support Gulf fishermen and the businesses they rely on by purchasing Gulf seafood that has passed safety testing and made it to market. If we don’t, we risk losing a place-based culture that will be hard to recover once it’s gone.
We are encouraging our members to participate in an event called “Night Out for Gulf Seafood,” a chef/restaurant statement of support for Gulf Coast fishing families.
We are concerned about the environmental impact of the oil spill upon the Gulf’s eco-system and its fisheries, but the unintended consequence of avoiding Gulf seafood is that generations of local fishing experience and expertise could be forced out of business and a centuries-old food tradition could perish.
As chefs, our support is critical to an industry that has seen many hard times in the past decade–from unfair competition to both natural and man-made disasters. By supporting the Gulf seafood industry, we are ensuring its sustainability, along with the availability of a resource that we all value.
