A More Susrainable Catch

 Seafood restaurants can be snobbish. They serve fish from everywhere in the world yet ignore the ones from the local waters. Thankfully that's changing. People are discovering a more sustainable way fo enjoying fish.

Regulr conteibutor melissa Clark wrote about this in roday's New York Times Food section. Many waterfront restaurants likethe ones in East Hampton will have pasta topped with red shrimp from Argentina or fish counters will feature imported salmon filets rather than locally fished mackeral and black sea bass. THis sort of favoritism is not good. A catch could wind up changing hands three to four times and being trucked hundreds of miles to centralized dealers. Thanks to this the meat is in far worst shape. A whopping sity-five to eighty percent of seafood consumed in the US is imported.Strangely enough the US ships out around five billions dollars in seafood.Joshua Stoff, an associate professor of marine policy at the University of Maine and a founder of the Local Catch Network feels that sending seafood overseas shifts a significant portion of profits away from communities that desperately need it.

Thankfully that's all changing thanks to Professor Stoff and people like him.Their website Local Cathc Network is guiding home chefs to local sources for their seafood choices.Now even large retailers like WHole Foods have even started programs in coastal towns where they buy a portion of their seafood directly from  fishing boats.In New Orleans Porgy's Seafood Market buys all its;seafood from local fishing boats.It;s one fo the local shops that is devoted to buying from the locals. Even its name Porgy's reflects the local catch . They  are plentiful and sweetly flavored yet hard to filet and cook.This is where deep frying them comes in handy which makes the fish more desirable to eat.Nearby there is Mermaid;s Market in Brooklyn that regularly sells locally sourced seafood. Fish lovers can buy easy to filet and cook hake and golden tilefish.Long Island also has some excellent clams and limpets along with sea bass and mackerel. Use these for your seafood dishes. Ms. Clark even includes a rrecipe for filoets with tomatoes , mushrooms and bacon.

Think local when  buying seafood. It helps local fisheries along with the environment. Sourcing and buyign local is not only good but also delicious too