I have a couple of concerns about the fish offered by Walden. I have been lucky enough to see right whales in my life and I would prefer to not eat fish caught by net. I am kind of assuming that bluefish are line caught. Am I wrong?
Aso, the case concerning fish catch monitoring that is now before the Supreme Court will likely be devastating to any environmental control of any national resource. My understanding is that this case is being brought to the court by a group of local New England fisherman. Is there any way to know if any of the fish sold by Red’s to Walden come from associated fisherman?
I appreciate that we are broadening the species for consumption and I love seafood. But I am beginning to wonder if ANY seafood is really sustainable.
Thanks for giving me the opportunity to ask these questions and I am trying to make Walden my major source for whatever animal protein my family eats.
Thanks so much for your question regarding our seafood program as well as the upcoming Supreme Court case. It’s clear you care deeply about making responsible and sustainable choices in your seafood consumption; we appreciate your commitment to these values! Allow me to address your questions below:
Our bluefish specifically may be caught using rod & reel, hand lines, trawling, or gill-nets. Our partners are only day-boat fisherman who are local stewards of their ecosystems, and will only use these catch methods when they are confident they can do so in a safe, responsible way that is in line with federal catch-method regulations, which are the strictest in the world. When used in this setting, these catch methods are vastly different than major large-scale operations. When sold in smaller quantities, selling these species can help smooth out supply and demand, create a market for lesser-known species and thus preserve more popular species that may be subject to overfishing, and help fishermen invest in the future. Species that Walden sells are not overfished and overfishing is not occurring.
In regard to the overall sustainability of seafood, it is indeed a complex issue with varying perspectives and ongoing debates. At Walden, we believe the most sustainable seafood you can eat is seafood that is local, seasonal, fully traceable, supports our local community by purchasing from small, independent fishermen and not multi-national conglomerates, and eating species that are not overfished.
All of the fish we offer is traceable to the boat it was caught on and the catch method that was employed; we believe this transparency is valuable and contributes to understanding your foods origins. While we believe sustainable seafood options do exist, it is crucial to make informed choices and support practices that minimize environmental impact. We hope helps answer your question but please let us know if we can elaborate!
Concerning the Supreme Court case we are not sure if any of the fisherman from Red’s best fleet are involved with this initiative. We will follow up with Red’s to get more information.
Ceilidh
2 Likes
Thanks for addressing my concerns. Attempting to be a responsible consumer is so difficult!
1 Like
You’re so welcome! We hope that we can help make it a little easier 