CalOceans News

Bringing back local seafood

In San Francisco you expect it to be fairly easy to find locally harvested seafood: this is where the term “locavore” came from, after all, and the Bay Area, like the rest of California, is historically famous for its abundance and diversity of seafood.

Yet a recent New York Times article shows that the decline of California fisheries means you’re most likely to end up with fish from China or Greece on the end of your fork.

According to the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, we’ve seen a 71 percent drop in commercial fishing revenue along the north-central California coast since 1990.

We’re seeing the same steady declines in fishery productivity across the country, with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reporting last year that more than three-fourths of the fish Americans eat comes from other countries.

But the ongoing Marine Life Protection Act process in California gives hope to those who yearn for a return to abundance. In August the Fish and Game Commission voted to create a network of underwater parks  from Point Arena to Pigeon Point, resulting in 155 square miles of protected ocean to support the recovery of damaged fish stocks like rock fish and abalone.

With a similar network already adopted for the Central Coast and the wheels in motion for creating protections for the North and South regions, California is poised to set the gold standard for ocean protection.

• Tags:
• california fisheries
• local seafood
• imported seafood
• ocean habitat protection
• sustainable seafood
• marine protected area network