Facing facts

Aside from the overwhelming fears of total ruin in the Gulf of Mexico, one of my biggest concerns about this spill is what it does to the perception of American seafood in general.

Just last weekend I was talking with some friends about overfishing and the film "End of the Line" (which I reviewed in the October ’09 issue of National Fisherman), and one of these friends said her reaction to the problem had been basically to stop buying fish. She then said, "Isn't even Alaska salmon overfished?"

I almost choked on my popcorn.

If that's what an average American thinks about seafood already, then what hope does the industry have of recovering from the added burden of contamination?

I assuage my fears by hoping that a) some day Gulf Coast fishermen will have their heritage waters back and b) many fishermen and co-ops are getting involved in direct marketing to bring their faces (and truths) to market.

I told my friend what I often say on these virtual pages, "As long as you're buying American seafood, you're fine."

I'm not sure she believed me, so I'll be sure to make a fish stew the next time she's over.

Comments

[Sierra Anderson]

Hi Jes,

I couldn't agree with you more. It's a scary thought to think how un-informed the public/consumer is about Alaskan Seafood.

People need to know that there is NO shortage here in Alaska. And you're right, fisherman should focus their attention on direct marketing. They are the face of this operation and if the public have the wrong perception, then it's in their hands to correct that. By taking advantage of social marketing opportunities, speaking at events, promotional campaigning ...etc. Shout out to ASMI for doing a great job with this!

It's a shame and heartache seeing the total effect the oil spill down south is having. I hope they are able to clean things up and salvage the livelihood these people enjoyed.

I hope to bring a positive image to this fishing rodeo.

Cheers from the fishing grounds!
Sierra
http://www.therealalaska.com/