The New England Aquarium
The New England Aquarium, located in Boston, Massachusetts, not only contains world-class exhibits, but also has Conservation and Research Departments that work towards protecting our world’s ocean resources. Within the Aquarium’s Conservation Department they have developed the Sustainable Fisheries Initiative. Its goal is to influence ocean conservation through seafood supply chains and by raising consumer awareness. To improve the environmental responsibility of seafood supply chains, the Aquarium works with some of the world’s largest seafood retailers and suppliers to encourage the sustainable development of farmed and wild-caught seafood resources. This involves offering companies advice on issues regarding environmentally responsible seafood and facilitating work with fishermen and fish farmers to make proactive changes in their practices to favor our aquatic environments.
The Aquarium uses their Celebrate Seafood program, which consists of the Fish of the Month and the Celebrate Seafood Dinner Series, to raise consumer awareness about environmentally responsible seafood. The Fish of the Month website (www.neaq.org/fotm) profiles ocean-friendly seafood options and offers information on how people can make smart seafood choices. The Fish of the Month selection is spotlighted in the Aquarium’s Harbor View Café as a lunch special every month. Environmentally responsible seafood options are also featured as part of the Aquarium’s Celebrate Seafood Dinner Series (www.neaq.org/celebrateseafood>), which provides guests with an evening experience that includes a three-course meal, information on seafood conservation, and a cooking demonstration. For the August 2007 Celebrate Seafood Dinner Series event the Aquarium highlighted Alaska salmon and Pacific halibut, and partnered with R&J Seafoods who donated fish for the event. R&J Seafoods has also helped the Aquarium’s cause to raise consumer awareness by including informative recipe and Celebrate Seafood cards with their orders since the event.
Peter Cooper