The Faces of California Fishing
Lori French is the director of The Faces of California Fishing, a new organization that tells real stories behind California’s fishing communities. French took time out to talk to KidSafe Seafood about the benefits of eating locally caught, fresh seafood.
Q. Why should we buy U.S. seafood over imported seafood?
A. The United States has one of the better-regulated fisheries in the world. Rules are in place to try to protect our resources from being overfished. When you buy seafood from a foreign country, you don’t know how it has been handled and under what kind of conditions it was caught or raised. You also don’t know what environmental regulations were followed or if harmful antibiotics or other chemical substances were used.
Q. What are the biggest difficulties facing local seafood businesses?
A. The biggest difficulties today facing the local fishing industry are decreased access to fish, cheaper foreign imports of seafood and loss of the local fishing infrastructure. What are some solutions? To help the U.S. fishing industry, fishing regulations need to be made with community involvement and be both environmentally and economically viable. Consumers can help by purchasing local seafood; this in turn would help the local fishing communities stay solvent while preserving our maritime heritage. Encourage your local restaurants and seafood providers to sell local products.Q. What is the best way to get children involved in the consumption of local seafood?
A. In every fishing family, children grow up eating fresh fish. Simply buying and preparing fresh seafood on a regular basis is the best way for children to become familiar with local seafood. The recipes don’t have to be fancy. There is a new program starting up to bring information to schoolchildren on the fishing industry, the Fishing Families Cultural Exchange.
Q. What is your favorite seafood recipe?
A. You can’t beat a freshly cooked Dungeness crab served with French bread and a salad, or a nice piece of grilled California King Salmon.
To learn more about The Faces of California Fishing and download recipes, stories and seafood tips visit www.thefacesofcaliforniafishing.com.
KidSafe Seafood 