Sustainable Restaurants: Making a Difference in Overfishing

Many restaurants around the country have dedicated themselves to buying and serving sustainable fish. They are committed to helping combat overfishing and preventing further depletion of the most popular ocean species. Guidelines used by the Bon Appetit Management Company in its sustainability program Fish to Fork, for example, include using fish caught or farmed within 100 miles of the ocean distance to the restaurant, or within 500 miles from ocean to truck to restaurant. Other restaurants follow the guidelines put forth by the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch, and will not serve anything that does not have a green or yellow rating. This includes promoting local seafood and using lesser-known species and those lower down the food chain, such as oysters or scallops, in order to maximize flavor while minimizing environmental and ecological impact.

Three such restaurants around the United States are Bamboo Sushi in Portland, Oregon, Restaurant at the Getty Center in Los Angeles, California, and Turner Fisheries in Boston, Massachusetts. 

Bamboo Sushi

Bamboo Sushi’s motto is “Sustainable. Delectable. Possible.” In addition to using only sustainable fish in their sushi, they are dedicated to marine protection and help to fund The Berry Islands Marine Preserve in the Bahamas. Among their core values is to “Be Adaptable: Adaptability is the most important trait for the survival of a species…so why wouldn’t it be an important trait for a restaurant, or a sushi chef, or a server?”

Bamboo Sushi. 310 SE 38^th Avenue. Portland, OR 97214. 503-232-5255.

Restaurant at the Getty Center

Restaurant at the Getty Center is one of 400 restaurants around the United States managed by BAMCO, Bon Appetit Management Company. With the formation of their new “Fish to Fork” program, all of BAMCO’s restaurants will prioritize “fishing and aquaculture practices that are small-scale, biodiverse, and energy conscious, and that offer great flavor.”

Restaurant at the Getty Center. 1200 Getty Center Drive. Los Angeles, CA 90049. 310-440-6810.

Turner Fisheries

Turner Fisheries is a restaurant “dedicated to supporting sustainable fishing practices that avoid over-fishing and environmentally destructive methods.” Local seafood is a feature of their menu which includes “New England Bouillabaisse,” “Island Mussels,” and “East Coast Oysters.”

Turner Fisheries. 10 Huntington Ave. Boston, MA 02116. 617-424-7425.

All of these restaurants have been rated by the website www.fish2fork.com. This website works to promote and provide seafood-sustainability ratings for some of the most popular restaurants around the world. To find more seafood-sustainable restaurants in your area, visit their website and search for restaurants by name or location.

Sources

“New Fish to Fork Program is an Industry First.” n.a. 20 Sep 2011. Bon Appetit Management Company. Web. 20 May 2012.

Bamboo Sushi. 2012. Web. 20 May 2012.

Turner Fisheries Restaurant and Bar. 2012. Web. 20 May 2012.

Fish2Fork. Frontmedia: 2012. Web. 20 May 2012.