Buying local isn't just a passing trend. Farmer's markets, food cooperatives and the support of local farms are on the rise, so it's no wonder buying local seafood is gaining awareness in Maine. According to The Gulf of Maine Research Institute's website, consumers prefer local and sustainable seafood that supports their regional economy. GMRI believes that economically viable and ecologically sustainable seafood industry goes hand-in-hand-and their mission is to help create a market for it.
"People want to buy responsibly harvested products," says Jen Levin, Project Manager for GMRI. GMRI hopes to spread that message to all parts of the seafood supply chain, from harvesters to processors to retailers by developing a regional branding program.
GMRI is in a unique position to develop a certification process, since they are a non-advocacy agency. "We are about objective science-based decision making so there's no bias," says Levin. Not everything that lands in local grocery stores or restaurants are locally produced, so a logo that signifies it is from the area will carry great weight. Plus, GMRI is making sure the seafood that carries their logo lives up to their criteria.
To meet GMRI's criteria, the seafood must be traced to the Gulf of Maine region. In addition, there are requirements for responsible harvest and traceability for wild seafood, including maintaining sustainable practices in the fisheries, ensuring stock sizes are below management target levels and enforcement on general regulations. The criteria for farmed seafood is to ensure indigenous marine life and its environment is not threatened as well as recorded data for amounts of feed, frequency of cleaning, inspections and maintenance.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: The Working Waterfront (Rockland, ME).