People who want to eat fish only if it's caught in an ecologically benign way should shop for fish caught by Mainers.
That's the message from the Portland-based Gulf of Maine Institute as it begins an effort to create markets for under-used fish species. Seafood caught in the Gulf of Maine is among the most sustainably harvested seafood in the world, says Jan Levin, manager of the organization's sustainable seafood program.
Long under fire for practices that destroyed habitat and depleted stocks, New England's fishing industry has made an unappreciated turnaround because of changes in management and methods, Levin and others say.
The past decade has brought major innovations to trawling gear that reduce environmental damage. For example, haddock nets have been adapted to fishes' behavior. The nets capture haddock, which swim upward when caught, and allow cod, which swim downward, to escape.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: Kennebec Journal.