2014 was an incredible year for G.U.L.F.! We made huge strides, and look forward to continuing to unite the Gulf seafood industry in 2015. Here are some of our biggest accomplishments from the past year:
1. Start of Marine Advancement Plans
The start of 2014 marked the launch of our Marine Advancement Plan (MAP) project. MAPs are a tool to communicate the sustainability of Gulf fisheries to retailers, restaurants, or other businesses who want to know detailed information about the sustainability and management of Gulf State fisheries. In addition, MAPs will also identify areas within state management where advancements can be made to be consistent with an international standard of sustainability, Food and Agriculture Organization Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries Management. We are currently working on six MAPs.
2. Launch of AudubonGULF.org
In March, we debuted our new website. Designed as a tool to educate businesses and consumers about sustainability and Gulf fisheries, AudubonGULF.org houses details about our work, species information, and the latest news and events pertaining to Gulf seafood. Check in regularly for updates on our projects.
3. Outreach and Industry Engagement
G.U.L.F. is a regional program dedicated to the sustainability of state fisheries across the Gulf Coast. It is our goal to do outreach and education, as well as industry engagement, across all five Gulf States. We were incredibly busy in 2014 to achieve this goal, and have been successful. At festivals and outreach events, we encourage consumers to support local, domestic Gulf seafood for its unique taste, high quality, and rigorous management that ensures its sustainability. We have traveled outside our region across the country to spread this message. During our travels we interview members of the industry, from harvesters to retailers, to hear their experiences with Gulf fisheries, how we can enhance the industry, and how they can get involved with our work.
4. Launch of Chef Council
In October, G.U.L.F announced our formation of the G.U.L.F. Chef Council, a group of ten chefs dedicated to sourcing sustainable Gulf of Mexico seafood in their restaurants. Chaired by Chef Tenney Flynn of GW Fins, the Chef Council will partner with G.U.L.F. to act as a voice for promoting local, sustainable seafood.
5. G.U.L.F Certification Standard
Over the last two years, G.U.L.F. has been working on developing a standard that will certify Gulf of Mexico fisheries as sustainable. In December, we opened the first draft of the standard to public comment to ensure voices from the industry could be heard as we continue to move forward with this project. The first round of comments will be accepted until February 5th. Send an email to gulf@auduboninstitute.org to submit your comment.
1. Presidential Task Force on Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing releases recommendations, open for public comment. (more)
2. 27 Cold-stunned sea turtles arrive at Audubon Nature Institute for treatment. (more)
3. Louisiana opens waters closed Since oil spill in 2010. (more)
4. Research shows minimal impact on sea turtles from shrimping industry. (more)
G.U.L.F.’s work would not be possible without the support of the seafood industry. We are excited to announce that Wegmans, the highly successful retailer, and Wood’s Fisheries, a shrimp processor in Florida and the only shrimp aquaculture facility in the state, have signed letters of support for G.U.L.F.
Since its founding in 1916, Wegmans has been dedicated to providing the best for its customers, along with continuous improvement in its service, stores, and product, especially seafood. Since 1995, Wegmans has purchased their seafood directly from boats, supporting the local fishermen in the Northeastern U.S. In 2008, they became a founding member of the Food Marketing Institute’s Sustainable Seafood Committee, which is focused on sharing best practices to navigate through sustainability issues and topics.
Carl Salamone, Vice President of Seafood Sustainability at Wegmans says:
“We believe that our commitment to Sustainability is successful only if our partners work together to continually monitor and improve fishing communities supplying Wegmans. Working with G.U.L.F. enables us to keep our associates updated with information which in turn will be given to our customers. This is a win-win situation resulting in customer confidence as they purchase U.S. Gulf seafood.”
G.U.L.F. is grateful for Wegmans’ support and look forward to helping them promote and carry the amazing seafood the Gulf of Mexico has to offer.
Located in Port St. Joe, Florida and founded in 1860, Wood’s Fisheries is a shrimp processor and fifth generation family-run business focused on providing quality Wild American Shrimp to their customers. Sustainability has been a focus for Wood’s shrimp throughout the company’s history, which led to Wood’s supporting G.U.L.F.’s sustainability work in Florida and across the Gulf Coast. Like G.U.L.F., not only does Wood’s look at how catching shrimp impacts the ecosystem, but they consider how fishing for shrimp affects the people who depend on the resource for their livelihood. IN order to provide assurance of sustainability to their customers, Wood’s is actively involved in many sustainability projects and provides detailed traceability on their product through Gulf Seafood Trace.
Photo Credit: Audubon Nature Institute
This year, Audubon Nature Institute will be celebrating the fifth year of Scales and Ales, an annual event that raises funds for Audubon’s education and conservation programs. The event features local beer and food.
This year, our partner Chef Tenney Flynn will be in the VIP tent cooking up some lionfish. In an interview with NOLA Defender, Chef Flynn said “They are one of the few invasive species that are actually quite delicious.” Whet your appetite? Come join us and party your fins off!
John Fallon, Project Coordinator, of G.U.L.F. was on Fox 8 this morning talking about our partnership with Tenney Flynn and the impact restaurants have on Gulf seafood.
Last week, Assistant Director Julianna Mullen and Project Coordinator John Fallon talked with TWILA TV about the G.U.L.F. program. Twila TV is a program dedicated to Louisiana agriculture. We enjoyed spending time with them and taking them through Audubon Aquarium of the Americas’ exhibit dedicated to Louisiana fisheries, Geaux Fish! Lance Nacio of Anna Marie Shrimp also joined TWILA TV to demonstrate his use of Turtle Exclusion Devices (TEDs) and Bycatch Reduction Devices (BRDs), which minimize capture of unwanted animals in a shrimp trawl.
Last week, John Fallon and Ashford Rosenberg joined charter captain C.T. Williams on a competitive excursion into Lake Borgne. Along with Dee Murphy, Assistant Curator of Fishes at the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, the competition was hot as each person attempted to be the first to land 5 redfish. The final score was a tie between John and Dee with 3 fish each. Watch the play-by-play below.
