START expands its mission to sustainable seafood
Originally founded to actively seek ways to control and mitigate the harmful effects of red tide, START has expanded its commitment to preserve Florida’s coastal waters. Coastal communities on the Gulf of Mexico will be the focus of START’s new education outreach program called “Sustainable Seafood Savvy with START”.
The timeliness of START’s new initiative has been brought to the forefront of our country with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Federal fisheries in the Gulf have already been closed and put off limits for the foreseeable future for wild caught seafood. Gulf coast consumers, wholesalers and retailers will need to be informed of sustainable seafood options now more than ever. Sustainable seafood practices allow threatened fish populations to recover to healthy levels. Sustainable seafood can be wild caught or farmed raised, but must be harvested with care to maintain stable catch levels in the long-term without major harm to the environment and other sea life. START will provide accurate information about seafood choices, and offer support and materials to the general public, fishermen, wholesalers, retailers, restaurateurs, chefs and wait staff.
START is a grass roots, non-profit, Florida-based organization dedicated to improve the quality of our marine waters through research, public education, and programs that restore marine habitats, preserve marine species, and promote healthy beaches and coastal waterways. START was founded in 1996 and has five active chapters on the Gulf Coast of Florida.
— submitted by Jeff Werner of Bonita Springs/Fort Myers Beach START Chapter