If you are someone who is concerned about your carbon footprint and the effect your actions have on the environment, then you may also be worried about eating seafood. While fishing did undoubtedly come at a cost to sea life in previous years, things have changed over the years. These days sustainable fishing is a priority for many. What, though, is sustainable fishing? What is the best sustainable seafood? What is the viewpoint of Crab House at Pier 39 on sustainable seafood, and do they offer a sustainable seafood menu?
What Is Sustainable Seafood?
Sustainable seafood is seafood that is caught without harming the environment around it. It is simply fishing responsibly without hurting other species, fishing-dependent communities, or marine life in general. It also ensures that fish stocks are replenished.
In previous years it was the norm to have a favorite fishing spot and send out dragnets to capture anything and everything that swam in its path. However, this was done with no regard to the effect it had on marine life. In some cases, archaic fishing methods have had devastating effects on the ocean.
Fortunately, we can still enjoy the best sustainable seafood because, as time moves on, humans have learned from those mistakes and have worked hard to change how things are done. This includes changing how fishing is done. While we take creatures out of the oceans, we are now doing this responsibly, ensuring we take what we need and put back what we don’t need. It also means giving sea life time to repopulate and flourish.
Being responsible means that humans have even changed when they harvest certain creatures. A prime example in the San Francisco area is how the whaling season can affect when we catch Dungeness crabs and where we catch them too. This obviously impacts what goes onto a sustainable seafood menu. Practicing responsible fishing means we can eat the best sustainable seafood at our favorite restaurants anytime.
Taking Responsible Measures
It is very important to maintain the balance between taking seafood out of the ocean, maintaining fish populations, and simultaneously not affecting sea life adversely. This can be done by taking various measures and maintaining and monitoring those practices consistently.
One of the best examples we can use is very close to home. It involves the Dungeness crab fisheries. Dungeness crab season generally falls anywhere between November and July. This is the time when you will get the freshest crabs. Here are some of the measures taken to ensure only the best sustainable seafood is caught:
- Regulated fishing seasons: If crab-catching seasons are regulated, then crabs are left alone for specific periods, such as during breeding seasons. This gives the creatures time to repopulate.
- Fishing quotas: There are catch limits to ensure that the crab population remains large and healthy. This simply prevents greedy fisheries from overfishing.
- Be selective about the fishing gear: Crab pots are similar to cages. Crabs can enter, but if they are the right size, they cannot escape. The crab pots have escape rings. This does allow smaller creatures to escape so only the right-sized crabs can be caught and served on a sustainable seafood menu.
- Targeted areas: Avoiding certain areas like those near coral reefs and breeding areas is also important to keep the habitat safe.
- Protecting surrounding marine life: The crab-catching season can vary from year to year to minimize the impact on other species and maximize catching only the best sustainable seafood. For example, the whaling season can impact when the crab-catching season starts.
How Does Crab House View Sustainable Seafood?
At Crab House at Pier 39, we have huge respect for the ocean. The ocean, after all, is the source of seafood, and it is only with sustainable fishing practices that the oceans and marine life will remain healthy and continue to provide us with seafood.
At Crab House, we are committed to sustainable sourcing and have partnered with fisheries that strictly uphold sustainability practices. In other words, Crab House chefs will only buy responsibly caught seafood. That is why our sustainable seafood menu is filled with delicious seafood choices that are both tasty and guilt-free.
Incorporating Sustainable Seafood into Our Menus
Even though we have a standard menu, our menu constantly adapts and evolves. We have become familiar with how responsible sourcing works and have carefully selected seafood that is caught within these practices. Our chefs prioritize dishes that come from abundant sea life, and by using some creativity, they can work with seasonal catches. We partner with fishermen and fisheries who are strictly aligned with the same standards that we hold ourselves to.
All of our seafood is sustainably sourced, from our World-Famous Dungeness Killer Crab®, a two-pound Dungeness crab served on a hot skillet with our secret sauce, to our clam chowder served in a sourdough bread bowl and topped with tender crab meat. Even the mussels, shrimp, and salmon that we serve are all caught using responsible methods.
Crab House knows that responsible sourcing is a priority, and we still serve the best sustainable seafood around. We see it as an opportunity to be innovative and prepare delicious dishes that are both good for the palate and the planet. When you reserve your table at Crab House at Pier 39, you can rest assured that all our seafood is sustainably sourced.