NOAA Says Consumers Need to “Get the Facts” on Seafood Safety & Sustainability

Agency Unveils New Fish Watch Web Site

Feb-26-2008

Contact:
Gavin Gibbons
(703) 752-8891

Consumers with questions about seafood sustainability and safety now need to look no further than National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) web site for answers.  Today at the International Boston Seafood Show, NOAA Administrator Conrad Lautenbacher launched the agency’s new Fish Watch site (www.fishwatch.noaa.gov) designed to answer consumer questions.

“Steering the public to Fish Watch is a great way for consumers to get all the facts,” said National Fisheries Institute (NFI) President John Connelly. “The seafood-buying public deserves the most accurate and up to date information on safety and sustainability and NOAA has it.”

During a news conference announcing the site Lautenbacher said, “Our hope is that you will go here for ground-truth science. It is not about making decisions for you.”

With the proliferation of unwarranted seafood health scares and myriad sources dictating what are good fish and bad fish, the new agency website aims to arm the public with an unbiased education and provides a balanced clearing house for consumers.

“Environmental issues are very important but mixing environmental concerns with potential health effects is confusing for consumers,” said Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian of Harvard University who joined Lautenbacher’s panel of experts at the unveiling today.

For more than 60 years, the National Fisheries Institute (NFI) and its members have provided American families with the variety of sustainable seafood essential to a healthy diet. For more information visit: www.AboutSeafood.com.

[ Top ]