For the Love of the Sea…Food

Aquarium of the Bay, the California Academy of Sciences and the San Francisco Zoo Launch San Francisco Seafood Watch(R) Alliance

SAN FRANCISCO, April 15 /PRNewswire/ — Aquarium of the Bay, the California Academy of Sciences and the San Francisco Zoo today launched the San Francisco Seafood Watch(R) Alliance aimed at raising local consumer, restaurateur and seafood industry awareness of the importance of acquiring seafood from sustainable sources. Working together, the organizations will provide regional support for the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program.

The three organizations will embark on an aggressive, three-tiered outreach campaign throughout 2009 and beyond. Consumer outreach will increase the distribution of Seafood Watch pocket guides, a handy resource for making ocean-safe decisions when purchasing seafood in stores and restaurants. Restaurateur outreach will assist local restaurants in making sustainable seafood decisions through staff training sessions, chef consultations and partnerships with Bay Area restaurants. Industry outreach will increase visibility for seafood sustainability amongst wholesalers and distributors, fishermen, culinary schools and other food and restaurant leaders through participation in trade shows and industry conferences.

“Sustainability is a core value at the California Academy of Sciences, and as part of the San Francisco Seafood Watch Alliance, we are looking forward to expanding our outreach to visitors, equipping them with the tools they need to make sustainable seafood choices,” says Chris Andrews, Director of Steinhart Aquarium at the California Academy of Sciences. “By tying this message into our exhibits and programs, we hope to inspire people to appreciate Earth’s oceans and take a more active role in protecting them.”

“The San Francisco Zoo is happy to support the conservation action of others in our Zoo and Aquarium community through group efforts like the San Francisco Seafood Watch Alliance,” said Tanya Peterson, Executive Director and President, San Francisco Zoo. “Our missions as individual organizations revolve around conservation and education; this is a wonderful opportunity to join together and support one another for a common cause.”

“Aquarium of the Bay has shared the Seafood Watch program with our visitors for several years now and we look forward to expanding our reach through the San Francisco Seafood Watch Alliance,” said John Frawley, CEO of Aquarium of the Bay. “We will focus most heavily on the Bay Area restaurant and culinary school scene, which opens up countless opportunities to share the importance of and need for sustainable seafood.”

“For more than a decade, the Monterey Bay Aquarium has worked with consumers and businesses nationwide to help them see that their seafood choices can have a tremendous impact on the health of the oceans,” said aquarium Executive Director Julie Packard. “That’s why we started Seafood Watch, and why we’ve built a science-based program that can be a resource for partners like the San Francisco Seafood Watch Alliance. I’m delighted that our Bay Area colleagues have become so active in helping people use Seafood Watch to shape a future with healthy oceans.”

About San Francisco Seafood Watch(R) Alliance

San Francisco Seafood Watch Alliance aims to raise local consumer, restaurateur and seafood industry awareness of the importance of acquiring seafood from sustainable sources. Working together, Alliance members Aquarium of the Bay, California Academy of Sciences, and San Francisco Zoo provide regional support for the Seafood Watch program created by Monterey Bay Aquarium.

About the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch(R) program

Launched in 1999, the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch(R) program is a key component of the Aquarium’s Sustainable Seafood Initiative. The Initiative works to transform the seafood market in ways that support ocean-friendly fishing and fish-farming operations. Seafood Watch(R) provides science-based seafood recommendations through its website and pocket guides, and works with over 180 partners nationwide to educate consumers and businesses about this important issue. www.montereybayaquarium.org, www.seafoodwatch.org

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SOURCE Aquarium of the Bay