Everywhere you go and everything you read lately talks about sustainability and being green. Whether it is about a building, design, office products, food, furniture, even energy. But what does sustainability mean exactly and what does it have to do with us at Wild Catch?
According to Merrium-Wesbster the definition of sustainability goes as such:
“of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged”
This is where Wild Catch comes into play. In case you were unaware, Wild Catch is a sustainable seafood restaurant. In adhering to the said definition we are making sure that all the seafood we serve our guests is not overfished or caught in ways that can be damaging to the eco system it came from. How are we ensuring this? For starters we have been certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) which means that a credited auditor has come to check to see if Wild Catch and our employees always:
- Buys MSC certified seafood
- Keep MSC certified seafood seperate from non certified seafood
- Make sure MSC seafood is clearly identified
investigating fisheries around the globe to make sure that they are in fact sustainable. If so the MSC will give all seafood coming from the sustainable fishery an MSC Label. You can also look for this label while shopping in your local grocery store.
Another guideline we follow at Wild Catch is from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch. By following the Seafood Watch guidelines Wild Catch is “pledging not to serve items from the Seafood Watch ‘Avoid’ list and to train staff about these seafood choices.” Click Here to take a look at what is on the ‘Avoid’ list and to see their alternatives. The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch also has an app for iPhones and Andriod to keep you up to date with sustainable seafood wherever you are.
Another commitment to being environmentally responsible at Wild Catch is by using the company Waste Farmers to help us with composting and recycling. Waste Farmers “…returns your compostable materials to the land by creating organic soil amendments, fertilizers and inoculates for agriculture, parks, golf courses and schools.” 
According to Waste Farmers, “In 2005 the U.S. sent 25 million tons of food waste to landfills. The Greenhouse Gas (GHG) impact of composting this waste is the equivalent of removing 7.8 million passenger cars from the roads.” This is the exact reason why Wild Catch is using Waste Farmers to compost our plate scrapings, kitchen trimmings, coffee grounds, cardboard boxes, meat, bones, fish etc. The benefits of composting helps the environment in so many ways.
With a little help from our friends at Seattle Fish Company, Rappahannock River Oysters, The Barcat Foundation and Oyster Recovery Partnership we are recycling our oyster shells! This is quite a cool concept and I am happy that Wild Catch is a part of it. According to Seafood.com, “One recycled shell can host up to 10 individual baby oysters that will then grow into clusters and repopulate sanctuary reefs.” There are several ways that by recycling oyster shells helps the environment:
- Adult oysters improve the water quality by filtering up to 2.5 gallons of water an hour
- Oyster shells build reefs, which can provide habitat for fish, shrimp, crab and other animals
- Oyster reefs are natural breakwaters that protect the shoreline and control erosion
-South Carolina Department of Resources
Notable speakers, scientists and activists will be in attendance including Dr. Sylvia Earle, EIR National Geographic and Founder, Mission Blue. The Colorado Ocean Coalition’s mission is to be a “…unified voice for ocean protection in the mountain states. And to be that voice by creating a strong network made up of ocean enthusiasts.” Wild Catch is excited to be a part of this event and to continue to do our part in protecting the environment all the while giving you, our guests, the reassurance that what is on your dinner plate is 100% sustainable delicious seafood.“In the end, we will conserve only what we love. We will love only what we understand. We will understand only what we are taught.”
Founding member of the Executive Committee
International Union for the Conservation of Nature
wild catch 