Gulf Oil Spill Effects on Sustainability

The United States’ worst oil spill in history will undoubtedly have far-reaching effects, geographically and over time. The Gulf of Mexico ecosystem has been disrupted and will face fundamental changes for the foreseeable future. SOP breaks down the spill’s effects on the sustainability of domestic fisheries.
The Deepwater Horizon spill impacts fisheries directly through lethal [...]

Is Farm-Raised Seafood Sustainable or Not? (Part 3)

Finally, SOP unveils answers to the question we have all been waiting for: What specific farm-raised seafood products are most sustainable? Below we offer good and bad selections of farmed seafood. But, because nothing is absolute in sustainable seafood, you should still ask questions at the restaurant or fish counter.
As a class, cultured shellfish are [...]

Is Farm-Raised Seafood Sustainable or Not? (Part 2)

When evaluating whether a particular fish farm is sustainable or not, it is helpful to think about where the operation is located within the environment. Each location has its own set of pros and cons. Following up on Part 1, SOP peels away the next layer to help answer the complex question of whether your [...]

Is Farm-Raised Seafood Sustainable or Not? (Part 1)

Last year, seafood raised at aquaculture operations, or farms, reached a major milestone. More seafood eaten on this planet now comes from farms than from the wild. As the human population grows, this trend will continue, demanding ecologically responsible aquaculture. In Part 1 of this series, SOP boils down attributes that determine a farm’s sustainability.
A [...]

Eat More Pest Species (Vol. 2)

Amid headlines dominated by health care reform and U.S. relief efforts in Haiti, a story about Asian carp and its potentially disastrous effects on the Great Lakes has grabbed people’s attention. The President, Supreme Court, and now Congress are involved in figuring out how to deal with this invasive species. Supported by SOP, one win-win [...]

Eat More Pest Species (Vol. 1)

Marine pest species are fish or shellfish that inhabit bodies of water and fundamentally change (in a bad way) the surrounding ecosystem. They can be introduced to an area directly by human carelessness (e.g., releasing snakehead fish in your local pond) or through the effects of environmental and ecological changes. In this case, the cownose [...]

What is Sustainable Seafood?

So far, SOP has tried to convince you that the sustainable seafood movement is a legitimate social development. Along the way, some of you may have asked, “What exactly is sustainable seafood?” Let’s take a step back for a quick schooling.
Sustainable seafood is complex and dynamic issue. SOP does not expect seafood consumers [...]

Top 10 Misunderstood Terms in Fisheries Management

Fishery/fisheries: The industry or industries dedicated to the catching, processing, and selling of fish, shellfish, or other aquatic animals; not a hatchery.
Management/Managers: Taking action to regulate the behavior of fishermen and therefore affect a fish population to achieve certain objectives, such as maximizing the harvest of fish while allowing the population to replenish itself. [...]

What we do...

Sustainable Ocean Project (SOP) brings you inspiring stories and easy to understand information about a growing sustainable and local seafood movement that we all should be a part of.