Unsustainable Disasters

The oil rig explosion in the gulf doesn't have just citizen fishermen and environmentalists in uproar, but those of us who rely upon the gulf bread basket for sustainable seafood. The economic turmoil is simply going to be devastating! The livelihoods of the fisherman and the communities relying on them are certainly in jeopardy. This is devastating, but also interesting because sustainability guidelines do not take into consideration natural or man-made disasters.

What's a dining director to do when the gulf is the most sustainable region for seafood? We will simply have to look beyond and find the next closest source. Thanks to the flexibility of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program, we can be partially sustainable in the wake of disaster. It will certainly cost us more, but given the opportunity to be less sustainable in order to serve fish not tainted by the oil spill is a decision that simply has to be made.

It would be wise for a consortium of experts to analyze the effects on disasters either man-made or natural to determine the effects on sustainability in the future.

David