So What’s Good with Local Seafood?

If you like seafood – it’s all good! However, not everyone does, and sometimes when this question is asked the person is not as interested in how it tastes, but where the seafood came from.

In recent years, there has been a move across the country to learn more about where your food originates. Whether you’re concerned what the livestock was being fed, or what the living conditions of the poultry were like, or whether the pork was locally harvested or came from outside the United States – more people are asking questions and it is affecting how they purchase their food. Is it the same for seafood?

In some cases, yes. Several years ago, I ran the marine science program at Washington High School. We were discussing whether, with a growing human population, the ocean could sustain the demand for seafood. Would we need to focus our production on aquaculture? We decided to survey locals to see whether (A) they liked seafood? And (B) if so, would it matter whether the product came from the ocean or a farm?

Over a 10-year period, we found that (A) the percentage of locals who did not like seafood increased. And (B) those who did like seafood did not have strong feelings whether it was from a farm or from the sea. Curious as to why those who did not like seafood felt that way, we followed up with questions and found it was not as much a concern with seafood safety, rather, they just did not like the taste of it. Of course, this was a high school science project and not a formal scientific investigation, but the students did a good job with it and the results were interesting.

That was almost 20 years ago, so do people feel the same now? According to Dr. George Baker (Florida Sea Grant), the answer is yes… things are about the same now. If people can get access to wild harvested seafood at a good price, they will buy it. If it is not readily available, or if it’s too expensive, they will instead purchase farm raised. Moreover, an increased number of people do not like seafood.

What about the local issue? In California, there is a program that allows you to find out which boat captain caught your fish. In Florida, there are studies going on to determine what type of filet you are actually buying. As with produce and livestock, people seem to be interested in where their seafood comes from – and for many, if effects where and how they buy seafood.

So what is local? Well, we call any seafood product harvested or cultured within 250 miles local. For Pensacola, that would include Alabama, Mississippi, and eastern Louisiana. We know that between 80-90% of the seafood you currently purchase is imported from both commercial fishing and aquaculture overseas. That said, local seafood is still here and available.

The commercial fishing in Pensacola goes WAY back. It was one of the first industries to get off the ground shortly after Florida became a U.S. territory. According to Dr. Jack E. Davis, in his book The Gulf; The Making of an American Sea, Cuban fishermen harvested seafood from Florida’s Gulf Coast before Florida becoming a territory. Shortly after becoming a U.S. territory, New England fishers came to harvest the Gulf, including one by the name of Leonard Destin. Soon a fishing industry was operating in Pensacola. They sold a variety of species but in 1840 they found red snapper – and the boom was on.

Shrimp followed, but water quality, habitat loss, and overharvesting have plagued the local industry in recent years. Fishers did very well for a long time, then the landings decreased, the fishermen believed the fish had moved, and so the fleet would move. This continued until the commercial fishermen were harvesting the entire Gulf of Mexico seeking fish. It wasn’t long before quotas had to be initiated, and regulation has been the norm ever since. Add to this an increased interest in recreational fishing too, increasing the overall number of fishers, and increased regulation, with this, sector is needed. Today we can include the introduction of invasive species as another stressor.

All that said, local seafood is still available. Some species have become quite pricey, but they are worth it. The Gulf & South Atlantic Fisheries Foundation created a Gulf Coast Seafood Species Chart. This chart indicates when selected species are in peak season for commercial harvest. It varies from one state to another, but the list below includes Florida and Alabama.

Species	Months in Peak Season	Comments
Blue crab	No peak season
Blue crab Softshell	Mar – Jun
Black drum	No peak season
Red drum	No peak season	Subject to quotas and closures
Clams	All year – FL only	Clams are now cultured in FL and are available year round
Crawfish	Apr – Jun – LA only	LA only, but close to us
Flounder	Jul – Aug; Oct-Nov	Subject to quotas and closures
Grouper	No peak season	Subject to quotas and closures
King mackerel	Jan – Feb; Jul-Sep; Dec	Subject to quotas and closures
Mahi-Mahi	May – Jun
Mullet	Jan; Sep – Dec
Oysters	Jan – Apr; Sep – Dec
Pompano	Jan – Apr;
Sheepshead	No peak season
Brown shrimp	May – Sep
Pink shrimp	Jan – Jul
Rock shrimp	Jun – Sep
White shrimp	May – Nov
Snapper	Peak season year round	Subject to quotas and closures
Yellowtail snapper	Mar – Jun
Spanish mackerel	Jan – May; Aug – Sep; Dec	Subject to quotas and closures
Spiny lobster	Aug – Sep; Oct – Nov
Spotted seatrout	No peak season	Subject to quotas and closures
Stone crab	Oct – Dec
Swordfish	Sep – Nov
Yellowfin tuna	Jun – Oct

The health benefits of consuming seafood are understood. We certainly think it should be part of your weekly dinner menu. There are concerns for safety in some seafood products, as in mercury and king mackerel, and we will address that in another article – but the lack of consuming seafood can create health issues as well. We hope you enjoy local Gulf seafood!

Author

Rick O’Connor

Rick is the Florida Sea Grant Agent for the UF/IFAS Escambia County Extension office. A native of Pensacola, Rick had an early interest in the world of water and, like so many others who loved Cousteau, headed out to become a marine biologist. He studied marine biology at Dauphin Island Sea Lab while a student at Troy University and received his master from Southern Mississippi. He focuses his interest on estuarine ecology and is a big fan of diamondback terrapins. When not doing Sea Grant programming for the community he and his wife Molly like to canoe, camp, hike, snorkel, and sail.

So What’s Good with Local Seafood?

Author

Rick O’Connor

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