Project Overview
Bay2Tray addresses the ocean’s health through sustainable seafood networks, youth education, and economic empowerment for a community’s fishing industry. An alarming 90 percent of the seafood consumed in the United States is imported, and often farmed in ways that destroy critical habitat. At the same time, food waste is rampant in the seafood world—an estimated 30 to 40 percent is discarded in a long, opaque supply chain—as growing numbers of children lack access to fresh foods. How can we support local fisheries in the U.S., solve a public health crisis, and cultivate a stronger culture of stewardship for the ocean’s health? Alan Lovewell, who founded Real Good Fish, a community supported fishery in Monterey Bay, believes that seafood is the key to forging stronger connections to the ocean while making real-world social and economic impacts. He sought to reach beyond the affluent customers who purchased his group’s locally-caught seafood to schoolchildren whose eyes and appetites could be opened to the ocean’s wonders. Bay2Tray partnered with school districts to turn grenadier—a fish typically discarded as bycatch—into fish tacos for school lunches, while inviting fishermen to inspire children with tales from the sea. Currently working with several school districts—equating to approximately 12,000 pounds of local fish served to California kids—the project cultivates a rare win-win opportunity where people and the planet benefit from a stronger sense of engagement with the natural world.
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