Issue link: http://www.wacmagazine.com/i/561254
12 | Washington Athletic Club Magazine | SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2015 Smarter seafood What a new badge of honor means for WAC fish-lovers T hree times a week, the arrival of fresh seafood causes a bustle of activity on the lower floors of the WAC Clubhouse. As a delivery truck with the Anthony's Restaurants logo pulls up outside, team members begin to unload the seafood bounty. This time of year, it's not uncommon to see whole, head-on king salmon or large halibut come through. Executive Chef Eric Floyd is often on hand to watch the fish enter the building and make their way to the kitchen. As he looks on, he's not only thinking about where the fish is going but also about where it came from. "The WAC has been doing sustainable seafood for a long time," Eric says. "Our close partnership with Anthony's has made it easy." No one could blame you for hearing the word "sustainable" and tuning out. After all, the buzzword can be seen on marketing material for everything from fuel to food. That's one of the reasons the WAC decided to partner with Smart Catch, a new sustainable seafood program that helps restaurants make smart choices and rewards them for doing so. Smart Catch uses the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program and the NOAA Fisheries Fish Stock Sustainability Index to determine the sustainability of each and every seafood item on a participating restaurant's menu. This integration allows Smart Catch to identify restaurants that source their seafood sustainably, then provide them with a label that shows diners they've chosen a seafood-smart establishment. "It's not that we're necessarily reinventing the wheel," says Rebecca Camarda, Director of Business Strategy at Vulcan Inc., which developed the Smart Catch program. "We're providing tools and resources to help fill in the gaps." Smart Catch goes beyond the source, as well, looking at how seafood is shipped and processed. The organization reports that 90 percent of the world's fisheries have been either fully fished or overfished. In other words, it's critical to act now. "Every consumer who chooses sustainable seafood makes a difference, and that really starts with the chef," Camarda says. "Chefs have the ear of the suppliers and of the consumers." Focusing on sustainable food is nothing new for the WAC. Being monitored by an outside organization, however, will lend authenticity to a message that might otherwise be lost in the crowd. In order to receive the Smart Catch seal, a restaurant must participate in a menu assessment and improve its sustainable seafood percentage to at least 90 percent within 18 months of signing on. "It's an awesome program," Eric says. "We're at 80 percent now and I expect us to be at 100 percent very soon." A la Carte By Madelyn Reese, Editorial Intern Citrus-chili glaze Look for the seal Torchy's and Hagerty's are two of about 60 Seattle-area restaurants that have signed on to the Smart Catch program. Look for the Smart Catch seal at the WAC and wherever you dine. When you see it, you'll know the restaurant is committed to serving sustainable seafood. L U K E R U TA N