Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation

The increasing demand for seafood and the rapid depletion of our living marine resources have created a dynamic set of issues regarding the future viability of our world’s oceans and food security. Demand for seafood products have doubled in the last 30 years and models show consumption will increase will increase considerably by 2020. A majority of current commercial fisheries are fully exploited, reducing their capacity to expand and fill the growing gap between today’s supply and tomorrow’s demand. For this project, surveys were conducted to gain understanding of (1) consumer preferences for seafood; (2) purchasing behavior for seafood; (3) general consumer valuation for sustainable seafood; (4) knowledge of seafood related programs and (5) preference for an internet-based seafood resource guide. The second portion of the project created a website InFishWeTrust.com which is a comprehensive resource guide to increase awareness of issues that surround our current seafood market and provide general seafood consumers a guide on how, what, and where to eat and purchase more sustainable seafood products within San Diego County.