Seafood Habitat Action Plan: Expert Input Solicitation

We’re developing a seafood habitat action plan for New England… and WE NEED YOUR HELP!

The New England Food Vision imagines a world in which 50% of New Englanders’ nutritional needs are met with food produced within the region by the year 2060. To reach the “50 by 60” goal, the region must double down on protecting and restoring the habitats that produce our legendary seafood. That’s why Eating with the Ecosystem is working to craft a seafood habitat action plan that will mobilize food systems planners, food businesses, eaters, and all members of the local foods movement to action in support of seafood habitat.

To create this plan, we need input from a variety of experts: habitat scientists, fisheries scientists, restoration practitioners, commercial and recreational fishermen, citizen scientists, and policy makers. The scoping surveys on this page will help us understand the status of New England’s seafood habitat, the most pressing threats to this habitat, the most critically affected waterbodies and areas, and the actions that are most urgently needed to protect and restore seafood habitat. Your responses will shape our report and help us appropriately frame these issues for our audience.

There are four survey options for you to choose from. Read the descriptions below to choose which survey(s) fit your expertise and interests. You may take more than one survey, and you may take each one more than once. Surveys will be available until February 28, 2020. Please contact sarah@eatingwiththeecosystem.org if you have questions about the surveys or would like to get more involved in this project. Thank you for your input!

Take the SEAFOOD HABITAT STRESSORS survey if you want to help identify the most pressing threats to seafood habitat in New England and what needs to be done to address them. This survey might be most appropriate for scientists who study the links between habitat, human impacts, and fisheries. Example 1 : A scientist uses this survey to highlight the urgency of a particular chemical that is leaching into waterways. Example 2: A nonprofit professional uses this survey to propose a restoration target, such as of restoring 10 acres of marsh habitat in a certain area by a certain year.

Take the SEAFOOD HABITAT AREAS OF CONCERN survey if you want to help identify specific waterbodies or areas of seafood habitat that need more attention. This survey might be most appropriate for fishermen, restoration practitioners, and others who have a deep focus on specific areas. Example 1: A fisherman uses this survey to describe concerns that she has about a particular salt pond where she fishes. Example 2: A estuary program uses this survey to update us on the status of seafood habitat in an estuary of interest.

Take the POLICY NEEDS AND PROJECT PRIORITIES survey if you want to help identify specific on-the-ground projects or public policies that can provide benefits for seafood habitat This survey is appropriate for anyone with an interest in improving the protection and restoration of seafood habitat through policy-making and public or private investments in on-the-ground projects. This survey is focused on solutions. Example 1: A restoration professional uses this survey to highlight a high-priority project that needs funding in order to restore seafood habitat. Example 2: A policy maker uses this survey to identify a particular policy in his area that could help reduce harm to seafood habitat.

Take the ENGAGING THE SEAFOOD SUPPLY CHAIN survey if you want to help develop ideas about creative ways to engage chefs, supply chains, and eaters in seafood habitat advocacy, and to use the marketplace as a tool for education and mobilization.  This survey might be most appropriate for people who work within the seafood supply chain. Example 1: A seafood dealer uses this survey to suggest product packaging that highlights seafood-habitat connections. Example 2: A restaurant uses this survey to suggest dinner events that raise funds and awareness about seafood habitat.