A letter from Nora Pouillon

January 15, 1999
Restaurant Nora
Washington D.C.

Dear Fellow Chef, Restauranter, Hotelier, Caterer, or Grocer;

Did you know that fresh north Atlantic swordfish served in many restaurants along the East Coast of the U.S. are in danger due to years of overfishing?

  • Nearly 2/3 of swordfish caught in the north Atlantic today are too young to breed. The legal minimum size for swordfish is just 44 pounds, well below reproductive size (150 pounds for females).
  • The average size swordfish caught in the north Atlantic in 1960 weighed 260 pounds. Today the average size is just 90 pounds!
  • North Atlantic swordfish are now at the lowest levels ever recorded.

In January of 1998, a number of chefs joined SeaWeb and the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) to launch the Give Swordfish a Break Campaign. We called on fellow chefs, restauranteurs, grocers, and others to take a "time out" from serving or selling north Atlantic swordfish as a way to pressure the government to develop an effective swordfish recovery plan for the fishery. More than 270 chefs, major cruise lines, and even magazines like Bon Appetit joined our effort. This led the government to introduce a DRAFT plan that, if implemented, would make significant strides toward restoring north Atlantic swordfish; however, it fails to ensure the protection of baby swordfish in U.S. waters.

We need you now more than ever. The next few months are critical. We need to show the government that even more chefs, restauranteurs, markets, and others support the draft management plan, and would like to see it include stronger measures to protect baby fish. Please join us in sending this message to the government.

What you can do:

  • Sign our "Give Swordfish a Break" campaign pledge to not serve swordfish from the North Atlantic until adequate conservation measures are adopted by the federal government. (If you don't know where the fish is from and can't find out, don't buy it or serve it!)
  • Sign our petition to the Secretary of Commerce. The Department of Commerce is requesting comments on their draft plan, and will hold hearings in states along the East Coast to solicit opinions.

Want to do more?

  • Give customers our educational materials explaining why swordfish from the North Atlantic is no longer on the menu, or use our information to develop your own statement or brochure.
  • Speak at food conventions; testify at field hearings; talk to distributors; be visible in your community on this issue.
  • Put a sticker on your menu or another conspicuous location to explain your position on this issue.
  • Be available to talk to reporters, appear at news events, sing letters to editors or op-eds to draw attention to the campaign.

 

Why Swordfish? Why Now?

 

 

For nearly a century before 1960, the Atlantic Ocean off the U.S. coast supported a productive, sustainable swordfish fishery. Fishing was almost exclusively by harpoon, a highly selective method that targets big swordfish.

Spurred by a growing public taste for swordfish, however, a different fishing technique -- longlining -- emerged in the early 1960's. Commercial longliners deploy monofilament lines that average dozens of miles in length to which hundreds of baited hooks are attached. Longlines indiscriminately strip life from the ocean. Designed to float at exactly the water depth that swordfish congregate to feed, they hook enormous numbers of undersize swordfish before they reach breeding age -- as well as sharks, sea turtles and other ocean life.

While fishing vessels are required to discard undersize swordfish taken on their lines, most fish die on the hooks. In 1995, baby swordfish discarded dead and dying equaled roughly 30% by number of swordfish caught and kept by US fisherman.

The result of years of overfishing has been a downward spiral in the North Atlantic swordfish population. Fewer breeding age fish survive, fewer larger fish are available and more small fish are taken to meet industry costs and turn a profit. The result is that we are buying, preparing and eating baby fish that have not yet had a chance to reproduce.

 

Thanks so much for your help on this important issue. The goal is not to stop serving North Atlantic swordfish forever, but to simply give them a break until a meaningful recovery plan is implemented.

We look forward to working with you and answering any questions you have about the campaign.

Sincerely,
Nora Pouillon
Chef, Owner

A Pledge from Chefs and Grocers to Protect North Atlantic Swordfish

Whereas

 
Swordfish in the North Atlantic are severely depleted due to overfishing.

 

The average size of a North Atlantic swordfish caught has dropped from 266 pounds in the 1960s to just 90 pounds today.

 

Many of these small fish are just babies -- too young to reproduce.

 

North Atlantic swordfish is one of the most popular seafood items today and I want to ensure it is available on my menu for years to come;

Therefore,

 

I will join colleagues across the nation to "GIVE SWORDFISH A BREAK" and will not offer swordfish from the North Atlantic on the menu in my restaurant or for sale in my store until an effective recovery plan is implemented.