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March 1, 2024

Seafood, Seasonality, and Sustainability Is A Trifecta To Fish Right, Eat Right

Fisherwoman catching Spiny Lobster

 

For all the tropical mango lovers reading this, you already have the power to be a conscious consumer when it comes to seafood too! Maybe you’re thinking they’re too vastly different and unrelated fares, but not quite. Mangoes may be available throughout the year, imported, frozen, etc. But to enjoy the purest, freshest form of the fruit, one waits impatiently for summer. We give the mango trees enough time to flower, grow fruit, and ripen into yellow-gold goodness. Just as mangoes shine in the summer season, different varieties of seafood too have their seasons of glory. Fresh seafood will always be the most savored in its peak season, and when you fish right—you can always eat right

Take the Caribbean Spiny Lobster in Belize: the 2023 season officially closes on March 1, 2024, but there’s other seafood to enjoy during its 4-month period while it breeds and replenishes its stocks. Belize’s closed season aligns with the harmonized regional lobster regulation (OSP-02-09) established by the Organization for Central American Fisheries and Aquaculture Sector (OSPESCA), which means you can look forward to eating one of the largest crustaceans on coral reefs and seagrass beds in the Caribbean Sea once the 2024 season opens on July 1, 2024! 

As consumers, we play an important role in the restoration and preservation of the seafood we consume, so it’s important to promote healthy oceans and sourcing seafood responsibly by strictly adhering to fisheries regulations, especially closed seasons! Here are three ways you to ensure you’re being a conscious consumer of sustainable seafood:

  1. Try new varieties that are in season only—even if they may not be as popular. Who knows, you may find your new favorite seafood!
  2. Initiate conversations with your vendors and ask them what is in season. Eating seasonally not only ensures better taste and freshness, but its also more economical.  Start a conversation with your local fisherman or server, whether they’re certified as a participating Fish Right Eat Right or not, about what seafood is fresh and currently in season.
  3. Stay informed about the seasonality and sustainability of seafood consumption to ensure you’re always following the Fisheries Regulations of Belize.

After all, fish tastes better when you know where and how it was caught.