aving Nemo- by Timm Duggan We’ve all heard the expression “There’s plenty of fish in the sea.” But this time-tested cliché is fast becoming an anachronism as ocean fisheries continue to be overfished at dangerous levels. Chris Andrews, executive director of the South Carolina Aquarium, is painfully aware of this fact. Discussing the world’s oceans, Andrews laments, “There are not many places in the ocean you can go that aren’t impacted by humans.” The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates more than 70 percent of the world’s fisheries are fished at or beyond sustainable levels. Another report states that current populations of large predatory fish are at an alarmingly low 10 percent of pre-industrial levels. With dwindling fish stocks and an ever-increasing global demand for seafood, the strain on our oceans is not going away anytime soon. However, rather than sounding defeated, Andrews is quick to note that these statistics are by no means irreversible, and that the aquarium is in a unique position to be a part of the solution. With captivating exhibits, dedicated volunteers, and a commitment to conservation, the aquarium is doing its part to “think globally, but act locally” with the Sustainable Seafood Education Project (SSEP), a year-and-a-half-old effort to remove certain endangered fish species from restaurant menus. The South Carolina Aquarium sits at the mouth of the Cooper River in downtown Charleston. With each of South Carolina’s major ecosystems on display, a tour through the aquarium reveals more than just tanks and fish. River otters splash around mountain streams, softshell turtles paddle past catfish in the blackwater swamp, and a great blue heron stands above schools of mullet in the saltwater marsh. In the 41-foot deep Great Ocean Tank (the deepest in the country), about 50 species of fish brush gills with a sand tiger shark, green moray eel, and 230-pound loggerhead turtle. In each of its exhibits, the aquarium takes great pains to house animals in a “natural” habitat. This not only gives animals a comfortable home, it also gives visitors a good sense of individual species and the different worlds around them. Even before the aquarium opened, Andrews and his colleagues knew that conservation and education programs would be just as important as exhibits and displays. In the late 1990s, the aquarium joined the Save our Swordfish campaign, which has been an overwhelming success in restoring the Atlantic swordfish from dangerously low numbers. When the aquarium opened in May 2000, it featured an exhibit borrowed from the Monterey Bay Aquarium (another facility that promotes the use of sustainable seafood) entitled “Fishing for Solutions.” The exhibit, which detailed problems facing ocean fisheries, had a strong conservational undercurrent and sparked interest among aquarium visitors. In 2001, the South Carolina Aquarium formed a working group of staff, Charleston area restaurants, local suppliers, and institutions such as the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League, University of South Carolina Baruch Institute, and Johnson & Wales University to design a program with a single goal in mind: “To develop a consumer-oriented sustainable seafood program for the Charleston area that promotes appropriate local sea food in a positive fashion.” The result, launched in October 2002, was SSEP. The project focuses on removing threatened species such as Chilean sea bass, orange roughy, and shark from menu options. These long-lived animals take many years to reach sexual maturity, a trait that makes them especially susceptible to overfishing. In their place, project organizers promote more sustainable, though sometimes less glamorous, alternatives such as wreckfish and farm-raised clams. To select these alternative species, project directors consult respected fisheries scientist John Mark Dean, from the University of South Carolina, to determine if a particular fishery is being managed sustainably. They also make sure that alternative species are found locally. This is important not only because it ensures a fresh fish, but also to give a boost to Charleston’s fishing economy and get local fishermen involved in the project. Initially, 20 of Charleston’s finest restaurants partnered in the effort, a number that has since almost doubled. Most recently, the Charleston County Library came on board, marking the occasion with a demonstration and discussion of sustainable seafood practices with local chef Craig Deihl. Behind an appetizing spread of Kumamoto oysters and sashimi tuna topped with cilantro-lime-mint glaze and wasabi caviar, Deihl discussed the importance of using sustainably caught seafood to a hungry group of onlookers. Although Deihl was already predisposed to paying close attention to his seafood purchases, he made special mention of the importance of a program like SSEP, which gives busy chefs the resources to make intelligent and responsible seafood purchases. In March 2004, Deihl and other top Charleston chefs plied patrons with a four-course feast at the annual Sustainable Seafood Benefit Dinner. When it comes to the education aspect of the program, Whit McMillan, the aquarium’s director of conservation and education, is one of the most visible members. He regularly gives presentations at the aquarium and offers educational sessions at the culinary school Johnson & Wales. McMillan sees these students as being in a unique position to make a profound impact on the seafood market. “The thing I want to do with them, because they are the future chefs and buyers, is just to plant that seed that these issues exist and maybe these are things you should think about when you’re buying things for your restaurant in the future.” This year, McMillan plans on expanding his involvement with restaurants by offering wait-staff training sessions. Both Andrews and McMillan would like to see the project expand, however, and they would like to continue to add partners within the Charleston area and eventually spread to other population centers in the Southeast. They also hope to find grant money for the project and hire a full-time staff to focus on a project that so far has been funded mostly through donated time and money. In addition to SSEP, the South Carolina Aquarium has made a commitment to utilize as many “green” business practices as possible. Workers recycle paper, cardboard, aluminum, etc.; they reduce electricity usage wherever possible; and they reuse water in exhibits. The aquarium participates in direct conservation efforts such as a “head-start” program for loggerhead turtles, in which a small number of hatchlings are taken from local beaches (under permit of course) and reared in captivity for their most vulnerable first couple years before being released back into the wild. Research ranks among the aquarium’s top priorities as well, with current studies focusing on watersheds and freshwater fisheries. The aquarium also investigates the effects of other current environmental hazards such as urban sprawl and nonpoint source pollution. However, Andrews is quick to point out that none of these conservation efforts would be possible without the fascinating exhibits of the aquarium. “First and foremost, an aquarium is an attraction. If we don’t attract people, we can’t touch them, change them, educate them, inform them.” The South Carolina Aquarium’s success as an attraction corresponds directly to its achievements as an educator and conservator. The hope is that with this creative approach to conservation education, there will always be plenty of fish in the sea.