IV 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 582 

Recognizing the South Carolina Aquarium’s Sustainable Seafood Initiative 

and the benefits it provides to coastal South Carolina, South Carolina 

fishermen, South Carolina restaurants, and the consumers of seafood 

in coastal South Carolina, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 27, 2007 

Mr. BROWN of South Carolina (for himself, Mr. WILSON of South Carolina, 

Mr. BARRETT of South Carolina, Mr. INGLIS of South Carolina, Mr. 

SPRATT, and Mr. CLYBURN) submitted the following resolution; which 

was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition 

to the Committee on Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently 

determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the South Carolina Aquarium’s Sustainable Seafood Initiative and the benefits it provides to coastal 

South Carolina, South Carolina fishermen, South Carolina restaurants, and the consumers of seafood in coastal 

South Carolina, and for other purposes. 

Whereas seafood is a good, healthy source of protein that has 

been shown to have many beneficial effects on human 

health; 


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Whereas studies have shown that seafood consumption has 

the potential to increase brainpower, reduce the likelihood 

of strokes, and reduce the impacts of Alzheimer’s disease; 

Whereas the national average of seafood consumption is only 

16.5 pounds per person per year, and while this has increased in recent years, in the last year the world average 

was over 36 pounds per year; 

Whereas the United States currently has an annual trade 

deficit in seafood of more than $9,000,000,000; 

Whereas 80 percent of the seafood consumed in the United 

States comes from foreign sources; 

Whereas South Carolina contains 2,876 miles of tidal shoreline, 10,000 square miles of Continental Shelf, 500,000 

acres of tidal bottoms, and 504,450 acres of salt marsh 

(constituting 20 percent of the East Coast total); 

Whereas the Charleston Bump and ocean upwellings along 

the South Carolina coast allow nutrients to increase the 

productivity of South Carolina’s coastal ocean waters, 

which supports important commercial and recreational 

fisheries; 

Whereas South Carolina boasts more than 200 varieties of 

fish and shellfish and approximately 30 of these are commercially harvested; 

Whereas the commercial seafood industry in South Carolina 

landed almost 10,000,000 pounds of seafood in 2005 and 

the average dock-side value has been almost $25,000,000; 

Whereas local fishermen buy their bait, fuel, groceries, and 

other supplies, berth their boats at local marinas, and patronize other local businesses that are necessary for the 

fishermen to do their jobs, so the cumulative benefit to 

the local economy of coastal South Carolina is signifiVerDate Aug 31 2005 02:46 Jul 28, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR582.IH HR582

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•HRES 582 IH 

cantly more than the ex-vessel value of the seafood 

caught; 

Whereas the South Carolina Aquarium and the Sustainable 

Seafood Initiative, which represents a pioneering consortium of local fisheries, conservation partners, and restaurants under the direction and management of the 

South Carolina Aquarium, has created a program to encourage the consumption of healthy, high quality locally 

caught seafood; 

Whereas the Sustainable Seafood Initiative bases its recommendations on those seafood species that are caught 

under the regulations developed by the National Marine 

Fisheries Service, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, and the South Carolina Department of 

Natural Resources, and recognizes that not all fishermen 

in the world follow the regulations that United States 

fishermen are required to follow; 

Whereas such program promotes the use of locally caught, 

sustainable, and well-managed fish in South Carolina’s 

restaurants, and now has a total 80 partners; 

Whereas such program seeks clarity in the identification and 

marketing of seafood to South Carolina consumers 

through a public education program both in the Aquarium and through its Web site; 

Whereas the program supports the economic health of environmentally friendly commercial fisheries, bringing sustainable local seafood to the people of South Carolina; 

and 

Whereas the Sustainable Seafood Initiative benefits local fishermen, as well as their local suppliers, local restaurants, 

and consumers: Now, therefore, be it 


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1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) supports the consumption of healthy sea3 food; 

4 (2) supports local fishermen and fishing com5 munities; 

6 (3) supports the education of seafood con7 sumers; 

8 (4) supports efforts to encourage the consump9 tion of locally caught seafood products; and 

10 (5) supports the Sustainable Seafood Initiative 

11 of the South Carolina Aquarium. 

Æ 


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