St. Petersburg, Fl based Crystal Harbor joins Sustainability Group

June 15, 2011 Washington, DC Adding to a coalition that already makes up nearly 70 percent of the imported Blue Swimming Crab market in the U.S. the NFI Crab Council announced yet another company has signed on to the sustainability alliance. To a team that includes Blue Star, Bumble Bee, Chicken of the Sea Frozen Foods, Handy, Heron Point, Lawrence Street Seafood, Newport, Phillips, RGE, Supreme Lobster and Twin Tails you can now add Crystal Harbor Seafood, LLC.

Companies that import Blue Swimming Crab and are committed to sustainability join the NFI Crab Council because they believe in the work were doing and because their customers want to know what theyre doing to protect and promote the resource, said Council chair Ed Rhodes of Phillips Foods. Were happy to welcome Crystal Harbor.

In Indonesia, the Council reports that the industry group through which it funds sustainability work has finalized an agreement with the Ministry of Fisheries to work on a Blue Swimming Crab stock assessment. Last week in the Philippines its partners released roughly 5,000 hatchery-produced juvenile crabs as part of its stock enhancement work there.

Theyre funding and doing real work on Blue Swimming Crab sustainability and thats what we want to be a part of, said Andy Walton of Crystal Harbor.

The leading companies within all channels of distribution are promoting the need for a sustainable resource. We recognize the importance of this endeavor and is why we have joined the NFI Crab Council, said Troy Turkin of Crystal Harbor.

On July first the Councils sustainability initiative that sets a new minimum harvest size goes into effect. Designed to end the harvesting of undersized crabs, Indonesias Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries began promoting the Councils new minimum size to all of the 33 provincial governments back in April.

For more than 60 years, the National Fisheries Institute (NFI) and its members have provided American families with the variety of sustainable seafood essential to a healthy diet. For more information visit: www.AboutSeafood.com.

Contact Information

Gavin Gibbons
(703) 752-8891
ggibbons@nfi.org