Web site dedicated to seafood consumers

Seafood consumers in the U.S., increasingly concerned about the sustainability and quality of seafood, can now turn to a NOAA Fisheries Service Web site, Fish- Watch, for the latest information.

The Web site, at www.fishwatch.noaa. gov, has information on more than 30 of the most popular seafood species, with more species to be added in the near future.

"Consumers are increasingly concerned about the safety, quality, and sustainability of the seafood they eat," said Dr. Bill Hogarth, NOAA Fisheries Service director. "This guide brings accurate fish information available to your seafood market, and it allows consumers to make informed decisions about purchasing seafood."

FishWatch provides seafood consumers with timely information about seafood, such as red snapper. The Web site includes details on population strength and status, as well as consumer information such as on fat content and vitamins. FishWatch also provides economic information, such as where seafood comes from and how much money it brings to the economy.

The President's Ocean Commission charged NOAA Fisheries Service with informing the public about the status of the living marine resources managed by the agency, and FishWatch is an outgrowth of that initiative.

Hogarth unveiled the FishWatch guide at the fourth annual Great American Seafood Cook-off in New Orleans, La., last week.

NOAA co-sponsors the cook-off to celebrate the wide variety, high quality and sustainability of domestically harvested seafood.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department, is celebrating 200 years of science and service to the nation. From the establishment of the Survey of the Coast in 1807 by Thomas Jefferson to the formation of the Weather Bureau and the Commission of Fish and Fisheries in the 1870s, much of America's scientific heritage is rooted in NOAA.

NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and information service delivery for transportation, and by providing environmental stewardship of our nation's coastal and marine resources. Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), NOAA is working with its federal partners, more than 70 countries and the European Commission to develop a global monitoring network that is as integrated as the planet it observes, predicts and protects. ¦