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Local, Sustainable Seafood: An Independent Study by Erica Chang '18 – Sustainability

Local, Sustainable Seafood: An Independent Study by Erica Chang '18 – Sustainability

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Erica Chang ‘18 had always been interested in the ocean, but studying away at Williams-Mystic in spring 2016 gave her a real taste for it. When she traveled to the Pacific northwest with the program, she discovered an interest in salmon, fisheries, and our country’s relationship with seafood. It’s ironic, she said: as a vegetarian, she doesn’t eat seafood herself. But after her return to Williams, she missed studying the ocean. “We don’t have many classes focused on the ocean,” she said. “Many of our classes are place-based, which makes sense, but we’re still connected to the ocean.” The College’s carbon dioxide emissions contribute to ocean acidification. Massachusetts has substantial coastline. And perhaps most directly, our dining halls purchase substantial quantities of seafood. In a Williams Record op-ed, Chang wrote: We’ve come a long way with our food; students have spearheaded a 50-percent industrial beef reduction and a fair-trade banana implementation, and the campus celebrates local products and “150-mile” meals. But considering we spent nearly $200,000 on seafood during the 2016 fiscal year, talking about where our seafood is from and how it’s caught is an integral part of sustainability discussions. This semester, Chang designed an independent study to examine seafood in the dining halls. Her goal was to learn about how Williams could purchase more local and sustainable seafood in order to “both heal our marine environments and support local companies and coastal communities.” Professor Mea Cook and Zilkha Center Assistant Director Mike Evans have acted as her advisors, and she says that survey skills learned in Professor Sarah Gardner’s Environmental Planning class also proved invaluable. Chang began with a current purchase assessment of the fish currently served at Williams, using a spreadsheet of product quantities provided by Dining Services. This proved surprisingly difficult, she said. “There’s very little transparency,” she…