New York’s LaGuardia Airport will soon have a sustainable seafood restaurant called Minnow in the renovated Delta Airlines terminal. 

In what hopes to be a vast improvement on current airport dining options, this sophisticated seafood restaurant and raw bar will feature all sustainable and seasonal seafood and pair it with an expansive wine and craft beer list.

When Maine sweet shrimp is in season, the eatery will offer two or three different entrées and sides using shrimp. When wild salmon from Alaska is in season, the restaurant will carry it. Several other varieties of fish will be served, along with oysters from the East and West coasts of the Unites States, roasted razor clams and periwinkles.

Sounds better than a turkey sandwich from the food stand, right?

Nat Hussey, one time lawyer and Maine Department of Corrections worker is a relative newcomer to the lobster industry. What isn’t new is his approach to lobster fishing; he is using the same methods employed in the late 1800’s, before powerboats became the norm.

Hussey, pulls his traps by hand, instead of using a mechanized winch and he rows in place of an engine. He also uses recycled gear -- bait bags, rope, bungee cords - that he's found washed up on shore. Hussey pays less in overhead expenses compared to his modern, engine powered, GPS using competitors – and this is a good thing, as he has only pulled in a few thousand dollars worth of lobster this year.

Still, Hussey seems nonplussed. By fishing this way, subsistence-based and sustainably, and writing about his experience in a blog he’s trying to show that people can live comfortably melding today's technology with the business practices of the past.

Yesterday the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reopened 5,144 square miles of Gulf waters to commercial and recreational finfish fishing.

NOAA data have shown no oil in the area since July 3, and United States Coast Guard observers flying over the area in the last 30 days have also not observed any oil. These facts support the joint FDA/NOAA/Gulf State protocol for re-opening and fish caught in the area have been declared free of contaminants after sensory and chemical testing.

”We know how important it is to the culture and economy of this region to get back out on the water and be able to once again harvest the seafood that the Gulf is famous for,” Dr. Margaret A. Hamburg, Commissioner of Food and Drugs, said. “But our top priority in the wake of this disaster must be the safety of the fish that makes it to market. We are confident that the proper processes have been followed, and that consumers can feel good once again serving their families seafood from these waters.”

The closed area in the Gulf now covers 22% of federal waters down from 37% at the height of the disaster.

Mussels are found in all the world’s oceans and attach themselves using byssal threads to surfaces like gravel, rocks and piers. Mussels have been farmed since the 13th century.

There are three main types of mussel sold in the U.S.: blue mussels, Mediterranean mussels and greenlip mussels (usually from New Zealand).

Most mussels are grown on ropes suspended in the ocean, which results in little habitat impacts. A small proportion is grown on the seafloor, which can damage the bottom when harvested with a dredge.

As filter feeders, mussels help to keep the water clean as they feed on suspended biological matter.

All farmed mussels, regardless of catch location or farming method variation are now ranked a green “Best Choice” by the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Want to prepare a sustainable feast of mussels this weekend? Download our new mussel recipe card!