So what does it mean to fish in a sustainable manner? Well, Webster's has a pretty good definition of Sustainability to get us started:
Sustainability: “adjective \sə-ˈstā-nə-bəl\ : of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged.”
The Marine Stewardship Council has developed standards that are required to be met in order for a fishery to be designated "Sustainable." Click here to read what the Marine Stewardship Council requires of fisheries such as ours in the Cook Inlet.
Cook Inlet maintains and provides reliable data on the age and gender patterns of fish populations to prevent over-harvesting young fish, and other factors that affect the health of the stock, such as illegal fishing.
The fishery also has to prove that measures are in place to limit the catch of living creatures caught unintentionally, including other fish species and marine animals such as turtles and dolphins.