Back in action

It's getting hot in here

I’m back from a much-needed vacation and ready to get cracking.

As you are likely aware, the oceans are continuing to heat up (both literally and figuratively, unfortunately.)  we’re seeing an ever-increasing number of articles in the mainstream press about overfishing, piracy, fishery collapses, acidification, trade disputes, and more.

I’ve got several pending articles on my plate but I do want to float a suggestion so we can better get at the issues that are of the biggest concern to you, the sustainablesushi.net readership.

One of the ideas that I received a couple of weeks ago was to allow readers to ask direct questions that would then be used to formulate articles.  I think this is a great idea, as I do have a tendency to get a bit off-topic and this would serve to keep my pen reigned in a bit and to ensure that the entries I’m writing are indeed of interest to folks that visit this site.

Have you heard the news?

So, let me ask — what’s on your mind?  Concerned about the bluefin tuna hullabaloo going on in Europe?  How about the New York Times front page article on hoki?  Maybe your interest is piqued by all the new money the Canadian government is pouring into aquaculture?  Is it the ongoing crisis within the Chilean salmon farming industry (they brought it on themselves) that’s got your attention?  Or maybe something else entirely?

Please either post your questions and topics of interest here or send them to info@sustainablesushi.net, and I’ll take it from there.  Looking forward to hearing from you!

Tags: acidification, aquaculture, bluefin, canada, Chile, Chilean, CITES, collapses, farming, hoki, input, issues, overfishing, piracy, questions, readership, salmon, vacation

Seeking input

Help a brother out?

I need to ask you all for a small favor.

For the past nine months or so, I have been working on building sustainablesushi.net into an informative website where people could obtain up-to-date scientific information on the sustainability of their favorite sushi items, as well as express their views on various phenomena growing out of the realms of sushi and ocean conservation.  I’ve been thrilled to watch the readership of this blog display slow but steady growth throughout that time.

Moreover, sustainablesushi.net has attracted individuals that represent the leadership in a number of the fields related to this subject — marine biologists, commercial fishermen, aquaculturists, and even sushi chefs have found their way to the website.  These folks represent a wealth of information that we can all benefit from.

So... how 'bout them sardines?

That being said, I’ve been slow to foster more discussion in the form of comments.  This is a bit of a letdown as I strongly believe that the best way to grapple with the complicated issues addressed on this website is through open discussion and debate.  Unfortunately, I feel that I have largely failed to create an environment where readers feel comfortable adding their views and engaging in conversation with me and with one another.

As such, I have decided that it would be best to open the floor up to my readership.  The multiple choice question below represents some of the ideas I’ve already had.  Please feel free to suggest more than one option.

All I ask is that you bear two points in mind:

• I maintain my own website
• I know virtually nothing about how to maintain my own website

With that caveat, I’d love to know your thoughts on the following questions:

1) What are the best/worst parts of this website?

Also:

2) What would encourage more reader participation and discussion on this website?

1. Enabled anonymous postings (no need to login to post a comment)
2. Video updates (VLOG entries)
3. Increased focus on restaurants (provide matrix for readers to conduct and submit sustainability-based reviews)
4. Blog articles to close with question(s) designed to kickstart discussion
5. Other (feel free to suggest something)

Thanks so much for your input.  This website is still in its formative stages, and while I’m certainly very proud of how far it has come, I have no doubt whatsoever that there is still a tremendous need for improvement.  After all, sustainability is dynamic… and websites need to be sustainable as well.

I look forward to your comments.

Tags: anonymous, improvement, input, multiple choice, other, question, questions, reader, restaurant, review, sushi, sustainable, sustainablesushi.net, vlog, website