Someday, perhaps as early as March, Maryland's striped bass may join the main ingredients of Europe's Filet-O-Fish sandwich on the list of fish known worldwide as abundant, well-managed and caught in environmentally friendly ways.
The state has spent more than $131,000 and countless hours of study in a bid for the Marine Stewardship Council's seal of approval, a symbol of sustainability held by about 10 percent of the world's fish species and fish products — including the cod, haddock, hoki and pollock sold by 7,000 McDonald's restaurants in Europe. Maryland striped bass is the only fish on the East Coast being independently measured against the council's standards.
Watermen who live on the margin of profitability are banking on the eco-label to boost their share of the striped bass market in the Mid-Atlantic states and beyond. Politicians think the seal will burnish Maryland's reputation as a green state. And scientists charged with protecting the state's natural resources hope the bipartisan effort will act as a spark for reform of fisheries policies and a buffer against lawmakers who might derail research programs or divert funding in tough economic times.
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