A letter to the editor by Frank Blum, executive director of the S.C. Seafood Alliance raises some interesting points about a state truth-in-advertising bill (H3028) that if passed, would make illegal for restaurants to market the seafood on their menus as local while substituting higher profit margin imported fish in its place.
Published in Anderson, SC’s Independent Mail, he makes the point that just about everyone benefits from the passage of this bill; restaurants benefit from the freshness that can only be obtained by selling truly local seafood, the fishing industry benefits when it can fairly compete with imported seafood, and diners benefit because they can have confidence that they are getting exactly the fish they ordered.
The SC Seafood Alliance website states that more than 200 varieties of fish and shellfish are native to South Carolina and approximately 30 of them are used in the kitchen. According to Blum, passage of House Bill H3028 will, “tend to level the playing field for imports vs. local and after a few offenders are caught and exposed in the media, others will be reluctant to lie to their customers.”
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