DURHAM, N.H. -- The University of New Hampshire will host a Sustainable Seafood Dinner Wednesday, April 16, 2014, in the Holloway Commons dining hall. The dinner, from 4:30 to 9:30 p.m., will highlight locally caught seafood and New England's fishing community. The dinner is free to anyone with a UNH dining plan and open to the public for a charge ($22.95 for adults; $11.50 for children under the age of 10).

On the menu will be hake, scallops, lobster dishes, and oysters from regional waters. Dishes like skate wing tacos, seafood ceviche, and locally grown kelp will highlight efforts to alleviate pressure on overfished species by introducing diners to underloved but abundant local seafood. More information is at http://www.unh.edu/dining/sustainable_seafood_inform.html.

The dinner is part of a six-week pilot to source more local seafood at UNH dining halls. UNH Dining is working with Red's Best, a Boston-based seafood processor, to bring more locally caught seafood to the dining halls. Sourcing seafood locally not only provides fisherman with a reliable market but also provides student with access to and education about local seafood.

"Bringing more local seafood to our diners is a natural extension of UNH Dining's Local Harvest commitment to connect with our region's producers and source locally as much as possible," says David Hill, UNH Dining assistant director - culinary operations. "And educating our customers about local fisheries and undiscovered seafood supports the university's education mission, as well." Since 2005, UNH Dining and the Sustainability Institute have hosted a wildly acclaimed Local Harvest Dinner.

"It's been great working with UNH Dining Services as they respond to student demand for more local seafood," says Spencer Montgomery '14, a nutritional sciences major at UNH and an organizer of UNH's Slow Fish campaign, which builds upon the principals of Slow Food. "As one of the largest food purchasers in the state, this commitment from UNH could help revitalize conditions for the local fleet."

The pilot and dinner represent a collaboration between UNH Dining, Slow Food UNH, the Sustainability Institute, NH Sea Grant, and the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance to increase local seafood availability in the dining halls. UNH has a strong commitment to sustainable food system:  UNH Dining signed the international Slow Food Principles in 2006, the student Organic Garden Club grows produce for the dining halls, and on-campus eateries source greens and other vegetables produced as part of the sustainable agriculture curriculum. Learn more at sustainableunh.unh.edu.

The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling 12,300 undergraduate and 2,200 graduate students.

Photo to download: /unhtoday/news/releases/2014/03/images/localseafood-6251.jpg
Caption: On Wednesday, April 16, 2014, UNH will host its first Sustainable Seafood Dinner at Holloway Commons from 4:30 to 9:00 p.m. The dinner will highlight locally caught seafood and New England's fishing community.
Credit: Courtesy of NH Sea Grant

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