Here’s a sample email chefs can tailor and use to share information about the Portland Pact with fellow chefs and encourage them to sign the Pact. Just select the text, copy/paste it into an email, and adjust as needed:

I signed the Portland Pact for Sustainable Seafood and hope you will, too.

As customers increasingly ask for food that not only tastes great but is also good for them and good for the planet, we must pay attention to where food comes from. When it comes to seafood, I strive to serve fish that are caught in a sustainable manner, and, whenever possible, sourced from U.S. fishermen. Serving up sustainably-caught U.S. seafood supports healthy oceans and healthy coastal economies. And it tastes great.

Fortunately, a federal law known as the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA) uses science-based measures to ensure we have access to a steady supply of sustainably-caught seafood, now and for the future. Under the MSA, the United States has some of the best managed fisheries in the world and is a model for fisheries management worldwide. It is responsible for keeping popular items like halibut, New England scallops, and Black sea bass on the menu.

Unfortunately, special interest groups and some in Congress have been trying to weaken the MSA. These changes could spell trouble for future generations of seafood lovers as well as the U.S. fishermen who rely on healthy fisheries for their livelihoods.

By signing the Portland Pact for Sustainable Seafood, chefs throughout the country are making it clear that healthy fisheries are important to our businesses. Join me in ensuring we can serve delicious, sustainably-caught domestic seafood for years to come. Visit www.chefsforfish.org to learn more and add your name to the Portland Pact for Sustainable Seafood.