Splash is the preeminent seafood restaurant in Des Moines. What follows is a letter I sent to the management at Splash. If anyone is interested in contacting these gentlemen as well, their email addresses are jeffstegeman@yahoo.com and lucyhomey@yahoo.com.
Dear Sirs,
I love seafood, and I want to be able to love your restaurant. Geographically, Des Moines is about as far as we can get from the oceans in the US, so an upscale fresh seafood place is a great and novel idea. However, I have deep concerns over the many unsustainable options on the Splash menu, so that I cannot in good conscience dine there.
Sustainable seafood is a complex issue, with worries ranging from overfishing to environmental damage to bycatch of endangered species. As the world’s desire for more and more seafood continues to grow, these issues become magnified, and we see that continuing with the status quo is not a feasible option. A prime example is bluefin tuna, listed as an option on Splash’s appetizer menu, which has been overfished to the point that it is listed as critically endangered (IUCN).
The Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program is a helpful tool in guiding consumers and restaurants to more sustainable options. Species are neatly broken out into Best Choices, Good Alternatives, and Avoid. The guide is even available in a handy pocket version for reference at the store and when dining out. Sadly, many of the menu items at Splash are in the red-listed Avoid category (Bluefin Tuna, Russian Caviar, Chilean Seabass, Red Snapper, Atlantic Salmon).
Splash is in a unique position as the prime seafood restaurant in Des Moines - able to take the lead in sustainability on a local level, joining national personalities such as Rick Moonen, Alton Brown, and others in this mission. Menus can change, and making an effort to shift Splash from unsustainable to Best Choices would have a very real impact. I implore you to please consider the future of our oceans when selecting seafood for your menus, so there is a chance our children will be able to enjoy seafood as we do today.
Sincerely,
Gregory Zink
Former (and hopeful future) Splash diner
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