First Chef in the UAE to offer sustainable fish on menus

A Letter of Thanks

Dear Chef Olivier Loreaux,

On behalf of the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi and the Emirates Wildlife Society-WWF, we take this opportunity to applaud your efforts in removing Hammour (Orange spotted grouper) from Le Royal Meridien Abu Dhabi menus. Your commendable action is aiding in our efforts to raise awareness that the Hammour is one of the UAE’s most threatened fish and will help in the drive to conserve the species.

Overfishing of the Hammour beyond sustainable levels has placed the species on the endangered list. In recent years, the Hammour has been over-fished seven times above the level that would allow the species to naturally replenish itself. It is vital to protect this endangered fish and raising awareness that more sustainable seafood options can be offered as a substitute is part of the solution to the problem. 

You have set a benchmark for other hotels to reach and have shown your guests there are viable alternatives. With your permission, we would like to share your actions through the media so that others can be inspired to follow your example. What you have done is highly commendable and we sincerely appreciate it, as will future generations. 

Chef Olivier, we thank you and encourage you to continue to promote the important message to your guests throughout the hotel’s restaurants that human activities are taking a toll on our fragile marine ecosystems and that your actions alone are not enough. If we persuade even a small percentage of hotel customers to follow your lead, we have an even greater chance of conserving the Hammour.

Sincerely,

http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100731/NATIONAL/707309836/0/FOREIGN