The Business of Seafood Archives

Another year of Aspen Food & Wine Classic has come and gone. Each year, after it’s over, we reflect on the whole weekend and frankly, we’re surprised that…. we’re still surprised. It seems that there is no limit, capacity or ceiling to be reached when it comes to the creativity displayed at the Classic. Each year the dishes get better – more beautiful, and more delicious. The chefs more creative and the speakers more inspirational.

But something else stuck out to us this year, and it has to do with those actually attending Food & Wine. People are asking questions – lots of them. Informed questions, probing to find out more details about what exactly they’re eating:

“Is this sustainable?”

“How was this raised and harvested?”

“Where is this from?”

“Who grew this?”

“Is this certified?”

As a supplier focused on bringing our customers sustainable, traceable food as much as possible, these questions are magic to our ears. It’s incredibly encouraging to see that people are interested in what they are consuming, and how it affects our planet’s resources. We expect (and hope) to see this trend to continue at future Food & Wine Classics and other festivals across the country.

This year, Seattle Fish Company is proud to have co-hosted and participated in several events, many of them centered around sustainability and responsibility throughout the food supply chain.

The Future of Food: Aquaculture Plated, Andrew Zimmern Luncheon

To kick off the weekend, Seattle Fish Company joined forces with Verlasso, Pacifico Aquaculture, Riverence, Island Creek, Fair Trade Seafood & Kosta Browne to co-host a luncheon with Chef Andrew Zimmern. Held on the outdoor patio of Casa Tua, the event educated attendees on the benefits and importance of aquaculture as a solution for continuing to feed our growing planet.

Zimmern spoke to the crowd about the need for immediate action in regards to sustainability efforts: “Today we are not facing a global health problem, or a global food problem, or a food insecurity problem. We don’t have a climate change issue. We’re having a humanitarian crisis on our planet. We are pushing problems that need to be solved today on to the plates of future generations. If we don’t take care of it ourselves and start advocating for the things we know to be true and right, there won’t be anything left for our children to advocate for. If you’re not for sustainability, then you’re not for caring for other human beings and you’re not for caring for our planet.”

Jennifer Bushman, Chef Andrew Zimmern and Julie Kuchepatov
Chef Andrew Zimmern (left) with Seattle Fish Company President, Derek Figueroa (right)

Along with Zimmern’s inspiring speech, attendees were fed sustainable bites from Verlasso, Pacifico, Island Creek, Riverence, Fair Trade Seafood and wines were supplied by Kosta Browne. There was ample networking among the thought leaders in attendance, and energizing conversations around how we can work together to make a positive difference in our industry, and for our future.

Poached Verlasso salmon
Island Creek Oysters
Guest being served sustainable bites

This was planned in collaboration with Jennifer Bushman. All seafood was hand-cut, packaged and delivered by Seattle Fish Company.

Kosta Browne @ The Peak (Buttermilk Mountain Event with Top Chefs)

As far as we know, there are no medals given out for the amazing views in Aspen. But if there were, the Kosta Brown @ The Peak Party would have taken home the gold. Attendees arrived at the base of Buttermilk Mountain and were greeted with caviar bumps and Island Creek oysters, before being whisked away on a chairlift and taken on a fifteen-minute ride to the top of the mountain.

*Island Creek Oysters shucking fresh oysters for guests arriving at the Kosta Browne event.*

Upon arrival at the top, the scenery seems to completely unfold and offer impressive, expansive views of the surrounding peaks. It was here that former Top Chef contestants prepared and were serving the crowd delicious bites.

*Guests taking in the views from the top of Buttermilk Mountain.*

Chef Michelle Minori’s dish:
Pickled Mussels, Paprika, Black Garlic, Pine Nuts
Chef Brandon Rosen’s dish:
Herb Crusted Lamb Loin, Cheery & Black Olive Glazed Swiss Chard, Potato Mousseline, Topped with Seeded Bread & Parmesan Tuile with Mustard & Chive Flowers

*Chef Eddie Konrad’s dish: Verlasso salmon with Green Tomato & Cabbage “Chow Chow”*

Cochon 555: Heritage Fire Snowmass

One of our favorite events of the weekend, Heritage Fire, takes place at the base of Snowmass Village. All of the dishes served at Heritage Fire are prepared over open flame, challenging the chefs to come up with dishes that may be a little out of their comfort zone or at least different from their usual indoor kitchen approach.

Seattle Fish Company collaborated closely with the Cochon 555 team to select seafood and non-seafood proteins that could be used at the event, including: Niceland wolffish, whole Rosen lamb, Miller Chicken, Colorado hybrid striped bass, octopus, and more.

Chef Kelly Whitaker cooks whole wolffish from Niceland Seafood at Heritage Fire.

The next Cochon 555 Heritage Fire event is on August 11th, at Acreage by Stem Ciders in Layfayette, Colorado. Make sure to get your ticket now before it sells out!

That’s a wrap for Aspen Food & Wine 2019. Thank you to our strategic partners for your hard work in collaborating on, planning and executing these events, and especially to our customers, who work hard all weekend long to turn “ingredients” into magical dishes for everyone to enjoy. We’ll be dreaming about it until next year!

Taking A Stance

Seattle Fish Company has long been committed to making the right choices – we pride ourselves on constantly finding new ways to be sustainable, resource efficient and environmentally conscious. We also take the sourcing of our product very seriously. Our Purchasing department works hard to source product of high quality and integrity through research, relationship building and careful consideration.

*Image credit World Wildlife Foundation

Mac Paranto, Seattle Fish Company Sustainability Coordinator and Colorado State University alum, is particularly focused on the impact we’re leaving on the environment when we source our seafood. We want do our part to ensure oceans stay healthy and that seafood is available for future generations, which means sourcing seafood that isn’t overfished and doesn’t damage the ocean environment when caught. We are dealing with a natural resource and must take into consideration demand as well as wildlife conservation.

For example, when Bluefin tuna entered the endangered species list, we took swift action: making the conscious choice to no longer source and sell Bluefin tuna. According to the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF), “Bluefin tuna populations have declined severely from overfishing and illegal fishing over the past few decades –not just Atlantic bluefin tuna, but also Pacific bluefin tuna and Southern bluefin tuna. Population declines have been largely driven by the demand for this fish in high end sushi markets. Although tuna do provide food and livelihoods for people, they are more than just seafood. Tuna are a top predator in the marine food chain, maintaining a balance that is critical in the ocean environment.”

Traceable Alternatives

Bluefin tuna becoming endangered is troubling, however, that doesn’t mean you can’t eat tuna at all. By working closely with our vendor partners, we’re proud to offer two alternative tuna options to our customers: domestic Yellowfin tuna from Hawaii and the Gulf of Mexico (MBA yellow rated), or Yellowfin tuna from a FIP (Fishery Improvement Project) in Costa Rica. These fish are traceable via a QR code which provides information like vessel name, captain, and method of harvest. Should Yellowfin tuna not be available, we will work to source MBA yellow rated Bigeye tuna as needed.

*Screenshot courtesy of ChefsTrading CT-tag

Sri Lanka Tuna Fishery Improvement Project

An exciting step in the right direction, Sea Pact recently announced industry funding for a Fishery Improvement Project (FIP) in Sri Lanka that will work to reduce the impact of longline fisheries for yellowfin and bigeye tuna and swordfish on endangered, threatened and protected (ETP) non-target species.

“We look forward to working with all the different stakeholders on this project and helping drive industry change on tuna sustainability forward” said our Chief Operating Officer and chair of Sea Pact Advisory Council, Hamish Walker.

How You Can Help

Eat a variety of seafood! One of the greatest things about this protein is its variety. There are, quite literally, millions of fish in the sea. Ask the seafood specialist at your local grocery store for specifics on what type of fish is in their case, and encourage them to bring in sustainable seafood you can feel great about eating.

You can also download Monterey Bay Aquarium’s app Seafood Watch, which provides free, up-to-date seafood recommendations and ratings and places near you that serve ocean-friendly seafood.

For More Information

If you have any questions on our strategic sourcing strategy, please feel free to contact us at any time by emailing info@seattlefish.com or following our blog on www.seattlefish.com.
To follow the progress of the Sri Lanka Tuna FIP, visit fisheryprogress.org.
SeaPact is an innovative collaboration of ten leading North American seafood companies working together to drive seafood industry sustainability progress globally.

NRA Pushing for Industry Apprenticeships

Things are shifting in the restaurant industry, in part, because of political, social and technology shifts. The National Restaurant Association is changing their own approach to adapt to these changes. NRA CEO Dawn Sweeney talks about these shifts on Restaurant.org. She explains how the organization is training members to use new mobile and online ordering technology, but the most notable initiative is Sweeney’s involvement with the White House’s Task Force on Apprenticeship Expansion.

Thanks to the efforts of this task force, the Department of Labor has agreed to award a nearly $2 million grant to place the next generation of restaurant employees in paid apprenticeships. The hope is this will reduce turnover and increase the level of skill in the workforce throughout the industry.

Seafood at NRA 2018

Even more news from the National Restaurant Association came out of their 99th annual Restaurant Show. And seafood grabbed many of the headlines. Not only seafood but sustainable seafood. Barton Seaver, author of For Cod and Country: Simple, Delicious, Sustainable Cooking presented on the topic and followed it up with a cooking demonstration. With 65,000 foodservice professionals in attendance at the Restaurant Show, this presentation was a major step in advancing the sustainable seafood cause. Seaver also announced he was leaving his post as Director of the Sustainable Seafood and Health Initiative at the Harvard School of Public Health to start his own seafood sustainability school. If you’re interested in learning more about Seaver’s work in sustainability, you can catch his keynote speech at the Sustainability & Thought Leadership Symposium 2018.

Undercurrent News highlights Seavers presentation along with other key seafood topics that made their way into conversations at the show. They cover the problematic “Golden Size” of Indonesian snapper, plant-based tuna and the role Millenials are playing in quick-service seafood restaurants making their way into grocery stores.

EMS Crisis Led to Shrimp Oversupply

Seafoodnews.com recently reported on the impact oversupply and low prices have had on shrimp margins. Robins McIntosh, Vice President at Thailand’s Charoen Pokphand Foods, spoke about these sliding prices at the Guatemala Aquaculture Symposium. He explained that earlier this decade, early mortality syndrome impacted shrimp production in Southeast Asia. This caused supply shortages, which then caused prices to rise, which then caused farmers to increase production to capitalize on the highly profitable crop. All of this resulted in a market overcorrection that drove prices down.

McIntosh also pointed to the fact that U.S. demand for shrimp has only grown by 2 percent while demand in Japan is down and Europe has remained stagnant in recent years before outlining a number of shrimp myths he’s learned over his career.

McDonald’s Gets Kids Interested in Sustainable Seafood

In a partnership with the Marine Stewardship Council, McDonalds created the Reel It In! card game. Designed to teach kids about sustainable fishing practices, the game puts an environmental spin on the classic Go Fish game. Every time a player goes fishing from the deck, they risk drawing a Keep Our Oceans Healthy card. If they draw too many of these cards, they lose the game.

Tha game also puts a spotlight on McDonald’s own seafood sustainability efforts. Since 2011 in the UK and 2013 in the U.S., the restaurant’s famous Filet-O-Fish has been made from MSC-certified wild-caught Alaska pollock.

Image via McDonald’s

Category Archives: The Business of Seafood

Aspen Food & Wine 2019

Strategic Sourcing In The Seafood World

Industry Roundup: Future of the Restaurant Industry, NRA 2018, Shrimp Supply Boom and McDonald’s Reels it In

NRA Pushing for Industry Apprenticeships

Seafood at NRA 2018

EMS Crisis Led to Shrimp Oversupply

McDonald’s Gets Kids Interested in Sustainable Seafood

Giving Back: Chefs Up Front Fundraiser!

Recap: The Fisherman’s Wharf at WestEx 2015