For those of you who missed it, we couldn’t be more thrilled about the recent recovery of the West Coast groundfish fishery*! After years of work by fishermen, regulators, conservationists, academics, and observers including the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), nearly all groundfish caught in California, Oregon and Washington are now ranked either yellow/good alternative or green/best choice by Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Program. Additionally, West Coast groundfish have been awarded MSC certification as a sustainable and well managed fishery. Previously, the fishery had been declared a federal disaster and was rated red/avoid. Our friends at Chef’s Collaborative recently hosted a power-hour conference call with industry leaders and experts, including our very own Derek Figueroa. On the call, the group discussed how these fisheries were able to make such an impressive recovery and how distributors and chefs can do their part by supporting the West Coast fishermen who have worked so hard. A full recording of the call “Chef Power Hour: What Chefs Need to Know About West Coast Groundfish” is available on the Chef’s Collaborative’s website. Tune in to get an industry update and what you can do next!
*Groundfish refers to the 90+ species of rockfish, sole, sanddabs, lingcod, sablefish, skate and other finfish that are caught in this diverse fishery
Seattle Fish Co. is currently expanding our fresh fish offerings by sourcing a number of these West Coast groundfish. Some of these species include Rockfish, Lingcod, Petrale Sole and Dover Sole. The fish are caught and processed immediately in Seattle, Washington then are trucked straight to Denver and landing on Seattle Fish Co.’s dock in less than 48 hours from catch! We currently offer whole, round and/or dressed specifications of these groundfish. Additionally, we have put together a “Starter Pack” at a highly discounted rate for our customers. The “Starter Packs” include a few different whole groundfish, which allows chefs to easily get their hands on these species, familiarize themselves and test recipes. Contact your Seattle Fish Co. rep today to get your starter pack!
Here’s a peek at what came in this week; who knows what will land next week!
Dover Sole caught by bottom trawl on the fishing vessel Donna J, captained by Charlie Price and landed at the port of Ft. Bragg, California.
Lingcod and Petrale Sole caught by bottom trawl on the fishing vessel Casandra Ann, captained by John Miller and landed at the Port of Astoria.
Canary Rockfish caught bottom trawl on the fishing vessel Caladonia, captained by Bob Ingram and landed at the Port of Uclulet,British Columbia, Canada.