Sustainability

The next key element in Pacific Seafood’s Pacific Advantage initiative is sustainability. Our sustainability mission is to “promote and support socially and ecologically responsible resource management practices worldwide with the understanding that improving the state of our shared seafood resources is our legacy.”

This will be an ever evolving initiative as we continue to discover and develop additional tools and practices to help us reach new levels of sustainability. Some of the important things we are currently doing include having 13 MSC Certified processing facilities and 11 MSC Certified species.

Pacific Seafood also uses GreenShield® recyclable packaging, which has helped us significantly reduce waste, and we belong to a number of industry organizations committed to sustainability including the Pacific Fisheries Management Council and Ocean Trust.

For more information on our sustainable efforts, please visit http://www.pacseafood.com/default.aspx?page=132

Stewardship

As I mentioned in a previous blog post, Pacific Seafood has unrolled a new initiative called “The Pacific Advantage,” which includes four key elements: Stewardship, Sustainability, Quality Assurance and Traceability. Starting with stewardship, Pacific Seafood has outlined our stewardship mission as “Making ecologically and ethically sound choices, which conserve ocean resources and provide a sustainable and healthy food source for present and future generations.”

A few of the things we are doing to support this mission include:

• Become a member and supporter of The North Pacific Council
• Become a member and supporter of the Pacific Fisheries Management Council (PFMC)
• Support the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC)
• Founding Charter member and supporter of the NFI Better Seafood Business Board
• Importer of products approved by Aquaculture Certification Council – Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) –  recognized seafood products, standard targeted for all aquaculture imports
• Own and operate sustainable and natural feed Steelhead farm on the Columbia River in Washington State
• Committed to waste reduction by increasing use of 100% recyclable packaging for solutions for bio-waste and landfill reduction
• Use of green and recyclable packaging materials whenever available

Many of these initiatives have been long-standing practices of Pacific Seafood, but pulling them together under The Pacific Advantage is helping us to have a cohesive effort that will help ensure we are following our stewardship mission.

Following the Fish

Earth Day is today and this Earth Day marks our years of commitment to sustainability. Preserving the fish in our oceans in order to provide fresh, sustainable and safe seafood has been a Pacific Seafood mission since the company was founded.

One example of this is a Team at our company developed the Automated Production Control (APC). APC tracks seafood from vessel to delivery with a labeling and fish ticket function. As a result we are able to track a fish every step of the way with great detail. We are able to determine how much of a fish is actually utilized as we are develop processes to utilize more of each fish.

We can tell you when a fish was caught, by whom, how much of the fish was recovered, how it got to your plate and every step in between in a matter of seconds! Check out this video on America’s Heartland that shows how it is done.

APC allows us to keep food safety standards at the highest level in the industry. Knowing where your seafood came from and where it has been before it reaches your table is very important to Our Team. In fact, I just read about a grocery store where you can scan an item and see what farm it came from! This type of tracking is excellent for ensuring the highest use of quality and food safety. I’m happy to see that our vision is catching on.

Shrimp Season Kicks Off

Oregon pink shrimp season is here again! Starting this month the trawl boats will be out catching Oregon pink shrimp – and will be at it through the end of October. We expect to bring in nearly 6,000 tons of shrimp this season.

It’s no wonder to me why shrimp is one of America’s most popular seafood, and there’s nothing like the sweet flavor and firm texture of Oregon pink shrimp. My wife and I love to toss them in salads, pasta, and omelets.

Another reason I think Oregon pink shrimp are becoming more popular – besides being so delicious – is because they are certified as “sustainably harvested” by the Marine Stewardship Council. Oregon coldwater shrimp were actually awarded the world’s first sustainable shrimp certification, which really set the bar – today there are 35 other fisheries that have been certified.

If you’re looking for a fun shrimp dish to serve at Easter (or anytime), here is a recipe from Pacific Seafood chef Gary Puetz that I love…
Cold-Water Pink Shrimp Cocktail

Ingredients:
• 4 cups (approximately 1 1/4 pounds) cold-water pink shrimp, well drained
• 1 lime, zest and juice
• 1 mango, firm, but ripe, peeled, seeded, cut into thin strips about 1-inch long
• ½ cup jicama, cut into thin strips about 1-inch long
• ½ cup finely minced red onion
• ½ cup finely chopped cilantro or parsley
• ½ cup to 1 cup chili sauce
• Red pepper flakes
• Salt and pepper
Directions: Gently combine all the ingredients and chill before serving. Serve with a wedge of lime.

Let me know if you have other shrimp recipes you enjoy. I would love to test them out!