Fishtown Seafood

We are doing things a bit differently. Read about how we are making sushi for our retail shops. https://lnkd.in/e66D_mUi

I had such a fun time on PHL17 this AM! Monica was so great and made this so easy! Check it out and leave a comment with your thoughts. https://lnkd.in/e-UthX5U

There are so many old, incorrect, and out of context natives in the recently published New York Times guest opinion essay by Carl Fasina and Paul Greenberg titled “Too Much of Our Seafood Has a Dark Secret”. I don’t doubt that the New York Times and influential writers like Carl Safina and Paul Greenberg are well-intentioned, but the information they are sharing is simply old, out of date, and the messaging is wrong. The graphs here represent the reality of two specific topics from the article (declining harvest in capture fisheries and wasted seafood protein). The media continues to share a narrative from 25 years ago about the state of aquaculture and capture fisheries. We need to be eating more seafood, not less. And the media really needs to start sharing updated and accurate information so that the industry will continue to evolve and improve in a positive manner. Quote from the NYT opinion essay: “The global catch of fish and other wildlife in the ocean peaked in the 1990s and has since drifted steadily downward.” FACT from FAO (*about FAO at bottom of post) “Global capture fisheries production has been relatively stable since the late 1980s, fluctuating between 86 million tonnes and 94 million tonnes per year with an isolated peak at 96 million tonnes in 2018.” Quote from the NYT opinion essay: “Highly nutritious fish, such as anchoviesand sardines, that make up 20 percent to 30 percent of the global catch are fed to salmon and shrimp — a staggering waste of protein.” Fact from FAO “Of the total aquatic animal production, 89 percent was used for human consumption, equivalent to an estimated 20.7 kg per capita in 2022. The rest went on non-food uses, mostly fishmeal and fish oil.” The quotes I provided are within accurate context of this post and discussion. They are quotes from the FAO 2024 THE STATE OF WORLD FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE report. https://lnkd.in/eRiTpibu

Again, @nytimes publishes an article about the seafood industry with a clickbait headline and information that lacks proper context. One would think that if the authors had been writing about seafood for three decades, they would have evolved in their narrative, learned how the industry has progressed, and begun to tell new stories rather than repeating and reciting news from the past. This is not to say the industry is perfect or does not have problems. There are bad actors, bad companies, and bad policies. However, the truth remains that in 2024 and beyond, we need to eat more seafood, not less. My full assessment of this article is far too long for an Insta Post, but as you read this article, please consider the below context: Work to protect and preserve oceans far exceeds what we do for our land. Seven percent of global oceans are protected, and only 3.4 percent of USA land is a National Park. When it comes to the scale and complexity of international diplomacy for ocean protection, the effort and results are better than what we do on land. The farmed vs. Wild salmon native debate completely ignores the fact that when wild Bristol Bay Sockeye are removed from the equation, nearly 50% of the Alaska commercial salmon harvest comes from hatcheries and is not born wild. These hatchery fish compete for food sources far more than farmed salmon do. Using a pre-COVID and during-COVID statistic on seafood is not an apples-to-apples comparison. During COVID, seafood consumption in the USA increased, and so did seafood prices. So, stating, “American commercial and recreational fisheries generated 35 percent more sales in 2022 than in 2018” lacks context. Furthermore, only mentioning recreational fishing here and once in this article is in poor form. I could debrief for hours, but when you read this, please know we need to eat more seafood, not less! https://lnkd.in/dJxJQaNy

We opened our second location just over 1 month ago. It has been a smashing success. Our model is built on selling high-quality seafood in the highest state of freshness. This means much of our seafood is frozen or even better yet, Super Frozen. https://lnkd.in/eqG-HRna

We need to eat more seafood, not less. This example of what can happen related to seafood is not a reason to avoid it. This shows how vital sourcing is, and it does matter where people buy their seafood. And the lack of public public acknowledgment and outrage of this event speaks volumes to the current state of the seafood industry in the USA. When companies stand to benefit from IUU fishing they will remain silent. The number of people who have walked out of our shop because we communicate that we do not have a specific product they want because we know it comes from supply chains with known illegal harvests is notable. When Illegal Harvest, or IUU, which means Illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, happens, we all pay some price (even if we do not eat seafood), and the price paid is more for some than others. https://lnkd.in/gAFJfUaM

One of the great things about the Seafood industry in the USA is that it is very separate and fragmented compared to other food industries. However, that isolation and fragmentation have created a real problem for the seafood industry. Do you remember the "Beef. It's What's For Dinner" marketing campaign from 1992? That unified messaging of eating beef stopped a nearly 20-year slide in per capita beef consumption. The seafood industry could take some notes from this 22-year-old marketing campaign. Now more than ever, the seafood industry would benefit from unified messaging to eat more seafood, not less. And that the popular narrative that fishing and fish farming are "destroying our oceans" is outdated and not contextually accurate. Language matters, and for far too long, the media has been able to recite needs to be more precise or out-of-context statistics. The seafood industry needs a unified voice to drive the message to eat more seafood, not less. Take, for example, this Life Kit podcast by NPR. The Life Kit team uses language like: "The World Bank estimates that almost 90% of world fish stocks are overfished". There are plenty of other inaccurate or out-of-context statements, but this is the big one for me. The truth is That that is an incomplete statement, making it inaccurate. The actual language is: "Almost 90 percent of global marine fish stocks are now fully exploited or overfished". Furthermore, they need more context as to what overfished even means. The definition of overfished vs. overfishing is critical because an overfished fishery does not mean overfishing is occurring. It simply means the fishery is below 80% of its targeted biomass. A fishery could improve in biomass, and overfishing is NOT occurring, but it still meets the 'overfished' definition.  Most importantly, per the FAO, "82.5 percent of the 2019 landings were from biologically sustainable stocks." Looking at global fisheries, having landings from over 80% of the volume coming from biologically sustainable stocks is not a story of doom and destruction of our oceans. We know and acknowledge that the industry has issues with IUU, Human Rights, Harvesting, and Chemical Adulteration at processing. However, our message is always, "Eat more seafood, not less." https://lnkd.in/e5sPQuW9

One of the great things about the Seafood industry in the USA is that it is very separate and fragmented compared to other food industries. However, that isolation and fragmentation have created a real problem for the seafood industry. Do you remember the "Beef. It's What's For Dinner" marketing campaign from 1992? That unified messaging of eating beef stopped a nearly 20-year slide in per capita beef consumption. The seafood industry could take some notes from this 22-year-old marketing campaign. Now more than ever, the seafood industry would benefit from unified messaging to eat more seafood, not less. And that the popular narrative that fishing and fish farming are "destroying our oceans" is outdated and not contextually accurate. Language matters, and for far too long, the media has been able to recite needs to be more precise or out-of-context statistics. The seafood industry needs a unified voice to drive the message to eat more seafood, not less. Take, for example, this Life Kit podcast by NPR. The Life Kit team uses language like: "The World Bank estimates that almost 90% of world fish stocks are overfished". There are plenty of other inaccurate or out-of-context statements, but this is the big one for me. The truth is That that is an incomplete statement, making it inaccurate. The actual language is: "Almost 90 percent of global marine fish stocks are now fully exploited or overfished". Furthermore, they need more context as to what overfished even means. The definition of overfished vs. overfishing is critical because an overfished fishery does not mean overfishing is occurring. It simply means the fishery is below 80% of its targeted biomass. A fishery could improve in biomass, and overfishing is NOT occurring, but it still meets the 'overfished' definition.  Most importantly, per the FAO, "82.5 percent of the 2019 landings were from biologically sustainable stocks." Looking at global fisheries, having landings from over 80% of the volume coming from biologically sustainable stocks is not a story of doom and destruction of our oceans. We know and acknowledge that the industry has issues with IUU, Human Rights, Harvesting, and Chemical Adulteration at processing. However, our message is always, "Eat more seafood, not less." https://lnkd.in/e5sPQuW9

It is time to change the narrative related to farm-raised vs. wild seafood. We will continue communicating more actively with our customers about farm-raised Salmon vs. Wild. We will continue to share that billions of hatchery salmon are released into the Pacific Ocean every year BUT not held to the same scrutiny as farm-raised salmon. However, these hatchery “wild” salmon have the same early life as farm-raised salmon. Wild salmon, hatchery salmon, and farm-raised salmon create problems and solutions as a source of protein for human consumption. We must embrace all three, source the best, and avoid the worst. Although it is not in the context of this article, we would love to see farm-raised salmon added to this statement. (And yes, not all farm-raised salmon is good or raised in harmony with wild salmon, and we should work to only harvest and grow fish that are the best possible solutions for human consumption) “It’s important to stress that hatcheries and wild salmon are not adversaries but complementary components of our fisheries. Together, they contribute positively to the social and economic well-being of Alaskans. Hatchery programs have enabled us to meet the growing demand for salmon while preserving wild stocks and their habitats”

It is time to change the narrative related to farm-raised vs. wild seafood. We will continue communicating more actively with our customers about farm-raised Salmon vs. Wild. We will continue to share that billions of hatchery salmon are released into the Pacific Ocean every year BUT not held to the same scrutiny as farm-raised salmon. However, these hatchery “wild” salmon have the same early life as farm-raised salmon. Wild salmon, hatchery salmon, and farm-raised salmon create problems and solutions as a source of protein for human consumption. We must embrace all three, source the best, and avoid the worst. Although it is not in the context of this article, we would love to see farm-raised salmon added to this statement. (And yes, not all farm-raised salmon is good or raised in harmony with wild salmon, and we should work to only harvest and grow fish that are the best possible solutions for human consumption) “It’s important to stress that hatcheries and wild salmon are not adversaries but complementary components of our fisheries. Together, they contribute positively to the social and economic well-being of Alaskans. Hatchery programs have enabled us to meet the growing demand for salmon while preserving wild stocks and their habitats”