We may be called the Emerald City, but the deep, blue ocean all around us is key to Seattle’s beauty. Our culinary heritage comes from generations of local people cooking their fresh catches. We're committed to protecting and preserving these waters. So we partner with fisheries that are, too.
Sustainable practices keep fish populations strong, and reduce waste.
Harmful commercial overfishing methods typically involve big nets that drag along the seafloor damaging habitats and scooping up unintended fish, animals and junk along with their catch.
Fishing with individually hooked lines is slower, but the impact is lower—on both the environment and fish populations. Plus, fish just tastes better when you feel good about how it arrives on your plate.
Our favorite fisheries:
Bruce Gore of Triad Fisheries uses a slow, hook-and-line method to minimize stress on the environment and the fish population. Each fish is immediately frozen on board, hand-dipped in fresh seawater to create a protective glaze, and tagged to ensure traceability.
Creative Salmon raises organic, non-GMO, salmon with no growth hormones or antibiotics. Their low-density environment gives fish more than twice the space to move and grow than a conventional farm would.
Blue North's Alaskan longline cod has sustainability certifications coming out of its gills—from the Marine Stewardship Council, the Monterey Aquarium’s Seafood Watch and the Environmental Defense Fund.
Sustainable seafood go-to's:
Anchovies are at the bottom of the food chain and replenish their population quickly, so risk of disturbing the supply is minimal.
Clams, mussels, and oysters, believe it or not, don’t require any food. They get their nutrients from the ocean, so they require no bait to collect and create no waste.
Skipjack tuna is the fastest-growing tuna species, so they reproduce quickly and maintain steady populations.
Alaskan salmon is heavily regulated and monitored to ensure healthy and plentiful populations.
Dungeness crab populations in Washington, Oregon, California, and Canada are maintained through regulations like size limits and trapping restrictions. Females are thrown back to ensure populations remain strong.
These taste even better with ocean-friendly seafood:
Baked Cod with Fennel and Yukon Gold Potatoes