Did you watch Seaspiracy and now struggle with your love of seafood? Fear not! There are seafood brands out there that strive for transparency, sustainability, and even help combat the climate crisis. Here are three sustainable seafood brands that you can indulge in guilt-free.
KnowSeafood: Using blockchain to trace quality seafood
KnowSeafood’s company motto is “your seafood has a story,” and it works so that you know that story before you make your purchase. Consumers can track the history of any seafood product offered on KnowSeafood’s online seafood market through a timeline and a map.
Harvesters who sell through KnowSeafood are required to upload catch information, which becomes the first block of information in the blockchain. This data collection system allows consumers to learn when and where the product was caught and by who, as well as what methods were used when it was frozen and when you can expect it to be delivered.
One of the newer products they have to offer is the world’s first farmed, entirely plant-based fed, non-GMO Ecuadorian shrimp.
Akua: Using regenerative ocean farming to create kelp burgers and jerky
Akua co-founder and CEO Courtney Boyd Myers believes that the state of our oceans calls for more than just sustainability. This is why Akua focuses on farming kelp, which actually absorbs carbon and nitrogen from the water and reduces local ocean acidification. It also helps mitigate ocean warming and supports biodiversity. On top of that, kelp doesn’t use up any freshwater, land, fertilizer, or feed.
Akua uses kelp to make delicious kelp burgers and the entire process of farming kelp is a regenerative practice that leaves their environments in a better state than before.
According to Myers, “It’s hugely important that we leave the planet better than it is right now for future generations. We can’t just stop; we have to reverse. We need to grow food in a way that is healing and not just sustaining.”
Pescavore: Using local, minimally harmful fishing methods to create ahi tuna jerky
The fishing industry is full of extremely harsh fishing practices that deplete marine life and knock the natural balance of the ecosystem out of whack. That’s why Pescavore is careful to focus on innovative fishing technology, local and traceable fisheries, and sustainable packaging.
Pescavore notes that more than 90 percent of seafood consumed in the United States is imported—relying on imports makes it more difficult to trace the history of a given product and increases its carbon footprint. That’s why the company dedicates itself to locally sourced seafood that comes from healthy and abundant populations, such as yellowfin tuna.
Matthew Owens, co-founder and CEO of Healthy Oceans Seafood Company, the company that owns Pescavore, states that they “source tuna that is unassociated with dolphins or fish aggregating devices, and caught without long lines.”
Their’ snacks last for up to 18 months, which decreases the chances of wasted food, while their packaging uses 96 percent less space compared to canned tuna, further reducing the product’s carbon footprint.
The company hopes that it can upgrade its packaging so that it is fully recyclable after use in the US. Their current packaging is partly comprised of recycled material and is only considered fully recyclable in Europe.
