The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) held a meeting this month at Bamboo Sushi NW in Portland, Oregon, to promote sustainably farmed seafood. The event's slogan "Sea Green. Be Green" in honor of Earth Month and the food tastings honored that theme and the Hawaiian Kanpachi was one of the protagonists.
Among the Bamboo Sushi tastings was a new dish featuring Blue Ocean Mariculture's Hawaiian Kanpachi. Bamboo Sushi is the world's first sustainable sushi restaurant. "Sustainably caught, humanely raised, and naturally grown" is Bamboo Sushi's objective and the philosophy of Blue Ocean Mariculture; fits perfectly.
The feature of both businesses was the Hawaiian Kanpachi which was complemented by mango, black plum, lime, Aleppo pepper, ponzu, and hibiscus jam. "Tastes as good as it sounds," said one of the guesses.
Presently, aquaculture is slowly gaining relevance in the United States, and Bamboo Sushi and its new dish are proof of that. Little by little, the perception of aquaculture seafood is changing, and more supporters are joining.
Dick Jones, who was one of the guests at the event, said that he has worked in the seafood world for over 37 years and "has seen the shift within the industry; a necessary evolution."
Jones, who runs the Ocean Blue Mariculture, the only open ocean finfish farm in the U.S., explained that more than half of the seafood consumed in the U.S. comes from aquaculture, but only a small percentage of that seafood is farmed in Hawaii. He outlined how the industry has changed in recent years. "If you told me at the beginning of my career that aquaculture would be evolving fast enough to be the solution to how we feed a growing population, I wouldn't have believed you," he said.
The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) is the world's leading certification system for farmed seafood. Therefore, this certification includes the ASC label, which comes from independently assessed and certified environmentally and socially responsible fish farms.
Blue Ocean Mariculture is a Hawaiian company that started in 2001 and specializes in mariculture, not fish farming. Thus, they raise Hawaiian kanpachi in their natural environment, the open ocean at depths and temperatures. The ideal conditions for their natural biology ensure a healthy and sustainable diet.