Sustainability - Committed to Seafood Sustainability

“Sustainability” is not just a buzz word we toss back and forth loosely at Santa Monica Seafood. It is a concept that reflects the commitment of four generations of family involvement in fisheries around the world and something we work hard on in the way we conduct our business everyday.

So what does sustainability mean to the seafood industry?  For some, like beauty, the definition is in the eye of the beholder -- subjective, under-informed and not scientifically based.  When considering sustainability, we take into account health issues, environmental responsibility, animal welfare, stock management, assessment and enforcement, as well as the socio-economic consequences to the communities associated with the fisheries.

At Santa Monica Seafood, we rely on a number of wild and farmed certifying agencies, along with a group of science advisors and an assortment of professional affiliations.  The Company is currently certified to sell over 15 species of Marine Stewardship Council certified wild species.  We have invested a great deal of time and support in the selection of Aquaculture Certification Council approved farmed shrimp suppliers.

We recently joined with the Monterey Bay Aquarium to promote and develop new and better ways to source seafood that conform to the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Sustainable Seafood Initiative. We are active supporters of the Seafood Choices Alliance and rely on them and the Monterey Bay Aquarium for their global perspectives and ability to bring scientists together with environmentalists. Finally, our Master of Science degreed, former governmental fishery biologist does validation visits on fishing boats, farms and processing plants around the world qualifying our vendors and sources.

This is not to say that everything we sell is certified as sustainable since there is no consistent source for determining what is or is not sustainable.  Our participation with these various groups is intended to demonstrate our on-going commitment to be proactive and deliberate in selecting the better players in every fishery so that we can offer our customers choices which are certified sustainable or, lacking that, are at the very least on the path to sustainability.  We seek out suppliers who share our philosophy of sustainability and preferentially support them with our purchases.

Although not directly a part of the sustainability issue, the Company remains engaged in economic integrity issues regarding species substitution, adulteration and weights and measures.  We are active participants in the California Fisheries & Seafood Institute and support the National Fisheries Institute.  

As a final point, sustainability isn’t just about Santa Monica Seafood’s purchasing habits, it is about what we do every day to ensure we preserve not just our oceans but our planet.  That is why, along with our commitment to responsible sourcing of seafood, we are moving to “green up” our operational methods.  We have converted our packaging to recycled bio-degradable materials.  We sell our seafood waste to protein reclamation centers or provide it to our fishermen for use as bait.  We have installed new filtration units on our live tank systems to treat our effluent, installed energy-efficient lighting systems throughout our foodservice and processing facility, operate computer temperature-controlled  delivery vehicles and work to reduce our food miles by sourcing local whenever possible.

But, this is just the beginning.  As time goes on, we will continue to seek any and all ways to ensure that Santa Monica Seafood is a national leader in responsible seafood sourcing, processing and distribution.