Check Out Skuna Bay

There's a new salmon at BlackSalt Fish Market.  It's farmed, it's from Canada, and it tastes clean and delightful.  It's from a company called Skuna Bay and it's very limited - only available on Fridays at the moment.  Oh, and it's the only salmon company in the world that has multiple farms awarded with the Best Aquaculture Practices certification by the Global Aquaculture Alliance.  The GAA review process includes audits on a company's social responsibility, food safety, animal welfare, and traceability programs.   

Skuna Bay farm harvests their fish without relying on the environmental burdens created by industrial methods.  They believe in small densities and round the clock care.  There are only a handful of people who are trained for the duties of selecting and harvesting fish.  This is a hands-on job that requires skill and diligent inspection.  

Located in the ocean fed, cold waters of British Columbia, Skuna Bay boasts stocking densities that are lower than other salmon farms.  The salmon selection process is a tedious one, but one that ensures that each fish is delivered with the highest of quality seals.  The fish are harvested only a few at a time with small seines that ensure that the fish are not over stressed.  They are then hand bled and processed before reaching rigor.  That allows for the fish to retain its firm flesh without any tearing of the meat.  Each fish is then scrutinized for its quality and usually only %6 of all fish harvested are given the label of Skuna Bay.  That's right.  Not all fish earn the right to be labeled Skuna Bay.  Your fish is selected from many by the producer at the farm.  It is then packed in a recyclable carton and shipped.  

It is widely reported that in just a few short years the majority of seafood consumed will come from aquaculture.  The wild stocks will reach a balance and harvest will abate to sustainable levels.  Farm raised seafood is the answer to feed a growing population with a growing appetite for healthy protein.  I have mentioned before that not all farms are created equal.  Skuna Bay is one of those farms who is trying to do the right thing and harvest fish with the bigger picture in mind.  You can taste the difference in their salmon.  You can taste the care they put into growing them.  This attention to detail, maintaining a focus on quality of product and environment, means more to the world's kitchen table than just producing and consuming; it makes all the difference for the future of our oceans' health. 

Click here to learn more about Skuna Bay.