Kona Kampachi has earned a "Good Alternative" rating by the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program, which directs consumers to sustainable and environmentally responsible seafood choices.
Kona Blue Water Farms in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, worked closely with Seafood Watch to meet its criteria for environmental impacts and feed efficiencies. The new designation for "U.S. farm-raised yellowtail" will be made official during this week's Cooking for Solutions event, which celebrates sustainable seafood.
"We're very pleased to be rated as a 'Good Alternative' by Seafood Watch, the leader in fisheries and aquaculture sustainability evaluation," says Michael Wink, CEO of Kona Blue. "Our aspiration, however, is to be the first marine net pen farm to be rated as a 'Best Choice.' Our work with the Monterey Bay Aquarium has given us a clearer understanding of how we can improve on our sustainability standards to achieve a goal of a 'green' rating."
In consultation with the MBA and the Environmental Defense Fund of New York, Kona Blue recently reformulated its feed to further reduce the reliance on wild fishmeal and fish oil.
"I am very impressed by Kona Blue's efforts to improve the sustainability of its fish feed," says Corey Peet, aquaculture research manager for the MBA. "Shifting away from a reliance on wild-caught fishmeal and fish oil is a pioneering move, and a huge step forward for the aquaculture industry. Perhaps most importantly, it also demonstrates Kona Blue's clear recognition that, to be truly sustainable, aquaculture has to address the potential impact of its food sources on the overall health of global fisheries. It's a perspective we'd like to see more companies recognize and act upon."
