Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust Funds Holiday Gift Items From Alaska Cannery

The following press release is courtesy of the Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust:

Wildfish Cannery’s holiday black cod sells out fast, but gift of innovation from Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust remains

[Sitka, Alaska, December 16, 2024] – When the Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust (ASFT) helped fund a holiday line of smoked black cod at Wildfish Cannery in Klawock, it also gave a longer-lasting gift—innovation. “In seafood processing, survival depends on new ideas, especially ideas that include full utilization of a harvest,” says ASFT founder and board member Linda Behnken. “If you look at a black cod and see not just fillets but also a product made from the collar, you’ve just increased your chances of remaining profitable in a time when processors are struggling.”

The new black cod line at Wildfish Cannery began with a $6,000 grant from ASFT in 2022, part of the trust’s effort to establish a quota bank that assists rural and Indigenous communities in securing fishing quota. “When we received funding to expand fisheries access in Southeast, we wanted to reserve a portion to benefit a rural seafood business. Wildfish immediately came to mind because we sell their products through our community supported fishery program, Alaskans Own, which donates all profits to a seafood distribution network and conservation efforts. Wildfish is doing incredible work and we wanted to help them innovate further.”

According to Behnken, innovations like Wildfish’s black cod line has a wider benefit: climate resilience. “It’s apparent that climate change is putting huge pressure on our fish stocks. We need to first protect the ecosystems that support our fisheries and then figure out how to get more from the seafood we bring into our processing plants.”  Climate resilience—the ability to anticipate, plan for, and adapt to a changing climate—takes many forms. “We think of reinforcing breakwaters or writing emergency response plans as ways to weather climate change, but stretching our seafood harvest is one, too. Anything that helps our fisheries also helps food security in our communities—and that is a critical component of climate resilience.”

Black cod tips, also known as collars because they’re taken from a part of the fish just below the head, are a prime example of stretching a seafood harvest, Behnken says. “Tips are often underutilized due to associated labor costs. Processing can take days. But they’re absolutely delicious if you can get the work done.”  According to Behnken, Wildfish addressed labor costs by smoking and canning the tips—creating a value-added product—so they could still make a profit. “They created a whole new product with a part of the fish that is often discarded,” she says.

Packaged for the holidays in a blue box with a shiny gold design created by Tlingit artist Rico Worl, the 5-ounce cans of black cod tips sell for $39. “This line is really special,” says Mathew Scaletta, Director of Facilities and Operations at Wildfish, “We used the ASFT grant to refine our process and worked like mad to get the first run ready by December.” Black cod tips are a delicacy usually purchased frozen and then grilled, but Scaletta wanted to break the mold by smoking and canning them. “We sold out to wholesalers within a few days,” he says, “Retailers still have a few cans in stock, though. They’ll make the perfect Alaska-style holiday gift if you can beat the rush.”    

For more information about the Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust and its rural community grant to Wildfish Cannery, contact Natalie Sattler at 907-738-1286 or program.director@alfafish.org.

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