Albacore Tuna, species name thunnus alalunga, is ubiquitous in that it is found in all the world’s oceans. The commercial fishing of albacore is focused on the Pacific Northwest, the South Pacific, Indian ocean, North and South Atlantic. As a rule of thumb, the colder water albacore has higher fat content and is a smaller fish about 10 to 35 lbs each versus its warmer water counter part 60 to 80 lbs.  However, both warm and cold water albacore are in high demand and used for various cooking applications.

It doesn’t take long for us to realize how prevalent and valued this species is in our domestic food system. From canned tuna at your corner store to sashimi, sushi, poke, and pan seared steaks and sandwiches, it is one of the most widely consumed fish in North America. The albacore tuna that Smokey Bay sells is a blast frozen -36 C IVP (individual vacuum pack) loin from larger sized Albacore.  Each loin ranges from 3 to 5 lbs or 5 to 8 lbs and is sold in 30 lbs case. The grade is AA which is suitable for both raw and cooked consumption.It has white flesh and mild flavour.

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The commercial sales of Albacore tuna are influenced by various factors: the freshness of the catch, the method of fishing, and the management of the fishery. Here are essential characteristics and qualities of Albacore tuna that buyers, distributors, and chefs might find relevant:

Flavour and Texture:

• White Flesh: Albacore tuna is known for its pale, white flesh. It has a mild flavor compared to other tuna species.
• Firm Texture: The texture of Albacore is firm and meaty, making it suitable for various culinary preparations.
• Fat Content: Tuna grades are often classified by their fat content as either lean or fatty. Lean cuts have less visible marbling and lower fat content, resulting in a firmer texture.

Sustainability and Quality:

• Global Distribution: Albacore inhabits tropical and temperate regions across most oceans, including the Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Indo-Pacific, and the Pacific Ocean.
• Fishery: The Albacore tuna fishery Smokey Bay Seafood sources from employs sustainable practices, such as hook and line gear (trolling) to minimize by-catch.
• Quality Preservation: Immediate stunning, bleeding, and freezing at -30°C preserve the flavor and texture of Albacore.

Cooking

• Once you have cut Smokey Bay albacore tuna loins you can eat raw or you can cook them in various ways such as grilling, pan-searing, or oven-baking. Remember, when cooking Albacore Tuna Loins, it’s important not to overcook them to maintain their delicate texture.

Smokey Bay Seafood imports albacore tuna from a dedicated premium fish plant. For nearly a decade our customers have loved our tuna loins primarily because of the quality, flavour, size, and price.

Smokey Bay is confident that all our albacore products are of the highest ethical and health standards.  Each importation we do is accompanied by a Captains Catch Certificate that describes the fishing method and equipment used.  All our albacore is Dolphin and Shark Safe, meaning that mitigation measures are in place to prevent the unnecessary, cruel, and wasteful harvest of these protected species.  Certificates of Origin determine the pedigree of the fish, along with our own company audit, prevents any IUU fish from entering our supply chain.  Government certified health certificates are provided; and laboratory testing is done to check for histamine and heavy metals on each import we do.

This is further backed up by Canadian Food Inspection agency audits and sampling which is done periodically throughout the year as part of our Safe Food for Canadians Regulation license. You can be assured if the seafood is deemed good enough for consumption in Canada it is good enough to eat anywhere in the world.

From rural remote to dense and urban, the seafood we sell is shepherded along with critical control points prone to mishaps. Sounds complicated? Well it is.

Our company, Smokey Bay Seafood, has to cast its line further than the sea to get seafood from the ocean deep to the dining table. From rural remote to dense and urban, the seafood – live shellfish, fresh and frozen seafood – that we sell is shepherded along with critical control points prone to mishaps. Sounds complicated? Well it is.

Picture in your mind’s eye a remote sand bar off the Coast of Vancouver Island, and a person with a rake and shovel sifting for clams or picking oysters on a foggy winter morning, or a crabber handling a winch on an aluminum skiff on choppy seas in Puget Sound. Then imagine sitting at a table at the Hotel de l’Opera in Hanoi. Vietnam or Casa Carmela in Valencia, Spain, a bowl of steamed clams or some cracked crab claw placed in front of you.

One might ask ‘how did it get here?’ but one rarely does. Usually we are too hungry or occupied to think about the steps undertaken for the privilege of dining on seafood from our Pacific Coast. Personally I rather focus on the journey from the plate to my mouth.

A google search on the origin of the term ‘having one’s ducks in a row’ reveals a multitude of possible origins. From shipbuilding, to bowling alley, from Mother Nature to Carnivals, having one’s ducks in a row is a term that applies beyond these origins. Evidently having one’s ducks in a row means things have to line up in order to flow, to be right.

The first step in the seafood supply chain involves no fuel, no line, no fish, it is purely digital and legal. Determining if the raw material, the fish or shellfish itself, is permitted for the purposes intended for. I do not in this case mean IUU (Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated), something discussed in previous blog posts. Rather I mean is the stage the fish at in compliance for the next stage in the value chain.
For example in Washington State a Shellfish Harvester is not permitted to sell directly to an exporter, distributor, or retailer unless they are, as in Smokey Bay’s case, a licensed shellfish shipper or shellfish packer on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) interstate shellfish list.

Another example is Dungeness crab for export markets, no matter how fresh, how good, how alive and wholesome the crab is, it cannot be exported to China unless it is packed in a plant approved by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). While for countries such as Singapore, and Taiwan a State registered plant is sufficient.

THE DUCKS

Therefore, the first duck is to know your regulatory requirements. The source, logistics and customer can all be aligned but if it doesn’t meet the requirements of either the local or the export country then nothing can be done.

The second duck is the terms of sale and financing considerations. Where and when is the seafood and the money exchanging hands? This will depend on where you are situated in the value chain. For Smokey Bay it depends on what type of seafood – live, fresh or frozen, where it is going – USA, EU, UK, Asia, Canada.

For example live manila clams CIF Europe (Cost, insurance, freight) are prepaid 72 hours prior to shipping from Vancouver. Live crab is CIF Vietnam prepaid 72 hours prior to shipping. Fresh oyster meat to Toronto is different with a free on board (FOB) Vancouver payment in 21 days Live Dungeness crab is cost and freight to Los Angeles on a 7-day payment. And frozen Albacore Loins are FOB Vancouver payment 30 days.

For less than truckload shipments, LTL, no financing is generally needed, for truck loads or ocean containers a letter of credit, or an escrow account might be needed. Export development financing and insurance especially when shipment values are quarter of a million dollars or more. An amount easily hit with a 40 foot ocean container of Smokey Bay black cod, or frozen scallops on the half shell.

Once you determine the regulatory space, and terms of sale, the next step is the logistics process. Moving from the seafood packing plant to the buyer. Often the fish will be bought and sold one more time before getting to the wholesaler or retailer.

So the third duck is usually driving a truck, flying a plane or perched on ocean container cargo ship. For logistics the main considerations are departure schedules, cut off times, transit time, temperature control, and costs. You might also need to consider customs clearance. Whether to use air cargo or land transport is a decision based on a few more factors such as transit distance, quantity shipped, and the needs and capabilities of the customer. Ocean freight is used for frozen seafood, generally further afield and can be a technical and financial exercise to arrange.

The fourth duck is quality control and customer satisfaction. For Smokey Bay our customers are both producers and distributors. Quality control starts at harvest, and is again monitored and managed at the packing plant. Quality in paperwork and logistics is the surest way to avoid snags, along with the quality control at receiving.

Thankfully concepts of quality control have evolved from being an upstream endeavor. Traditionally preventive controls (HACCP) and quality management programs (QMP) were tracked up to the point your company was situated in the value chain and no further. For example, once the fish was sold down the line, it was thought of no more.

The final duck, considers the quality of the business we are selling the seafood too. If the customer is purchasing seafood from us to resell, then they themselves need to have proper cold storage equipment, and procedures in place to ensure quality and prevent spoilage. To have a quality product you need quality businesses supporting you up and down the line.

It’s a lot of ducks to line up, but with them lined up the seafood flows.

Imagine if the fish you ate was produced in a way that actually improved the environment, not just sustained it. But actually brought it back to a healthier and more abundant state than it was for previous generations.

For the last quarter century, the seafood industry, its regulators, NGOs and conservation groups have been striving to get both consumers and producers on board with sustainability.

If looked at globally the results have been mixed, while some fisheries have achieved the goal – the Dungeness crab fishery, Alaskan Wild Salmon, farm shellfish such as live oysters and manila clams – others have not – pollock, haddock, anchovy, Canadian wild salmon, swordfish, Atlantic Cod. Some seafood businesses are standard-bearers for sustainability others fail to see the point. It has been a mixed bag with regard to the adoption of sustainable practices and inculcating sustainability in corporate and consumer consciousness.

Now I’m happy to report that sustainability is soon to be considered irrelevant. Irrelevant?! Yes as a means of gauging environmental health of the marine ecosystem. Because it’s not enough. Sustain what? Sustain an industry with diminishing supply, sustain an unpredictable supply, sustain confusing marine biologist and decision makers setting fishery policy. It’s time for us to do better and to move beyond sustainability into a mode of regenerative practices.

WHAT ARE REGENERATIVE PRACTICES?

Imagine if the fish you ate was produced in a way that actually improved the environment, not just sustained it. But actually brought it back to a healthier and more abundant state than it was for previous generations.

We now have the knowledge to consider a regenerative marine policy. Regenerative marine aquaculture has been on policy makers and producers’ radars for the past few years. There are many articles referencing discoveries and existing practices to promote regenerating the environment around fish farms as part of their operation. For example, polyculture is when you have different fish and shellfish species being grown at different levels in the water column in symbiosis to create a thriving single ecosystem.

However, what I am referring to is beyond aquaculture. A larger scale is needed, a regional wild marine ecology and the fisheries that are managed over a wider geography. An easy example are oyster reefs both on the Pacific and Atlantic coast that actually provide so many benefits to the marine environment beyond just sustainable oyster harvesting.

How can we broaden regeneration from a controlled environment to a wider ocean geography?
Sustainability puts the onus on the fisherman, aqua culturists and scientist to figure it out. By broadening the stakeholder base from fishing enterprises to all groups in a watershed, improvements will be seen rather than a stasis.

For regenerative fishery policy more participants are needed but the economic benefits go beyond those whose activity is on the water. In Oregon regenerative land based ranching is improving the wild salmon run and has radically improved the livelihood of cattle ranchers, I found this article interesting “How Regenerative Ranching Can Help Save Salmon“.

The wild salmon industry in BC would be better served if they ditched sustainability for regenerative, as it would require bringing more industry, stakeholders and participants to the table to help solve the crisis. I know this sounds like a big task, but consensus based models for setting land policy exist we can learn from them in developing regenerative practices for our marine industries. I will discuss consensus based approached to developing healthy regenerative policy and practices that move beyond sustainability with greater benefits to all in my next blog post.

Thank you for learning more about ‘regenerative’ as the new catch word for improving our ocean environment.