Spotted: Seafood is the world’s largest traded food commodity, with more than 3 billion people relying on it as an important source of protein. Conventional seafood production, however, has a big impact on the environment, with overfishing and pollution proving extremely harmful to global marine ecosystems. Now, one company is hoping to regenerate the seafood supply chain by creating a sustainable seafood delivery service.
Inspired by the principles of the Slow Food movement, the founders of Seatopia are cultivating a more environmentally friendly and transparent supply chain, partnering with artisan aquaculture farms. The company then delivers high-quality, sustainably farmed seafood from these trusted farms to customers’ doorstep. The sushi-grade fish can either be eaten raw or cooked, depending on the customer’s preference.
Orders arrive in 100 per cent compostable insulated boxes packed with dry ice. Seatopia’s vacuum seal freezer bags, labels, gel packs, boxes, cardboard, and packing tape are made using bio-based resins – and are also recyclable or compostable.
Seatopia wants to ensure it has a net positive impact on our oceans, while providing its members with delicious seafood. As such, it only sources from farms that raise fish from non-GMO eggs, using feed like sustainable microalgae-based oils and mycelium proteins. The fish are also all raised in lightly populated environments free from antibiotics.
As well as supporting regenerative aquacultural practices that reduce strain on wild fish populations, Seatopia also supports important environmental initiatives, like the Seaforestation project, which plants kelp in degraded marine ecosystems to improve carbon sequestration and provide essential habitats and food sources for ocean life.
Like many areas in the food industry, seafood cultivation is not short of environmental problems. Springwise has spotted many innovations looking to improve it, however, including artificial intelligence (AI) that could transform fishing and the use of zooplankton as a sustainable aquaculture feed.
Written By: Anam Alam and Matilda Cox