This Fish Company is Attempting to Take a Deep Dive Into Sustainability

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The following post was written and/or published as a collaboration between Benzinga’s in-house sponsored content team and a financial partner of Benzinga.

Healing the planet 1 pound at a time.

That’s what John Keeler, Founder and Executive Chairman of Blue Star Foods Corp. BSFC says that the company has been doing this for over 26 years. However, as environmental, social and governance (ESG) efforts have become more important now than ever with the impending climate crisis, Bluestar Foods has directed its focus to perfect its recirculatory aquaculture system (RAS), a key part of the generation’s newest way to farm sustainable fish.

Essentially, the RAS filters the water so that it can be reused, dramatically reducing the amount of both water and space it takes to produce these marine products. This process has become crucial since it is projected that the world will double in seafood consumption by 2030. Oceans will not be able to produce that much marine life, as conventional open net aquaculture might not be to be part of the answer to meet this growing demand while still preserving the environment. The company thinks that on land aquaculture in recirculating closed systems could be the answer to meet that supply-demand gap.

According to Blue Star, the technology harvests fish in indoor tanks through a controlled environment, continuously purifying and reusing water in a closed circuit. Its recent acquisition, Taste of BC, has perfected one of these systems that has produced over 500,000 pounds of steelhead salmon alone since 2012 as the oldest operating RAS salmon system in North America. With a less than 1-day delivery to the west coast of the U.S., Canada, and Asian markets and a 12-month average fish harvest, it is extremely efficient, able to harvest every week since 2019.

The company says that the advantages are little to no environmental impact, with no antibiotics or harmful chemicals, and efficient land and hydro energy use vs coal in other countries. Currently, Bluestar Food’s engineering partner PR Aqua — a company that has been in business for over 20 years in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada —together have designed the next generation in modular RAS facilities and located an optimum site to start building said design.

In addition to its aquaculture solution, it focuses on sustainable catching by hiring local fishers who practice artisanal fishing, ensuring top quality and safer equipment use. This practice also minimizes traditional exploitative fishing practices that are unfortunately common in the industry.

Blue Star states that it has led the way in eco-friendly packaging since 2003 with its Patented process for Eco-Fresh Crab Meat Pouches, reducing 60% Greenhouse gasses  (GHG) against Cans and requiring less waste than other products. The waste that is produced is recycled, thanks to its extensive recycling program with Waste Management Inc. WM.

The company’s products — found in places like Walmart Inc. WMT, The Walt Disney Co. DIS, Costco Wholesale Corp. COST, Sysco Corp. SYY, and US Foods Holding Corp. USFD — are thanks to an acquisition with Coastal Pride, yet another sustainable crab meat & soft shell crab company.

Through its efforts to farm environmentally-conscious marine life, support local fishers and perfect a product that could be on the dinner plate of millions of people, Bluestar Foods hopes to emphasize that sustainability is not just a trend: it is a new way of life as well as a remediating economy movement.

The preceding post was written and/or published as a collaboration between Benzinga’s in-house sponsored content team and a financial partner of Benzinga. Although the piece is not and should not be construed as editorial content, the sponsored content team works to ensure that any and all information contained within is true and accurate to the best of their knowledge and research. This content is for informational purposes only and not intended to be investing advice.