The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) recently held will a certified seafood reception in Washington, D.C., the first of a series of in-person and online promotional events the global nonprofit organization will host in the nation’s capital this year.

On May 9, ASC teamed up with Riverence Provisions and the district’s own Congressional Seafood to host a collaborative “Sea Green. Be Green. The Certified Seafood Experience” dining event at The Hamilton restaurant and gathering space. The invite-only reception — aimed at provoking conversation and education surrounding a new wave of responsibly farmed, ASC-certified seafood — featured over 60 media and social influencers and an array of area retailers, seafood distributors, producers and nonprofit organizations. 

The venue’s “The Loft” space opened privately for guests to experience a curated menu centered around Riverence Provisions’ trout, which is ASC-certified as responsibly raised and grown in the crystal clear waters of Idaho’s Magic Valley. As eventgoers sampled a spread of signature dishes, including The Hamilton’s Riverence Trout Dip and top-selling Parmesan Trout dishes, ASC provided guests a broad overview of the purpose behind its strict certification standards, goals to increase awareness of responsibly farmed seafood in the U.S. and the value behind ASC’s sea green label in stores and on menus nationwide.

Throughout the evening, Riverence Provisions shared its philosophy on responsibly raising their in-demand rainbow and steelhead trout to the highest global standards, marked by their recent achievement of becoming the nation’s first ASC-certified trout farm. Washington, D.C.’s, premier quality seafood distributor, Congressional Seafood, spoke of their long-term dedication to maintaining the highest commitment to sourcing sustainable seafood via their 10+ years of ASC certification.

“As we ask the public to join us on this journey of what’s new and next in aquaculture, it’s important to acknowledge how far the industry has come,” said Athena Davis, marketing manager for ASC North America. “The Hamilton event was [the] perfect way to kick-off our summer seafood series in D.C. by bringing together Congressional Seafood – ASC’s partner and program supporter for over a decade – with the newly certified Riverence Farms for a tasteful, trout-filled evening. ASC recognizes the value and effort Congressional has brought to ensuring that seafood lovers in the D.C. area have greater access to sustainable options, while Riverence represents the growing number of seafood farmers who value transparency, traceability and care just as much as the people who buy and eat their fish.”

Next Stop: D.C.’s National Capital BBQ Battle

On June 24–25, ASC will again team up with Congressional Seafood, along with a new ASC-certified salmon producer, Laguna Blanca, to continue the Certified Seafood Experience at Washington, D.C.’s, Giant National Capital Barbecue Battle. “America’s Food & Music Festival” brings the heat into its 31st year as a unique festival, one of the largest in the country, celebrating unity, community, inclusiveness and cooperation in the heart of the capital — values that directly reflect ASC’s community-minded social and environmental standards.

With tens of thousands of guests anticipated to attend the festival, dubbed the “Official Start of Summer,” ASC and Laguna Blanca will offer free samples of premium ASC-certified salmon, responsibly raised in the pristine waters of remote Chilean Patagonia.

“D.C. is a hub of decision-making and culinary trendsetting, making it a crucial market in ASC’s five-year campaign to raise awareness of responsibly farmed seafood and the meaning behind our certification label,” added Davis. “Shopping for sustainable seafood can be complicated, but we want to make it easy for shoppers, home cooks and diners to know exactly what they are eating. We’re diving into D.C.’s BBQ Battle with Laguna Blanca to break down responsibly raised salmon into bite-sized samples, educational tidbits and Instagram-worthy activations for the thousands of hungry visitors who visit our booth.”

ASC plans to return throughout the year for additional activities, while encouraging Washington, D.C., shoppers to “Sea Green. Be Green.” via online ads bringing visibility to ASC’s sea green certification label. 

Source: Aquaculture Stewardship Council