This summer, the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) and Santa Monica Seafood are collaborating on a first-of-its-kind retail promotion, showcasing the benefits of certified, responsibly raised seafood and ASC’s sea green label to Southern California’s shoppers and diners.

ASC is a certification and labeling program for responsibly farmed seafood. Santa Monica Seafood is the largest wholesale, seafood-only distributor in the Southwest, including market and café locations in Santa Monica and Costa Mesa, Calif. The nonprofit organization and sustainability-driven company have been long-time partners in promoting the sustainable sourcing of seafood, supporting responsible seafood farmers and educating shoppers.

The “Sea Green. Be Green.” campaign — launching Friday, June 16 — is a 6-week collaboration in which Santa Monica Seafood will devote each week to promoting an ASC-certified seafood item — and the farms where the seafood was raised — across their market and café locations. 

Through July 27, Santa Monica Seafood’s markets will offer limited-time specials while its cafés will feature newly developed menu items highlighting the certified seafood of the week. The promotion aims to provide seafood fans and the seafood-curious with opportunities to taste and learn more about the positive impacts of responsible aquaculture and how their choice to “Sea Green. Be Green.” can make a big difference. ASC-certified seafood under the spotlight will be available at:

• Riverence Provisions: A family of land-based farms that are responsibly raising rainbow and steelhead trout in the crystal clear waters of Magic Valley, Idaho. Set amid the Rocky Mountains, Riverence is the first U.S. trout farm to have achieved ASC certification. 
• Del Pacifico Seafoods: Raising responsibly farmed, chemical-free shrimp along the scenic coast of Sonora, Mexico. Led by a commitment to improved sustainability and traceability, Del Pacifico’s ASC-certified farming practices help preserve the viability of both farmed and wild shrimp populations.
• Kvarøy Arctic: Pronounced “Kwa-ray,” this group of third-generation, ASC-certified salmon farmers on an island in Norway’s Arctic Circle have a vision to evolve open-water salmon farming into a sustainable practice that protects the environment, promotes animal welfare and provides a healthy source of protein for a growing world.

“We can’t wait to ‘Sea Green. Be Green.’ this summer ... ” said Roger O’Brien, president and CEO for Santa Monica Seafood. “We want to provide a simple message to our patrons: Look for the label. When you see ASC’s sea green certification label, you can have confidence that your seafood was raised responsibly, in accordance with Santa Monica Seafood’s highest quality promise and with ASC’s assurance that seafood farms have ... met the strictest standards of care for the environment and surrounding communities. We’re excited to partner with ASC and this rock star lineup of brands to inspire our retail and café customers through continued conversation and education.” 

“ASC is thrilled to add Southern California to our 2023 campaign roster as we continue our U.S. tour sharing the benefits of ASC certification across the nation,” said Athena Davis, marketing manager for ASC North America. “It’s important to recognize companies that have chosen to do the right thing by achieving certification, as it demonstrates the care they have for their customers, the products they serve and their sourcing requirements. Conservation and maintaining a healthy environment is baked into Santa Monica Seafood’s mission, along with providing the best quality products. We believe that is worth celebrating and couldn’t be happier to bring our ASC-certified farmers from Kvarøy Arctic, Riverence Provisions and Del Pacifico Seafoods along on this summer’s seafood promotion.”

June 15 kickoff reception

Santa Monica Seafood and ASC will host an invite-only reception the night before the official promotion launches.

Once doors close on Thursday, June 15, Santa Monica Seafood’s Santa-Monica-based Market will play host to a kickoff gathering featuring ASC, Riverence Provisions, Del Pacifico Seafoods and Kvarøy Arctic. Over cocktails and chef-crafted samplings of shrimp, salmon and trout, Santa Monica Seafood and ASC will present a fresh and impactful overview of the promotional series and its purpose. 

Attendees will include area media, social influencers, retailers, seafood industry members, sustainability advocates and Santa Monica Seafood customers and seafood fans.

“Sea Green[.] Be Green.” is a part of more than a dozen local market events ASC is conducting throughout the year in Southern, Calif., Portland, Ore., and Washington, D.C. Now in the second year of its national campaign, ASC is building on the success of 2022’s activations to further increase awareness, interest and understanding of the value behind its sea green label and certification program among culinary influencers, shoppers and home cooks.

Sources: Aquaculture Stewardship Council; Santa Monica Seafood