National Seafood Month has started early in the Pacific Northwest.

Last week, the Aquaculture Stewardship Council and New Seasons Market launched a seven-week “Sea Green. Be Green.” retail promotion with a day of celebrations including:

• An in-store pop-up station for shoppers, sharing sustainable seafood samples, educational activities, prizes and previews of upcoming product specials.
• An evening launch reception for local media and food influencers, premiering the National Seafood Month promotion with curated dishes and timely presentations.

The National Seafood Month promotion is ASC’s largest North American retail activation to date, continuing through Oct. 31. During this time, New Seasons Market will spotlight a selection of responsibly sourced, ASC-certified farmed seafood products via limited-time specials, in-store education and digital collaborations. The organizations have come together to emphasize the benefits of responsibly farmed seafood and the meaning behind ASC’s sea green label, offering a true farm-to-fork experience.

The promotion will take place at all 19 New Seasons Market locations throughout Oregon and Washington. Participating brands and products include Riverence Provisions trout, Sea Tales smoked salmon, Fishwife tinned seafood and Kvarøy Arctic salmon hot dogs, among others.

Afternoon pop-up educates curious customers

Sea Green. Be Green. made a splash with an afternoon activity station at New Season’s Slabtown location in Northwest Portland. As customers entered the store, ASC and New Seasons’ team members greeted them with activities featuring:

• A quiz show — complete with a spinning wheel — where contestants could test their seafood savvy and aquaculture expertise for prizes, including ASC- and partner-branded wearables, shopping totes, gift cards toward sustainable local businesses and ASC-certified seafood.
• Samples of Riverence smoked trout, raised in the crystal-clear waters of Magic Valley, Idaho, and certified as responsibly farmed by the ASC.
• Kiosks flashing scenic imagery of responsible, modern-day aquaculture farms.
• Fish filleting demos conducted by New Seasons’ expert fishmongers, including take-home instructions and how-to videos.
• Information on ASC 101 and the farmers behind the fish, plus guidance on how to shop for responsibly farmed seafood.

Evening launch reception for media and influencers

As the sun set over New Seasons’ Slabtown location, team members converted the store’s outdoor dining patio into a festive event space that would host nearly 100 local media, sustainability advocates, seafood industry members, top chefs and social media influencers.

New Seasons’ culinary team passed around hearty tostadas, cornmeal crusted po’boy sliders and their internationally award-winning chowder — all featuring ASC-certified Riverence trout — while ASC and New Seasons Market unveiled their promotion and its purpose to attendees. 

ASC and New Seasons presented the evening’s program together with farm partners Riverence Provisions and Veramaris. Riverence is the first trout farm to achieve ASC certification in North America, while Veramaris produces the world’s first and only ASC-certified microalgae oil.

“ASC was honored to be joined by many incredible partners and seafood lovers during the day’s festivities and especially at our evening debut of the Sea Green. Be Green. promotion,” said Athena Davis, marketing manager, ASC North America. “Our organization is leading the world’s strictest standards for responsibly farmed seafood, but in this journey toward greater environmental sustainability and social responsibility, collaboration is key. By focusing on strong partnerships with values-minded producers like Riverence and Veramaris, and nonprofit certification and labeling programs like the ASC’s, New Seasons has shown their sustainable seafood model is ahead of the curve. There is no better time than National Seafood Month to connect with shoppers about the relevance and benefits that modern-day responsible aquaculture can provide.”

“With October upon us, our stores are extremely energized to bring the shared values of sustainability, responsibility and certification to life with ASC,” said Daisy Berg, program and category manager – seafood, New Seasons Market. “There’s never been a campaign quite like this at our stores, and there’s never been a better partner than ASC to help bring this aquaculture story to life. We believe in the power of seafood farming done right and know our customers crave the knowledge, quality and sustainable values we put into our seafood program at every New Seasons Market location. We plan to celebrate delicious deals and responsible flavors with our shoppers all month long.”

ASC’s multiyear campaign continues

ASC’s partnership with New Seasons is the latest activation in the organization’s multiyear Sea Green. Be Green. North American marketing campaign. ASC is going deep in select markets for retail partnerships, restaurant collaborations, food samplings at festivals and other influential initiatives to build awareness, interest and understanding of ASC’s sea green label, sparking national dialogue around the new story of aquaculture.

Key markets for 2023 include Portland, Oregon, Washington, D.C., and Southern California. ASC returns to Southern California soon for a media dinner in collaboration with Del Pacifico Seafoods at Chef Andrew Gruel’s Calico Fish House in Huntington Beach.

Sources: Aquaculture Stewardship Council; New Seasons Market