A creative Southeast Alaska fish processor took the often-discarded collars of black cod, smoked and canned them and came away with a new product for the holiday season that sold out to wholesalers within a few days.
Mathew Scaletta is director of facilities and operations at Wildfish in Klawock, on Prince of Wales Island. Black cod tips, also known as collars, because they are taken from a part of the fish just below the head, offer a prime example of stretching a seafood harvest, and thanks to a $6,000 grant from the Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust, Scaletta was able to brainstorm a value-added product.
The five-ounce cans of black cod tips, which sell at $39 retail, were packaged for the holidays in a blue box with a shiny gold design created by Tlingit artist Rico Worl.
“They are often underutilized because of associated labor costs, and processing can take days. But they are delicious if you can get the work done,” said Linda Behnken, founder and board member of the fisheries trust and a veteran commercial harvester.
“This line is really special,” said Scaletta. “We used the grant to refine our process and worked like mad to get the first run ready by December.”
“In seafood processing, survival depends on new ideas, especially ideas that include full utilization of a harvest,” said Behnken. “If you look at a black cod and see not just fillets but also a product made from the collar, you’ve just increased your chances of remaining profitable in a time when processors are struggling.”
When the trust received funding to expand fisheries work in Southeast, Behnken explained, “We wanted to reserve a portion to benefit a rural seafood business. Wildfish immediately came to mind because we sell their products through our community supported fishery program, Alaskans Own, which donates all profits to a seafood distribution network and conservation efforts,” she said.
“Wildfish is doing incredible work and we wanted to help them innovate further.”
Innovations like Wildfish's black cod line have a wider benefit, climate resilience, Behnken said.
“It’s apparent that climate change is putting huge pressure on our fish stocks. We need to first protect the ecosystems that support our fisheries and then figure out how to get more from the seafood we bring into our processing plants.”
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