Thanks to The Conservation Fund’s Freshwater Institute, salmon will be on DCCK’s menu this month!
This past week, The Freshwater Institute donated 1,200 pounds of this sustainably-raised fish to our kitchen. Cultivated from eggs at The Freshwater Institute’s research site in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, as part of a trial to compare the growth of four different strains of Atlantic salmon, this donation will benefit both our meals and the environment.
A program under The Conservation Fund, The Freshwater Institute researches and develops solutions for sustainable aquaculture, particularly land-based recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS).
As Conservation Fund Research Support Specialist Curtis Crouse noted, “Land-based RAS make conscious use of water resources by continuously filtering and conditioning it so that water can be recycled back to the fish tank. Waste removed by the filters can be collected and stored for use as fertilizer, and the controlled environment in a RAS provides the optimal environment for fish growth and welfare. Because land-based RAS are contained and require relatively small water use, they can be sited close to major markets to provide local seafood options without the large carbon footprint of international shipping.”
To give our kitchen staff a head start on creating salmon-based meals, our partners at ProFish generously filleted the 1,200 pounds of salmon for us in advance. The fish will be incorporated into more than 2,850 delicious hot dinners that will be served throughout the community this month!
