In 2021, Pacific Seafood became the first company eligible to offer four-star Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) steelhead trout with the certification of our hatcheries.
The journey began in April 2013 when Pacific Seafood’s steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) farm on the Columbia River became the United States’ first steelhead trout or salmon farm to attain BAP certification. The farm is located in Nespelem, Wash., in partnership with the Colville Confederated Tribes. Here, our Columbia River Steelhead are raised with a continuous flow of clean fresh water from the Canadian Rockies.
Since then, Pacific Seafood’s processing plant in Warrenton, Ore., and our feed have earned BAP certification. With the recent certification of our hatchery, all four stages of the aquaculture production chain are BAP certified, making Pacific Seafood’s Columbia River Steelhead trout BAP four star capable. Once the trout currently at the hatchery complete their full life cycle in certified facilities (approximately 12 months) Pacific Seafood’s Columbia River steelhead trout will carry the four-star BAP label.
When Pacific Seafood purchased the farm site in 2008, we partnered with the tribe and invested millions of dollars to rebuild the entire infrastructure on the water including new, modern net pens, new moorings, and a state-of-the-art camera monitoring system.
Today, Pacific Seafood employs trained dive teams to monitor pen structures and fish health along with 24-hour underwater video surveillance. We ensure fish health through regular blood tests by working closely with Washington Department of Wildlife and other partners on best practices. Pacific Seafood never uses hormones, pesticides, or herbicides and raise only sterile (triploid) fish that are incapable of breeding in the wild.
Pacific Seafood has a strong relationship with the Colville Confederated Tribes including tribal member preference in hiring. Currently about 50% of our employees are Tribal members. We also give back by supporting the Tribes’ annual Earth Day Celebration and during the holiday season, we donate to the local foodbanks. We are proud and honored to be welcomed to operate on their land.