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Seatopia is a company founded to be a clean and sustainable source of seafood. They work with artisan-aquaculture farms to raise seafood that is lab-tested for quality assurance. Seatopia is helping individuals to get nutrient-dense food without exposing themselves to toxic chemicals; all this while helping to restore biodiversity to the ocean.
CONTENTS
Seatopia's Story
Seatopia was founded by James Arthur and Daniella Smith as part of their goal to reunite the end consumer with the source of their food. Anyone who has seen the film 'Seaspiracy' understands that this does not exist in the seafood industry. In order to fix this, Seatopia's founder set out to develop a supply chain that could provide access to safe, ethical, sustainable, and non-toxic seafood.
Values
Seatopia's top priority is sustainability. They want to disrupt an industry that is currently pollutive and destructive to natural environments and ecosystems. Not only is their operation meant to create a more sustainable way of getting fish, but they donate a portion of revenues to restoration projects like Ocean Wise. All of their shipping materials and marketing flyers are biodegradable. Seatopia is certified carbon neutral and uses UPS' carbon neutral shipping services.
How it Works
Seatopia works hand-in-hand with very select aquaculture farms. These artisan farms are certified and have been visited by Seatopia's founders. This ensures the highest quality products and the restoration of marine environments. Seatopia gets fish from these farms and freezes them for priority overnight shipping. The fish get sent right to your door to be cooked in one of Seatopia's hundreds of chef-crafted recipes.
Seatopia's Non-Toxic Seafood Products
Seatopia brings the highest quality seafood straight to your door. Check out their website here for more information!
Fish Boxes
Seatopia has seafood options for custom selections or curated boxes. You can order one-time packages or get a subscription to get fresh fish sent to your door each month. Boxes vary in size and variety. Individual sampler boxes come with 12 servings of fish fillets. The couples' box has 18 servings. Finally, the family pack comes with 24 servings of different fish and shellfish options. All boxes are shipped priority overnight so that the fish are never left to sit out. Any orders that don't arrive in time will be replaced by Seatopia.
Seatopia has boxes for Michelin star quality salmon, sushi-grade white fish, and a combo box with fish fillets and shellfish. All of their seafood is hormone and antibiotic free. Their farms use fish feed that is algae based which is both high in Omega-3s and sustainable. Fish are raised in low density pens safe from mercury sources and microplastics. Seatopia's fish are sustainable and the highest quality.
Check out Seatopia's boxes here and use code TheVitalist for 15% off your order!
Sustainable Packaging
All of Seatopia's monthly packaging is made from various plant materials: cornstarch, hemp paper, and wood cellulose. From the box to the tape and even the gel freezer packs, all are recyclable and most are compost friendly. They are committed to making sure that none of their material further pollute the ocean.
Biomagnification (Bioaccumulation) in Fish
Biomagnification is a process by which both nutrients and toxins become more densely concentrated in higher trophic levels. At a biological level, there are compounds that are necessary to live that cannot be produced by our bodies. So we make sure these compounds are included in our diet. This "natural supplementation" is something all animals do instinctively. (Its the origin of cravings.) In order to get enough energy to survive, animals at higher trophic levels eat more animals from a lower trophic level.
This allows them to get enough energy and nutrients to survive. However, this also means that inorganic compounds build up in these animals. This concentration of these potentially toxic pollutants is called biomagnification or bioaccumulation. Seatopia's products are all tested for both mercury and microplastics. You can find the test results and more detailed explanations around the testing procedure on their website under "Seatopia's Testing Commitment".
Mercury
Higher trophic fish like salmon and tuna have become known for dangerous levels of mercury. It is a naturally occurring element, but human activity has led to oceanic contamination. In swordfish, mercury contamination can reach as high as 3.0 ppm with an average of 1.0. Concentrations of mercury can get as high as .19 ppm in salmon and 1.8 in tuna. "Safe" levels are relative to the amount of seafood you consume, but it is always better to have lower concentrations. Seatopia's fish are lab-tested to have less than 0.1 ppm of mercury.
Microplastics
In addition to mercury, microplastics have begun to contaminate our ocean. As plastic gets "broken down" it is maintaining its chemical form and simply becoming smaller. This allows micro-sized plastic polymers to become embedded in plankton and other small seafood. This allows the polymers to potentially make their way into our diets. Several studies have confirmed that canned tuna has a higher prevalence of microplastics than almost any other source. While the long-term health impacts of microplastics in humans has no been determined, it is not something that will ever be beneficial. Seatopia's vendors are tested annually to ensure that no microplastics or other inorganic toxins are making their way in the farms or the fish.
Oceanic Sustainability
It is too late to prevent permanent damage from scarring our oceans. It is a shame that the actual scope of harm done to the ocean is largely undocumented by mainstream outlets. Seatopia's sustainability initiative is focused on doing more than just preventing further pollution and destruction; they are focused on regenerating what has already been lost.
Project Seaforestation
'Project Seaforestation' is the name of Seatopia's initiative, in partnership with Ocean Wise, to replant kelp off the coast of Canada. Each order sends a portion of the proceeds to the project.
Kelp forests are an incredibly important part of oceanic ecosystems. They provide shelter for thousands of different organisms from algae to shrimp to fish. They use photosynthesis to produce oxygen and store away carbon. As kelp forests are replanted, they will provide an opportunity for the restoration of a biodiverse ecosystem.
Farm > Wild
Have you ever wondered how your local market never seems to run out of "wild caught, fresh never frozen" fish? Industrial fishing is how. These massive ships use nets to sweep tons of fish out of the ocean to be processed and sent to supermarkets. This practice is extremely destructive to the natural environment. Discarded nets trap and kill animals like dolphins, turtles, and whales. Trolling nets rip kelp forests apart and leave the sea floor barren. Worse yet, because industrial fishing has depleted fish populations, each year the catches are smaller and smaller. The only reason this method of fishing exists is because government subsidies keep operations profitable.
While industrial fishing is destructive to the environment, this does NOT mean all farms are created equal. In attempts to match the output of industrial fishing operations, large-scale fish farms were developed. These often involve stuffing as many fish and larvae into a pool as possible. These populations are prone to disease and parasite outbreaks that will make their way into the final product or be wiped out by antibiotics and pesticides. These commercial farms are inhumane and use fish feed that is sourced by commercial fishing.
However, some farms are raising fish in a much more natural and ethical manner. These artisanal farmers are the source of all of Seatopia's products. They incorporate significantly larger pens and focus less on total output. These operations use algae-based feeds and no antibiotics. Their focus is on developing a multi-trophic permaculture systems that mirror natural ecosystems. This more natural approach is not as efficient, but results in healthier and more ethical products.
Energetic Efficiency
Fish have been found to have the lowest feed conversion ratio (FCR). The FCR is a measure of how much feed is required for an animal to gain 1 kg of weight. This metric was developed in part to find feeds that were could help livestock put on weight at a lower cost. Now it can be used to illustrate the environmental impact of the livestock farming.
Animal | Fish | Poultry | Pigs | Lamb | Cattle |
FCR | 1.5 | 2.0 | 4.0 | 5.5 | 10 |
An environmentally-friendly FCR is close to 1 because the animal gains 1 kg for each kg of food consumed. Fish have an FCR of 1.5 making them the most efficient type of meat. Additionally, they have the highest harvest yield; >60% of the fish's weight is consumable meat. This is in comparison to 52% for pigs and 46% for poultry. In both metrics, fish is the most sustainable and efficient form of meat.
Why we support Seatopia
Seatopia's seafood is the highest quality, shipped right to your door, and contributes to the restoration of marine ecosystems. At The Vitallist we choose to support these new eco-friendly companies by purchasing their products. We are willing to pay a slightly higher price for superior quality and supporting sustainable business practices.
Overfishing is a serious issue afflicting our oceans and destroying whole ecosystems. Industrial fish farms are inhumane and use artificial treatments to keep their product alive. Seatopia is paving the way for artisan aquaculture farms to thrive and work in tandem with the natural environment.
Make the better choice for your body and the planet with Seatopia's premium seafood boxes. Learn more about their products on their website, and use code TheVitalist for 15% off all purchases.
Learn about more ways to improve your nutrition here, and more ways to support all natural products here.
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