We’ve all seen the horrific pictures of the Gulf Oil Spill. With oil and possibly other chemicals washing up on the shores, the various animals covered in oil struggling for survival and the talking heads going on and on, blaming each other for what happened, and why the cleanup is taking so long. It’s in short, mind boggling that we are still dealing with all the finger pointing and quite frankly, the lack of accurate information coming from the Gulf region. I don’t think I’m alone in thinking we are not getting all the information.

We are asking and we are asked; how will this affect the seafood industry? The short answer is we don’t know. Customers are asking their local restaurants. Restaurants including AGAR’s customers are asking us. And vendors are asking the “Experts.” As of right now, there is no good answer. As a wholesale food distributor that moves over 8 million pounds of seafood each year through this building including the Nautifish brand, you can imagine the number of questions we are getting.

Because of this, we have taken on a very important initiative here. We are helping to fund and raising funds for Ocean Alliance’s Odyssey Expedition to the Gulf Region. Many know that we already partner with them on our Nautifish brand of seafood. Now we have taken this to the next level at this critical time in our history.

The mission is to gain a clearer understanding of the consequences of oil and chemical dispersants in the Gulf Region. One of the species Ocean Alliance will track and research is the Sperm Whale. As the Sperm Whale is at the top of the food chain, the research gained can help determine the health of our oceans and the precious marine life that call them home.

Please see my discussion with our Seafood Category Manager Gary Lanoue about what we are trying to achieve by helping to fund this mission and what we hope to find out through their research.  And to learn more or to donate to this very vital mission, please go over to the Nautifish website; http://www.nautifishseafood.com/odyssey/

We are, at least in New England in vacation season. Whether you hit the Cape, head on north to Maine or New Hampshire, or just stay home for the week, vacations require you go out to breakfast. It’s just that way. This month I’m dedicating my Blog to the fine art of breakfast and all the ways you can mix it up and turn a few heads with some great new ideas. In honor of being on vacation, let’s go out to breakfast…

Sure we all like to stack of pancakes or the occasional lumberjack breakfast, but for some of us, we’re looking for something a little different. I’ll be posting a number of recipes this month on the many different ways you can mix up breakfast for your customers. From smoothies to breakfast wraps to a spinach Frittata, you’ll get a bunch of great ideas that are less traditional than your eggs and bacon. Although this wholesale food distributor has eggs and bacon as well if that’s what you need…Check back soon, these recipes are coming.

By now we have all seen the devastating photos of the blue Gulf which now has a large, red cast due to the recent, enormous Gulf oil spill. We have also seen pictures of oiled down birds and additional marine life struggling to cope in this disaster. We have heard reports on the news about how the spill is affecting fisherman, tourism and beaches but we have heard very little about what is happening below the ocean’s surface. In fact, we hear that there is much more devastation than is being reported. One business that is destined to suffer great consequences due to the Gulf oil spill is the seafood industry. Food distributors and restaurants are definitely feeling the pinch when it comes to purchasing fresh seafood and fear that they have yet to see the worst of this calamity since only 60-70% of the oil is still at the bottom of the ocean, waiting to hit the surface.

The Gulf oil spill, most certainly the worst marine disaster in our history is already affecting the shrimp catch, which has come to a virtual close during what should be harvest season. Shrimp supplies are now coming from Asian trades who are increasing prices nearly 50-60%. Fresh shelled oysters have also gone up in price nearly 18%. What we don’t know is how this spill will affect the clam, cod, haddock, and scallop along with the lobster and mussel fisheries. What many in the seafood industry fear most is that the Gulf Stream carries this oil up the Eastern Coast which will inevitably affect these fisheries as this devastation from the oil spill continues to unfold. Wholesale food distributors, seafood suppliers restaurant owners and retailers fear what will happen if a hurricane occurs as well the effects when the spill works its way toward the East Coast.

At AGAR we realize food distributors, restaurants and retailers cannot stop the oil spill, however we are taking steps to not only prepare for the impact of the tragedy but to also protect and preserve the environment and the ecosystem. In 2009, AGAR began working on Nautifish, a brand developed to offer quality seafood products to New England restaurants and retail outlets and to also foster greater awareness of the sustainability issues that affect the ocean. Under the Nautifish brand, AGAR has been donating money to Ocean Alliance for every pound of Nautifish sold. Because of the severity and urgency of this gulf disaster, AGAR is increasing its efforts to support Ocean Alliance.

Ocean Alliance will gather information on marine life when the Odyssey, a 93-foot research vessel, launches this July to travel from the east coast to the Gulf of Mexico. Because the Whale, and here the Sperm Whale is the top of New England’s food chain, Ocean Alliance will gather information relating to this species as well as others to determine the effects that will occur to the other marine life. We are aggressively supporting this mission and we ask that you join us.

You can find out more be heading over to the Nautifish website as well as regular updates here from the Odyssey mission including video. http://www.nautifishseafood.com/odyssey/