Sarah Ecolano, Copper River Fish Market

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“Its important to me because the source of food matters - it is the only fuel that our bodies have. Some of the food that we’re eating now is like a bad tank of gas. I’m proud to provide my community with healthy, affordable, and fresh seafood. If we are to adopt offshore fish farming, it would be a mistake for seafood across the board. It would be really unfortunate. There would be an economic value loss to wild caught seafood in Alaska and for an already confused customer to lose an access pass to certainty.”

Sarah Ecolano is the owner of Copper River Fish Market, a fisherwoman, member of Don’t Cage Our Oceans, and an ambassador for United States of Women. She believes in the importance of access to healthy, sustainable sourced seafood for consumers. Sarah worries that if offshore fish farming takes off in the US, and especially in Alaska, it will be a huge risk to small-scale fishers, the Alaskan economy, and consumers who will be fed low quality, farmed seafood. To support Sarah’s work you can visit her website copperriverfishmarket.com where she ships frozen seafood, as well as tinned seafood throughout the United States - her smoked salmon was a finalist for the 2023 Good Food Awards.