How do the “other guys” catch their fish?

Most fish you see in the supermarket is “trawl caught”. Trawlers use a large net tethered to their fishing boat, which they drag through the water column entangling any and all marine species in its path. These fish are then picked through and tossed into a large holding tank to be stored until being brought to shore, sometimes up to 5-6 days later. The excess bycatch animals are tossed back into the ocean, dead or alive (bycatch is a fish or other species that are caught and are other than the intended species, either the wrong sex, undersized or juvenile).  Once reaching the shore the fish are whole frozen, and shipped to a processor often over seas.

After reaching the processing plant, the fish is thawed and made into fillets or other products, and then again refrozen. Before it is sold to the consumer (you) this fish could qualify for frequent flyer miles with the distance it has traveled, and frozen and thawed up to 3 different times. This results in some tired looking fish by the time it reaches your table.

Every day that fresh fish is not frozen sees a degradation of flesh that declines the freshness and quality of the fish. By flash-freezing smaller batches immediately after harvest, Virgin Bay Seafood avoids the significant stages of decline that occur every time fish is thawed. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) declares fish not fit for consumption at day 18. Our methodology assures that your fresh Alaska seafood is below 5 days by the time it reaches your door.