Organic Ocean Seafood

To say Dane Chauvel, Steve Johansen and Frank Keitsch believe in what they’re doing is like saying a priest believes in God. This trio, which collectively makes up Vancouver-based Organic Ocean, a boutique supplier of seafood to the city’s top restaurants, is fervent about its seafood.

The darling of Organic Ocean’s product mix is its spot prawns. Trap-caught in water up to 300 feet deep just a 30-minute boat ride from downtown Vancouver, these shrimp have earned a “best choice” rating from the Monterey Bay Aquarium and SeaChoice.

Johansen says spot prawns are the epitome of sustainability. The season lasts just two months (May and June), fishermen use traps strung from long lines, so there is little to no impact on the ocean, and all bycatch and prawns carrying eggs are safely returned to the ocean.

• Species name: Spot prawns -- Pandalus platyceros
• Water: Spot prawns are found in the northeastern Pacific Ocean from Alaska to California, and in the northwestern Pacific Ocean from the Sea of Japan to the Korea Strait. Organic Ocean harvests spot prawns in Howe Sound and other areas of British Columbia.
  
• Fishing method: Organic Ocean’s spot prawns are commercially harvested in traps deployed on long-lines commonly 180 feet to 325 feet below the ocean surface. The prawns are brought aboard live and stored in chilled sea water.
• What sets them apart: The artisanal nature of Organic Ocean’s spot prawn fishing makes it a stand-out example of how fishermen can create their own brand and escape the age-old model of selling their product to a processor.

Organic Ocean’s connection to Vancouver’s top chefs and leading North American restaurant operators makes it unique and has greatly boosted its ability to communicate the concept of sustainable seafood to leading chefs and their customers.

The prawns are not only fished sustainably but they are part of the larger “eat local” movement.Organic Ocean’s prawns are delivered to restaurants within hours of being caught -- often still wiggling. The company sells a range of sustainable seafood, but is known for its spot prawns. It was intrumental in starting the annual spot prawn festival in Vancouver, which is now a great way to market its prawns and educate consumers about sustainable seafood.