TwoXSea is very proud to announce
the introduction of McFarland Springs
California Trout.

McFarland Springs is more than unique – it is the world’s first deliberate collaboration to responsibly farm sustainable fish. Farmed Fish today are fed fishmeal; fish taken from the ocean at alarming rates, then ground, dried and fed to all types of fish in order to increase growth rates. This practice is an environmental catastrophe and non-sustainable.

TwoBySea and American Trout in Lassen County formed a partnership in 2009 to test and develop trout using a nearly pure vegetarian diet of organic corn and soy. The feed still contains approximately 3% fish oil, which will hopefully be completely deleted by the end of 2010. The results are stunning, as the flavor is that of a wild trout and at Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR*) around .25 to 1 – an environmental breakthrough. By comparison, a traditional farmed trout has a FCR in excess of 4 to 1.

“We realized, a bit too late, that the trout we were buying were neither vegetarian nor insectivore.” said Kenny Belov of TwoXSea. “Our choice to establish a renewable and responsible source of seafood was driven by the hope that is still possible to farm without destroying our future. I’m happy to say it is.”

McFarland Springs is an environmental dream. The water supply comes from the headwaters of a natural spring, extremely cold and free of the pesticides and contaminates found in other water sources. The spring not only provides for the trout, but also generates all of the electricity for the farm though hydroelectric. It is raised locally, lowering carbon footprint and further promoting regional cuisine. The fish is hand harvested and processed, instead of machine processed as is customary.

Lastly, the flavor and texture is that of wild trout, with a sweet flavor and lighter, firm flesh. The extreme cold created by the natural spring creates slow growth rates, but far better texture.

“This is a very rare and sadly, fairly limited operation. It isn’t something you can scale for a Fast Food Nation, but it is a great example of what we can do when we choose to put the environment above margins.” Belov commented. “I hope this is the first of many.”

Farming fish in a manner that does not deplete other resources is essential for humankind.  The ocean remains the last remaining hunting ground of wild food, and it has been pushed beyond the edge of  its capacity by overfishing, habitat destruction and gross pollution.  Much like farmed produce, poultry or beef, cultivation of fish as a source of protein must be developed in order to support our existing populations.  The key to this statement is to do so in a renewable and responsible fashion.  The current practice of dragging the ocean for baitfish to feed to fish farms is a dead end street.  More importantly, clean farming technologies must be created must be for developing nations is we expect them to not depend on the oceans to feed their populations.

“We are beginning to see emerging sciences that will allow us to grow insect and algae based diets for fish farming”, states Bill Foss of TwoXSea.  “This type of diet couldn’t make a trout happier.  MacFarland Springs marks the movement of farming fish towards organic farming techniques, where chemicals are not used and the feed source is natural to the farmed product.  Even better, species native to geographic regions can be raised, resulting in a new market for native heirloom trout.”

“California is home to 10 species of native trout, one of which – the California Bull Trout – is already extinct.”  adds Belov.  “The fact that we are able to offer the Eagle Lake Rainbow Trout in a safe and renewable fashion is fantastic. Much like the ocean, we have to manage the wild fisheries of inland lakes and streams to take the pressure off these species if we hope to see them survive.”

McFarland Springs will be available mid May of 2010, offering Rainbow, German Brown and Brook trout. As with all TwoXSea products, chefs are encouraged to arrange for a tour of any fishery to gain a better understanding of the food source.
*Feed Conversion Ratio, or FCR, is the method of calculating how much fish (by weight) is taken from the ocean in order to farm 1 pound of fish. At .25 to 1, a quarter pound of wet, or whole, fish is harvested from the ocean to make 1 full pound of fish for consumption for food. When we take less than we can grow, we are on the sustainable side of the equation. Conversely, farmed salmon have a FCR of 3-1, meaning three times more fish are taken from the ocean than we eat, which is just plain foolish. Please note that we use the weight of whole fish to calculate FCR, while others choose to use the weight of dried fish for feed – resulting in a 75%+ reduction in weight. Buyer beware.

TwoXSea Sustainable Criteria

“Sustainable” is a word that, as of late, has been bent to suit the needs of those trying to make larger profits. TwoXSea was founded on honesty, transparency, and the following 5 conditions:

1. The harvesting of this fish left more than enough fish for future generations, and caused no habitat destruction – none.
2. Additional fish, “Bycatch”, were not included in the harvest.
3. The farming of such fish did not involve: use of chemicals or medicines, adverse use of feed from wild sources, introduction of non-native species into local fisheries, or inflict economic adversity on families and communities.
4. The person who caught the fish was paid fairly for the work they did to bring it to you.
5. The fish can be traced back to the vessel that caught the fish, and proper guarantees are in place regarding the honest origin of the fish.
6. The fish comes from as local an area as possible, thus reducing carbon emissions and restoring regional cuisine.

TwoXSea is working towards a better, renewable future that ensures seafood for generations to come. We welcome your questions, insights and opinions – we can’t do this alone!

-The team at TwoXSea.