ORKA staffer Carl Hendrickson attended the 2025 Winter Waters Blue Foods Forum: Seafare Symposium at the Redd in Portland on Tuesday February 18th. The event convened seafood producers, practitioners, entrepreneurs, chefs, and more to discuss the growing ‘blue foods’ sector in Oregon and how to expand effectively and efficiently. Morning sessions included learning to make dulse chimichurri, filleting fish, and understanding seafood distribution and logistics. Carl gave a lunchtime lightning talk on ORKA projects and progress. The afternoon offered a chance to sit down in groups and discuss the specifics of different facets of blue foods in Oregon, particularly supply chains and distributions for future ORKA projects. The event ended with an oyster social to slurp seafood, sip beverages, and solidify connections with those present.
ORKA members Tom Calvanese, Sara Hamilton, Justin Myers, and Carl Hendrickson attended the 2025 Winter Waters Blue Foods Forum: Seafaring Speakeasy in Portland on Thursday February 20th. The event was a celebration of all the awesome people who make up the blue foods scene in Oregon and was a great evening to connect with friends in the field. ORKA gave a presentation on some of the work going on in Port Orford and what makes it so special, and later on in the evening people enjoyed fresh uni from urchins brought by ORKA.
Winter Waters wrapped up the busy season with a two-day SeaFest in Port Orford. Day one included art, food, and an evening of fun and trivia at Mr. Ed’s Underground Pub. Day two gave attendees a chance to get a tour of the Port of Port Orford, enjoy lunch provided by Port Orford Sustainable Seafood, and check out the Port of Bandon aquaculture facility to see dulse, urchins, and bull kelp being grown in tanks on land.