As global influences and pricing pressures continue to adversely impact the Alaskan seafood market, Carnival Corporation’s land and sea operations for Holland America Line and Princess Cruises in Alaska are taking a two-pronged approach to help mitigate the downturn’s effects in one of the state’s primary industries.

In Alaska, most of the company’s land-based restaurants, dining venues, and employee menus are stocked with fresh, locally sourced seafood. Varieties of salmon, halibut, Alaska cod, rockfish, scallops, Dungeness crab, Bairdi crab, salmon roe, and oysters are served in 20 locations throughout the state. Holland America and Princess serve more than 230,000 pounds of seafood each summer in hotels and aboard ships.

“We’re committed to sourcing locally, whenever possible, offering our guests the best of Alaska’s seafood,” says Marc Ducharme, the company’s vice president of hotel operations for Alaska and the Yukon. “Prioritizing sustainable fishing is not just the right thing to do, it’s a key part of our mission to promote Alaska’s amazing seafood offerings. Many of our land-based food and beverage venues have earned Marine Stewardship Council certification for sustainably sourced fish.”

The second part of Carnival Corporation’s effort involves a strong relationship with the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI), the marketing arm for the Alaska seafood industry. AMSI, fresh off a $4-million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, has a long-established and extensive collaboration with Holland America/Princess’ land operations in Alaska. The partnership focuses on several key initiatives, including:

• Educating more than 200 employees through Alaska Seafood U, an online ASMI course with various training modules.
• Designing and implementing menus that highlight fresh, locally caught seafood.
• Showcasing wild Alaska seafood videos in guest rooms on Alaska cruise ship itineraries.

“ASMI and Carnival Corporation share a steadfast commitment to sustainability, and we are honored to continue to grow our robust partnership,” said Megan Rider, ASMI’s domestic marketing director. “Their dedication to showcasing Alaska’s wild, abundant seafood aboard their ships is inspiring, and we are thrilled to help showcase this state’s treasures to their guests.”

Guest Options on Land and Sea
Holland America Line, a global cruise leader, is the only cruise line to earn the distinguished Responsible Fisheries Management (RFM) certification, the benchmark for serving only fresh, certified sustainable and traceable wild Alaska seafood on board all ships sailing the Great Land. All fish served on its six Alaska ships meets this rigorous standard. This includes 42 different Alaska seafood dishes available for dinner in the Dining Room, such as Seared Alaska Rockfish, Roasted Alaska Salmon, and Pan Fried Dover Sole.

Princess ships sailing in Alaska feature an extensive menu rotation of Alaskan seafood dishes,
including 30 distinctive Alaskan seafood dishes with featured items every night in all main dining rooms. Recipes highlight only the freshest seafood ingredients with multiple varieties of Alaskan salmon, including King, Sockeye and Coho, as well as wild Alaskan cod (caught by hook and line only), halibut, rockfish, Dungeness crabs, wild spot prawns and razor clams.

Ashore, Holland America Line and Princess Cruises offer guests various options to enjoy the freshest local seafood across their extensive land operations in Alaska. Princess has five lodges in the state, each with their unique style and great options for sampling locally sourced seafood and fare with meals at:

• King Salmon Restaurant at Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge featuring salmon served several ways.
• Rod & Reel Restaurant at Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge serving wild Alaskan scallops and fresh halibut.
• Two Rivers Restaurant at Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge highlighting salmon and rockfish dishes.

Holland America Line operates three hotels throughout Alaska, each with restaurants featuring Alaskan seafood, including:

• Marine Stewardship Council-certified Alaskan jig-caught Rockfish, mussels, halibut, and salmon at Canyon Steakhouse and Karsten’s Public Houseat McKinley Chalet Resort.
• Cedar planked salmon at Chilkoot Dining Room at the Holland America Skagway Inn.

From pristine seas to picturesque lodges, Alaska’s bounty awaits.