By Ann Molloy
Neptune's Harvest Fertilizer's parent company, Ocean Crest Seafoods Inc., in Gloucester, MA, inadvertently ended up in the organic fertilizer business. A wholesale seafood company established in 1965, Ocean Crest had a need to dispose of the fish remains created after processing, called gurry. Gurry makes up 60 to 70% of the fish after it is fileted - the heads, skeletons, scales and fins. Ocean Crest got together with researchers from the University of Massachusetts' Marine Science Research Center and developed the process of turning the gurry into fertilizer, which allows us to use 100% of the fish.
Neptune’s Harvest also sells Crab Shells, which can be tilled into the soil before planting. This benefits growers greatly and allows them to use crab and lobster shells that would otherwise be sent to landfills.
Neptune’s products are beneficial to the environment in more than one way. First, “we use what nature has given us from the mineral-rich North Atlantic Ocean, which is nature’s perfect source for the nutrients plants and soil need to stay healthy,” says Sales Director Ann Molloy. Secondly, we use every part of the seafood, so no waste is being dumped back into the ocean or sent to landfills; instead, the “waste” is used to help grow stronger, healthier plants.
The fish are always wild-caught, not industrially farmed, to ensure they don’t have antibiotics and are healthy. Large-scale fish farms can have many problems, and between 10% and 25% of the fish end up dead before being harvested.
“The whole world used to be under ocean water. They found fish fossils on the top of Mount Everest. Ever since then, it’s been demineralizing. By adding products from the ocean back to the soil, it replenishes it and brings it back to life,” says Ann.
The Neptune products contain all the nutrients plants and soil need to stay healthy, and in perfect balance. They increase the brix (sugar) and greatly improve soil quality. They will increase the yield and quality of all crops, making whatever you grow more nutrient-dense and better able to withstand stress, disease, and insect damage. They are a natural sticker/spreader and are a great deer repellent. They are also a great food source for microbes and beneficial bacteria and increase the organic matter in the soil.
These products not only help create healthy plants and soil, but their use eliminates or greatly reduces the need to use pesticides or any other chemicals, which reduces the negative impact on the environment, says Ann. The products also build up the organic matter in the soil, which sequesters carbon and helps the soil retain moisture, so growers don't need to use as much water.
Here’s how their Hydrolyzed Fish Fertilizer is made. Fishing vessels catching in the cold, clean, nutrient-rich North Atlantic Ocean are unloaded. The fish is all North Atlantic fish like haddock, cod, flounder, etc. caught for human consumption. The fish is then fileted and sold to restaurants while the remainder is ground using a cold process. The fish is turned into a liquid with naturally occurring enzymes along with the grinding process and high-powered pumps that whip it around in the tanks. The fish is then stabilized with Phosphoric Acid to bring the pH down to 3.5, which will keep the fish from rotting. It is then screened through a 150-micron screen to remove any bone particles that could clog spray equipment. Those go to a local compost company. The result is a liquid organic fertilizer that is OMRI approved for use in organic production.
Neptune’s Harvest was recently presented with the 2015 Sustainable Industry Award from the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment.
Ann Molloy was born and raised in Gloucester, MA. After several years of traveling around the country and world, she settled back there and has been helping run her family business. For almost 30 years, Ann has overseen the marketing and sales for the Neptune’s Harvest division of Ocean Crest Seafoods, which came about to fully utilize 100% of the fish by turning the gurry (everything that’s left after you fillet a fish) into an organic fertilizer. She has a wide knowledge of organic fertilizers and the fishing industry. She also loves to paint, write, and see live music. Ann@neptunesharvest.com