Community Dining will be hosting its second seafood-themed dinner with Nic Mink and Marsh Skeele, the founders of Sitka Salmon Shares. Sign up here: https://heartlandsss.eventbrite.com The discussion will focus on these questions: 1.  How accurate are seafood labeling practices in grocery stores and what factors result in mislabeling?  Who determines labeling standards and how is the integrity of these standards maintained? 2.  What regulatory bodies oversee the seafood insdustry and how have these regulations affected consumers? 3.  To what extent to large copmanies control the seafood industry regulations?  What effect have these regulations had on small fisherman and processors? 4.  When buying seafood, what questions should consumers ask to ensure they can make informed decisions? 5.  How significant is mercury contamination in seafood?  How can consumers avoid or limit their exposure to seafood contaminated with mercury?   About the Founders: Nic Mink is the president of Sitka Salmon Shares, a sustainable seafood company that offers its membership an opportunity to purchase fish directly from the company’s fishermen owners. He’s also a lecturer of Environmental Studies at Knox College, where he teaches class on food and natural resource management. Marsh Skeele is a second generation, hook and line fisherman, from Sitka, Alaska. As Sitka Salmon Shares Vice President, he splits time between catching fish and helping deliver his catch directly to fish-loving customers in the Midwest. About Sitka Salmon Shares:     Our story begins in 2011, when a Midwestern college professor, Nic, and his two students traveled to Sitka, Alaska, for the summer. There, they engaged in conversations and deepened their understanding of the importance of protecting Southeast Alaska’s wild salmon populations and the pristine environment that supports one of the world’s last great salmon reserves. They returned to the Midwest with boxes of line-caught, wild Alaskan salmon, harvested by their fisher friends in Sitka. To say the fish was well-received would be an understatement. People raved about the salmon’s taste and were impressed by its traceability. They quickly made the connection between their consumption and the impact this small act could have on conservation efforts and the health of Alaska’s sustainable fisheries. Perhaps, the group thought, they were on to something. While in Alaska, this band of merry Midwesterners met Marsh. Marsh was the self-styled foodie and passionate gourmand of Sitka’s hook-and-line salmon fleet. A local legend on the Sitka dinner party circuit, Marsh’s favorite pastime included sourcing ingredients from the wilds of Southeast Alaska and elevating them with techniques learned from stints in professional kitchens. As you might suspect, Marsh’s quest for perfect food spilled into his work as a commercial fisherman. He obsessively handled his fish every step of the way to guarantee that eaters on the other end of his line enjoyed the perfection he sought in his own kitchen—including his family down in the proud town of Green Bay, Wisconsin. With a lot of passion and even more luck, Sitka Salmon Shares was born. Sitka Salmon Shares is now a completely integrated boat-to-doorstep seafood company. We have a lovable group of fishermen-owners who deliver our fish. We have a small processing plant in Sitka, Alaska, where we custom-process our catch with a laser focus on quality and traceability. And we have two Good-Fish Hubs in the Midwest, which allow us to deliver our fishermen’s catch directly to your doorstep (or to your local farmers market or restaurant). At Sitka Salmon Shares, you’re joining a community of artisan fishers, healthy eaters, foodies, and Alaskan adventurers in our collective efforts to rebuild America’s seafood system from the ground up. All of us together are actively supporting sustainably sourced seafood and independent, family fishermen who fish in much the same way their grandparents did.