The Blue Foods Forum is returning to Portland, Oregon on Sunday, February 1, and Monday, February 2, 2026.
Join us for two days of extraordinary hands-on industry collaboration and culinary inspiration with a mix of chefs, economists, artisans, food innovators, marine scientists, fishermen and ocean advocates.
Day 1: Seafaring Speakeasy
Sunday, February 1st, 5-9pm, The Redd, Portland, Oregon
Kick off Winter Waters and the Blue Foods Forum at the Seafaring Speakeasy. Get ready to drift through a kelp forest of flavors, where Oregon’s coastal bounty takes center stage. This event is open to anyone and everyone who loves Oregon seafood.
The evening is designed to inspire, delight, and invite connection inside a carefully curated ocean atmosphere. Throughout the night, you’ll encounter ocean-inspired installations, thoughtfully crafted bites, and conversations that spark possibility — connecting you with scientists, investors, food producers, educators, fishermen, artisans, and chefs redefining what it means to steward Oregon’s economy through food and ocean resources.
Guests will sample an array of creative drinks and Oregon-caught seafood prepared by chefs from across the state including Oregon's oyster queen, Maylin Chávez of Nácar Merrior y Terrior, Jack Strong from Allison Inn, Jacob Harth formerly of Erizo, Joseph Papas of OK Omens, and Chef Patrick Clarke and the culinary students from Siletz Valley School. Just added: Chef Kari Shaughnessy of Hayward will be serving Dungeness Crab Onigiri with Oregon Dulse and Nori seaweed. Chef U'ilaniku'ulei Vele of Departure will be serving a kombu cured Oregon rockfish with yuzu, daikon, dulse seaweed, and nori.
Your ticket allows you 5 bites and a beverage (alcoholic or not)
Day 2: Seafare Symposium
Monday, February 2nd, 9am-6pm, The Redd, Portland, Oregon
Our 2nd Annual industry-focused Seafare Symposium is a full day of active learning, conversation, and delicious inspiration centered around Oregon’s ocean foods. The Symposium invites chefs, producers, educators, and food system innovators to imagine what a more connected, sustainable, and locally rooted blue food future could look like. Live seafood butchery demos, roundtable discussions, lightning talks and structured networking opportunities set the stage for rich dialogues and goal-setting within the group.
Attendees will hear presentations on cutting-edge projects, meet potential partners, and attend immersive workshops designed to drive progress, activate solutions, and inspire collaboration around Oregon’s food system challenges
See the full event recap from last year HERE.
Hosted by Winter Waters and the Oregon Ocean Cluster in close partnership with Ecotrust, Oregon Kelp Alliance, Oregon State University’s Food Labs, New Seasons Market, and many other friends, this community-building event inspired lively dialogues about interconnected ecosystems, circular economies, and complex food supply chains. Adopting an “unconference” model and approach allowed us to creatively explore how redefining the use and restoration of our ocean resources can ignite a better future for all. Thank you to Travel Oregon, for your support.
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KEX Portland (near the Blue Foods Forum venue in Portland) is offering 20% off rooms for Blue Foods Forum attendees 1/30 - 2/6. Use the code WATERS2026 when booking.
Outcomes of the 2025 Blue Foods Forum in action!
We’re excited to see that the Blue Foods Forum 2025 has already resulted in tangible innovation. Here are a few:
Local Ocean Seafoods returned home from the Forum deeply inspired. Within months, they launched a 100 percent fish utilization program to reduce waste at their restaurant, transforming what once might have been discarded into delicious, purposeful products.
In Philomath, a new business called Reclaim Cooperative formed to launch Oregon’s first fish leather tannery. This group is already hosting hands-on workshops at Central Coast Food Web, sharing knowledge about traditional materials and circular design.
Sullivan Seed Studios, who joined the Blue Foods Forum lineup at the last minute, went on to host their first Ocean Art workshop at ADX Portland. Solfiskur brought Icelandic-inspired fish skin jewelry and Pacific Northwest seafood to the KNOW Fish Dinner at Bar Carlo in April, a direct outcome of a connection made with Yakobi Fisheries at the BlueFoods Forum.
A huge thank you to New Seasons Market for sponsoring the Blue Foods Forum!
New Seasons Market has long set the bar for thoughtful seafood sourcing in the Pacific Northwest, prioritizing close relationships with local and regional fishermen and clear, customer facing traceability. By working with fisheries that meet strong environmental and labor standards, they ensure the seafood on their counters is both high quality and responsibly caught.
We are especially excited that staff and leadership from New Seasons Market, including Seafood Category Manager Daisy Berg, will be actively participating in the Blue Foods Forum. For fishermen, aquaculture producers, and CPG brands, this is a valuable chance to connect directly with the team behind one of the region’s most respected seafood programs and gain insight into sourcing expectations, market opportunities, and best practices.