Blue Foods Forum: 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.
What could a truly regenerative, ocean-inclusive food future look like?
We are at a pivotal point in the Blue Foods movement. Momentum is on our side, and now is the time to forge strong partnerships that strengthen our local food systems.
By meeting ahead of the year’s growing and summer harvest seasons, the Blue Foods Forum gives investors and businesses an opportunity to dream big, and take action for the future of Oregon's food future.
Come to our seafood party: Seafaring Speakeasy
The before before the Symposium, we will kick off the Blue Foods Forum with our annual Seafaring Speakeasy, a celebration of Oregon seafood. 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. This is a great way to get to know other Symposium goers in a casual, inspired environment.
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.
Hosted by Winter Waters and the Oregon Ocean Cluster in close partnership with Ecotrust, Oregon Kelp Alliance, Oregon State University’s Food Labs 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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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.