Alaskan seafood nabs higher profile at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena

The Bristol Bay Native Corporation and the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association are getting a higher profile for Alaskan seafood at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.

Timed with the Seattle Kraken’s first home game of the season on 17 October – a National Hockey League franchise that plays at the arena – BBNC’s Bristol Bay Wild Market is opening in a new, more prominent location in the arena.

Bristol Bay Wild Market said in a release that the market – which features several Alaskan salmon and cod dishes – was originally located on the main concourse near Section 22 but the new location is closer to the Alaska Airlines Atrium and just steps from The Lair team store.

“The new location is in a higher-trafficked area that will allow the marketplace to be open for all events that take place in Climate Pledge Arena,” BBNC President and CEO Jason Metrokin told SeafoodSource.

In its previous location, the marketplace was closed for some events based on lower attendance, he added.

Bristol Bay’s new location also features Amazon’s “Just Walk Out” technology, which allows customers to take products and leave without going through a checkout policy.  

BBNC started the Climate Pledge Arena partnership in 2021 through a collaboration with the Anchorage, Alaska-based BBRDSA. The deal allowed for BBNC’s Bristol Wave Seafoods subsidiary to supply the seafood for the Bristol Bay Wild Market. 

As part of the deal, the Bristol Bay region is “prominently represented throughout Climate Pledge Arena on hundreds of TV screens and the arena's LED rings for visitors on the main scoreboards during televised games and at the state-of-the-art Kraken training center,” the Seattle Kraken and Climate Pledge Arena said in a press release in 2021.

Bristol Bay Wild Market’s menu, developed by Climate Pledge Arena Executive Chef Molly DeMers, includes wild Alaska cod fish ‘n chips, salmon chowder sourdough boulle, and a salmon sandwich, along with a new item added last season: grilled salmon bowl with quinoa.

“The grilled salmon bowl has been very well received by arena attendees – it offers a healthy yet delicious alternative to other typical arena food,” Metrokin said. 

Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.-based seafood supplier Trident Seafoods, and the Association of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers (GAPP), also have a successful partnership with the Climate Pledge Arena.

Trident secured a unique partnership with the Oak View Group, an American global advisory, development, and investment company for the sports and live entertainment industries, to establish its footprint at the venue. The partnership includes a sponsored food marketplace at the arena, Fork & Fin, which serves several Alaska pollock dishes.

To further market the product and entice fans to try out the seafood while attending an event, both the arena and the Kraken also declared Alaska pollock as its official whitefish near the end of the previous NHL season.

Photo courtesy of Bristol Bay Native Corporation