Ocean Wise Co-Founder Robert Clark joins Organic Ocean as its chief culinary officer

Richmond, British Columbia, Canada-based company Organic Ocean announced on 5 May the addition of chef and cookbook author Robert Clark as its chief culinary officer.

Clark, one of the creators of the Vancouver Aquarium's Ocean Wise seafood program, was recently appointed to the Order of Canada “in recognition of his trailblazing efforts to create an environmentally and economically sustainable seafood supply system,” Organic Ocean said. The acclaimed chef and sustainable seafood advocate is an ideal match for the company, according to Organic Ocean Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Dane Chauvel.

“We’re thrilled that Chef Robert has joined Organic Ocean,” Chauvel said in a press release. “He’s been a great friend of Organic Ocean and an enthusiastic supporter of our mission. We continue to build on our fisheries and seafood expertise, which has been significantly strengthened with the addition to our team of another globally recognized marine conservationist who also happens to be a renowned seafood chef.”

In addition to helping found Ocean Wise, Clark has received the Murray A. Newman Award for achievement in aquatic conservation, and was the 2011 SeaWeb Sustainable Seafood Champion. He has also been featured alongside Guy Fieri on the TV show “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” and was a competitor on “Iron Chef America.”

“Chef Clark joins Organic Ocean at an especially exciting time in its evolution. As a complement to its various environmental and social causes, the company also donates nutritious seafood to those in need via charitable organizations across Canada,” Organic Ocean said.

In his new role, Clark will share “his passion for seafood by demonstrating how great fish can be easily transformed by anyone into amazing dishes,” the company said. The opportunity to work with Organic Ocean’s Indigenous fisheries partners to develop recipes for their seafood is something Clark is looking forward to.

“I’m on a journey of discovery, of learning new and exciting things, of testing the boundaries of my abilities in, what seems to be for me, a new world,” Clark said. “I’m hoping to contribute in ways I have never explored before.” 

Clark's transition comes in the wake of the transfer of the Vancouver Aquarium from the Ocean Wise Conservation Association to Herschend Enderprises on 15 April. The Aquarium has been largely closed since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the sale was precipitated by "severe financial challenges" caused by its closure, according to Ocean Wise.

Ocean Wise will remain an independent charitable nonprofit ocean conservation organization led by Lasse Gustavsson. As part of the agreement, Herschend will donate 1 percent of annual gross revenues from the Vancouver Aquarium to Ocean Wise to support its conservation program, according to a press release.

Photo courtesy of Organic Ocean