The Seafood Consumer Center, with locations in Newport and at 2001 Marine Drive in Astoria, is now operating as The Community Seafood Initiative (TCSI). Established in 1998 to promote seafood consumption and education, the organization has undergone a significant transition in the last two years resulting, in a leaner business plan and new focus. Educating the general consumer about the positive attributes of seafood remains a primary activity but it is part of a larger portfolio of activities concentrated on providing information services and educational support to West Coast seafood businesses.
The name change reflects both the new focus of the organization and its ongoing commitment to TCSI, originally established in 2002 as a partnership between the Seafood Consumer Center, the Oregon State University Seafood Lab and Enterprise Cascadia.
The partnership supports the commercial fishing industry and coastal communities by providing access to applied research and capital through a nonprofit organization. In 2005, the Seafood Consumer Center became the formal home of TCSI and the partnership has remained strong through the economic downturn which resulted in the closure of the Seafood School, another of the organization’s programs.
Interactive seafood cooking classes will resume in the demonstration kitchen located on the OSU Seafood Lab campus. In addition, Columbia Memorial Hospital, which is now the occupant of the former SCC space, is preserving the demonstration kitchen and banquet room as a community asset that will be available to the public in addition to being used for their own educational programming.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: The Daily Astorian (Astoria, OR).
