Profiles

Rob Mayo

Rob Mayo is the President of Carolina Classics Catfish in Ayden, North Carolina. Carolina Classics is the only fully integrated producer of U.S. farm-raised catfish. Rob founded Carolina Classics based on traditional values of quality and consistency, and the added value of environmental stewardship. He believes that, by raising a product which is easy on the land and water, and efficiently converts a grain-based diet into healthy fish protein, Carolina Classics fills an important seafood need while meeting their goal of "doing well while doing good."

What is your favorite seafood?
Catfish, of course! Fact is, I love most types of fish and shellfish. But my whole family loves catfish – the fillets cook up white and flaky, with a mild and sweet, delicious flavor.

What's the most popular seafood item that Carolina Catfish offers?
Carolina Classics Natural Catfish fillets are fast becoming our most popular item. These fish are specially hatched, raised, and fed to be the healthiest catfish available – and most delicious! No antibiotics ever used, no dangerous farm chemicals, no land-animal proteins fed. What you get is an all-natural fillet, neatly layer-packed and ready for the case or the plate.

How did you get interested in the issue of sustainable seafood?
It was a major part of my decision to start farming catfish. I grew up on my neighbor’s commercial fishing dock. When my neighbor turned 60, he was forced to take his first “land job” because of the local fishing situation. That experience stuck with me – it was my own personal glimpse of the impact of manmade stress on marine resources. So farming a primarily-herbivorous fish (as an alternative to fishing the world’s limited fish stocks) seemed like a good idea.

How would you describe your philosophy on ocean conservation?
As a child growing up on the coast, the ocean seemed as vast as outer space. In fact, that is the way man has treated the seas until recently. Our oceans seemed big enough to accept great volumes of human waste and junk without suffering negative effect. I believe we are in a great state of flux, and that our children already look at oceans entirely differently. The last century was still about pioneering; this one will be about conserving the Earth’s resources and international “equity” in that endeavor.

Since our catfish farms are land-based, my job may be more accurately related to land conservation than ocean conservation. But of course the two are related, and perhaps for every one of our farmed catfish fillets that is eaten, one less ocean fish fillet is consumed. We spend a lot of time thinking about how we can conserve primary inputs like energy, water, feedstuffs.

How has your philosophy changed how you raise your fish?
When I first got into the catfish business I was learning how the industry worked and how they did things. From there, I looked at where we could improve practices and be more environmentally responsible.

Here is an example: We reduced water use substantially compared to industry standards. Most people don’t realize that catfish farming uses relatively little water, once ponds are initially filled. We do not have to drain grow-out ponds before re-stocking, so they may stay filled for as long as 8 to 10 years before we drain and re-shape them. Water is added primarily to replace evaporative loss. But what we found is that by making ponds slightly deeper, and allowing for an “evaporative cushion,” we could greatly reduce evaporative replacement by waiting for rainwater to replenish ponds in the Fall and Winter. Now, in an average year, we do not have to pump additional water on most farms.

Have your customers noticed?
I believe they have. What makes the most impact is when a customer makes a site visit. Once folks have toured our feedmill, hatchery, one of the farms, and our processing plant, they have a very clear idea of what goes into the making of our products.

Do you feel it limits what you can offer?
No. We are currently a one-species producer, and our focus is on making production “better and better” over time.

Have your clients worked with you?
Yes! To create the Natural program, we partnered with Whole Foods Market in establishing the parameters, from egg to store. There has clearly been a growing interest, particularly in the retail sector, on sustainable and natural products. This has been a factor in our steadily increasing sales of Natural catfish fillets.

What trends have you noticed in seafood in the past 10 years?
Over the past few years, more and more people are interested in where their fish are coming from and how they were raised. Additionally, seafood costs have greatly increased, which has worked out well for us, as catfish remains one of the last light eating fish fillets available under $10.00 per lb retail!

Why are you a Seafood Choices Alliance member?
I support what Seafood Choices Alliance is doing. You are successfully engaging a wide variety of stakeholders in positive discussion. What we have in common is that we love seafood and want to see both the seafood industry and the ocean environment thrive.

Posted June 26, 2007