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FAQ
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I have been hearing a lot about high mercury levels in Tuna, does that mean there is mercury in Dave’s Gourmet Seafood?There has been a lot of talk about the unsafe mercury levels in “Tuna” recently, which has become a growing concern for many tuna lovers. In order to understand the facts behind these serious statements we must first understand that the “Tuna” with unsafe levels of mercury are by no means all tuna. There are many different species within the genus of Tuna, and some of which have been found to contain unsafe amounts of mercury. Some of which are called, Yellow Fin, Blue Fin and Tombo Tuna. These tuna are generally large in size 40+ lbs, and can reach a long life span of over 40 years. What this tells us is, the longer the period of time spent swimming around in the ocean, the higher the level of toxins will accumulate in the fish. The type of tuna we fish for are small ‘school’ tuna called ‘Albacore’ Tuna. The Albacore generally swim & feed in colder deep Pacific waters, and range in size from 10-15lbs. Mercury tests results, which we have had on the Pacific Albacore we catch, have resulted in minimal to non-detectable percentage.
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Do you test the mercury levels of your salmon and albacore?Yes, we do conduct mercury tests for both our salmon and albacore on a regular basis. These test results are available to you upon request. Last test results were non-detectable!
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Where is Dave’s Gourmet Seafood Caught?Our wild salmon, King and Sockeye, are troll caught in the cold waters of Alaska. Since all our salmon is wild, we catch our salmon wherever the season is most abundant at the time. Both our salmon and albacore are caught in their ocean habitat where their oil content is at its greatest. This high oil content enhances the flavor and nutritional content of the fish. Similar to the salmon species, the area where tuna is caught in its migration pattern dictates the oil content of the flesh. Our Albacore Tuna is also caught in the Pacific Northwest Region where the tuna flesh has its highest oil content. This is unlike many competitors’ tuna products, which are frequently caught in the South Pacific region where the oil content is unfavorably low.
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What methods do you use for harvesting your fish?Dave’s Gourmet Seafood employs the most ecologically responsible methods available to harvest our seafood. The process of harvesting both our albacore and salmon are among the most primitive and discretionary methods when it comes to selecting the best. We use a specialized ‘Hook & Line’ technique rather than the traditional, non-discretionary, dolphin-harming long lining and netting practices. We then flash freeze our tuna at sea allowing us to reduce the number of times necessary to cook the fish for processing. In terms of our salmon harvest, we freeze all of our salmon at sea unless it is coming in locally. This method facilitates the highest preservation of the natural oils, nutritional content and flavor of the fish.
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What are the main differences between ‘farmed’ and wild salmon?Farmed salmon, also called ‘Atlantic’ salmon, is the industrial mass production of salmon. This mass production is enabled by the artificial environment in which these salmon live. The environment of a salmon dictates the health and nutritional content of the fish. Even changes in the water temperature affect the natural oil content of the fish. Farmed salmon are raised in confined net pens near the ocean’s coast. These pens hold an enormous amount of salmon, which breed numerous problems. Without the circulation of water through these pens, the salmon excrete builds up in the water causing disease and sea lice out breaks. Sea lice leech onto the scales of salmon and feed on their flesh. Antibiotic are injected into salmon or mixed in with their ‘fish meal’ to combat disease from excrete and sea lice. Farmed salmon are fed ‘fish meal’ within their aquaculture. ‘Fish meal’ consists all or a variety of the following: sardines, herring, krill, corn, fish oil and coloring die. Since farmed salmon are naturally low in omega-3 oils due to migration and water temperature, fish oil has to be added to the ‘fish meal’. Wild salmon get their natural red flesh color from their diet, which consists mostly of crustaceans, sea snails, bloodworms and shrimp. Since farmed salmon get fed ‘fish meal’ rather than their natural diet, they don’t have naturally red flesh. In order for salmon to be a marketable product, salmon farmers add a coloring die to get its flesh to appear red. Salmon farmers can choose from a variety of 17 different shades of pink and red for their desired flesh color. If these dies were not used in farmed salmon their natural flesh color is a pale gray. These are just some of the highlighted reasons why to choose wild salmon over farmed. For more information go to FarmedAndDangerous.org
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Does farmed salmon taste different than wild salmon?Even though farmed salmon may appear to look the same as wild salmon there is no comparison when it comes to flavor. Many restaurants use farmed salmon in their entrees because it is cheaper, however many chefs are now switching to wild because the flavor is much richer and the flesh is nice and firm. Many people who have tried farmed salmon describe it as “mushy”, “flabby” and “flavorless”.
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How do I add a new question & answer?To add a new FAQ follow these steps: 1. Manage FAQs from your site dashboard or in the Editor 2. Add a new question & answer 3. Assign your FAQ to a category 4. Save and publish. You can always come back and edit your FAQs.
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What is the difference between your canned tuna and Chicken of the Sea, Bumble Bee, and other commercial brands?It is not difficult to compare Dave’s Gourmet Seafood with other commercial brands. Firstly, the methods used in catching Dave’s canned albacore impose no threat to surrounding wildlife. We never use long-lining or netting techniques to catch our albacore. You can read about our fishing methods in the above questions. The fishing method we use (hook & line caught) is what defines our canned tuna as ‘dolphin safe’. On the contrary, today commercial brands hide behind the phrase “Dolphin Safe”, as there are no strict regulations on what defines a dolphin safe product. The rich delicious flavor of our canned albacore is definitely the deciding factor when choosing between our products and other commercially sold tuna. Our uniquely old-fashioned canning methods assure our canned tuna to be a cut above the rest! Commercially sold canned tuna is usually machine-packed. In these machine-packed canneries the albacore is baked before it goes into the can, so the machine can pack the dry flesh easily—which causes most of the natural fish juices and omega-3 oils to be lost. This is the reason behind the commonly seen “Tuna in Water”—the water is used to compensate for lost fish juices. Other Commercially sold brands just can’t compete when it comes to the care demonstrated by our caning methods. The canning process starts by filleting albacore into choice ‘center cut’ loins. Then the albacore fillets are hand-packed into each can and individually weighed. The lids are then are steam sealed onto each can, and all the sealed cans go into a pressure cooker. This means that the fish is cooked while it is inside the can. This cooking method allows all of the natural fish juices and omega-3 oils to be retained—leaving an incredibly nutritious and moist fillet of fish.
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Can I insert an image, video, or GIF in my FAQ?Yes. To add media follow these steps: 1. Manage FAQs from your site dashboard or in the Editor 2. Create a new FAQ or edit an existing one 3. From the answer text box click on the video, image or GIF icon 4. Add media from your library and save.
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Do you have items that contain no salt?Yes, we have a "no salt" option.
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How do I edit or remove the 'Frequently Asked Questions' title?You can edit the title from the FAQ 'Settings' tab in the Editor. To remove the title from your mobile app go to the 'Site & App' tab in your Owner's app and customize.
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How many cans in a case?There are 24 cans in a case.
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What are the crunchy glass-like crystals in the canned salmon?On rare occasions, small crystals- called Struvite Crystals have all the appearances of pieces of broken glass which be found in canned salmon. These crystals are colorless, transparent and tasteless. They vary in size, sometimes being so small as to impart only a slight grittiness to the salmon and at other times being 1/2 inch in length. These crystals have been identified as magnesium ammonium phosphate, which is the natural occurring mineral, Struvite. Although these crystals resemble pieces of broken glass, and are often mistaken for glass, they are harmless even if swallowed.
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How should I store the left over canned fish?The best way to store your leftovers is to put them in a separate container, such as, Tupperware, plastic wrap, or zip-lock bags and store in the refrigerator.
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How long can I store left over canned salmon and albacore?When stored properly, our canned albacore and salmon can be stored 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
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How is the fresh seafood packed for shipping?All of our seafood is vacuum-sealed. All our fresh and fresh-frozen seafood is packed in Styrofoam boxes with ice blocks. Please see our shipping section for further details.
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I have an old can of your fish, how do I know it is still ok to eat? Is there an expiration date?Our quality canning methods greatly prolong the shelf life of our canned fish. Both the canned albacore tuna and wild king salmon have shelf lives of approximately 8-10 years! In fact, the longer you are able to store your cans before eating them the better! By letting the cans slightly age, the natural juices and oils can settle into the fish, which increases its soft flaky texture. The shellfish we carry have a shelf life of 2-3 years. There is no apparent expiration date on each can; the expiration date is found within the cannery code. If you would like to know the age of a certain can, contact us by phone or email and we will decode it for you.
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How long will the vacuum packed seafood last once I receive it?Our seafood is vacuum packed directly after it is filleted. If you receive a product frozen it can be stored in your freezer for 4-6 months. Our fresh seafood can last in your refrigerator for up to 10 days. Our smoked salmon and albacore can be stored in your refrigerator for up to 8 weeks unopened—once it is opened it will last 1½ – 2 weeks in a sealed container.
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What is the shelf life of canned fish?Pressure cooked preserved cans of Dave’s Albacore & Salmon are shelf stable for 10 years.
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How long will the vacuum packed seafood last once I receive it?Our seafood is vacuum packed directly after it is filleted. If you receive a product frozen it can be stored in your freezer for 4-6 months. Our fresh seafood can last in your refrigerator for up to 10 days. Our smoked salmon and albacore can be stored in your refrigerator for up to 8 weeks unopened—once it is opened it will last 1½ – 2 weeks in a sealed container.
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What is Dave’s return policy?We only except returns if you were sent the wrong product, otherwise ALL Sales are final.
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