Ocean Friendly Restaurant Spotlight: Flying Fish Co.

Flying Fish Company LLC is a sustainable fish market and Ocean Friendly Restaurant located in Portland, Oregon. In addition to offering delicious, sustainable seafood, Flying Fish Co. sources local ingredients whenever possible, keeps a hive of pollinating honey bees atop the building to pollinate their garden, and uses reusable cups for all drinks onsite. They made the switch from disposable bioplastic cups to reusable stainless steel cups a few years ago and have seen about $10,000 worth of savings per year! The Surfrider Portland Chapter sat down with owner Lyf Gildersleeve to hear more about their ocean-friendly practices. It was so good that we had to create an official case study.  

Flying Fish Co. Exterior. Photos provided by Flying Fish.

Tell us a little bit about Flying Fish Co.

We are a small family owned business that has been operating in Portland for 14 years. Lyf Gildersleeve is the owner and he’s a 2nd generation fish monger. His parents started Flying Fish Company in Sandpoint, Idaho in 1979. Lyf has significant experience in aquaculture and fisheries policy. His eco-conscious approach to food ingredients and environmental impact put him at the forefront of forward thinking entrepreneurs. Sustainable fishmonger LLC 501(c)(3) is the non-profit arm of Flying fish company that focuses on hands on food education classes, events and beach clean ups partnering with other nonprofits like Surfrider Foundation.

Owner, Lyf Gildersleever. Photos provided by Flying Fish.

What inspired you to follow sustainable practices and to become an Ocean Friendly Restaurant?

I have a deep passion for caring for the earth because I feel that humans have such a significant impact on our planet.  I want my kids and future generations to be able to enjoy the incredible blessings that this planet offers us.

Seafood offerings. Photos provided by Flying Fish.

Do you find that customers are receptive to your mission and eco-friendly practices?

Portland has an amazing population of folks who care deeply about our environment. When I moved to Portland in late 2010 it was incredible the positive response I received from customers who wanted to source their food from sustainable channels. There has been overwhelming support for the last 14 years. Customers love the message of sustainability.

The stainless steel cups offered onsite. They even have Surfrider's OFR logo. Photos provided by Flying Fish. 

Tell us a little bit about your switch from disposable bioplastic cups to reusable cups.

 We were using the bioplastic cups during the pandemic, but the expense got immense! We were spending thousands of dollars per order for cases and cases of bioplastic cups. We switched to stainless steel cups with our logo printed on them which held the beer colder for longer vs plastic, plus less environmental impact of garbage, and you can wash and reuse them.

Flying Fish saves $10,000 and 50,000 disposable cups from entering the waste stream every year by switching to reusable cups!

Do you have any advice for restaurants looking to make more sustainable choices?

First of all, the quality of your food or offering needs to be exceptional. It doesn’t matter if you are sustainable if your food sucks. They won’t come back just because it’s sustainable.

Food offerings. Photos provided by Flying Fish.

Anything upcoming you'd like to plug?

You can join one of Sustainable Fishmonger's field trips or special events at sustainablefishmonger.org

Seafood offerings. Photos provided by Flying Fish.

Is your local restaurant Ocean Friendly? If not, encourage them to sign up and join the movement to end single-use plastics!

Want to help Surfrider stop plastic pollution at the source? Consider donating today!