Sea of Green

How Seaview Crab Company is committed to being ocean-friendly certified.

It’s refreshing to know that there’s a small business in our midst that cares not only for our community, but also our earth and ocean. That’s been the mission of Seaview Crab Company for the last decade and the passion of co-owners Sam and Joe Romano (brothers) and Nathan King.

“They’ve always had a passion for the ocean and they really wanted to share that with Wilmington, all the locals and everybody that visits,” says Taylor Layden, executive of marketing and merchandise at Seaview. “And they’re very passionate about sustainability and keeping the ocean as something that can be used for years to come and really giving back to that.”

Seaview, which started as a roadside stand manned by fishmongers, has now grown to seven market locations, with the headquarters based on Marstellar Street in Wilmington. It also houses a newly opened takeout kitchen that’s in the process of becoming ocean-friendly certified through the Plastic Ocean Project program.

“We use ecofriendly materials and only takeout containers that can be composted,” Layden says. “We also don’t use straws, only give out plastic silverware if someone asks for it, and have recycling bins in place instead of creating more waste.”

Seaview takes it a step further when it comes to eliminating waste. Excess seafood from the retail markets is incorporated into their kitchen menu. Fish skin and waste products are recycled into dog treats, fish scraps are repurposed into bait, and fish scales are sundried and repackaged as guitar picks.

“And we just rolled out reusable thermal-insulated bags,” Layden says, “so when people are traveling with their seafood. Instead of them asking for it to be packed up in multiple plastic bags, we’re actually encouraging them to purchase these reusable bags. If they do, we give them 5 percent off the purchase when they buy it and every purchase after that when they bring it back. People are loving it.”

Staff and owners have even put their eco-friendly commitment into action on the beach by adopting a stretch of beach on Access Point 100 near the Kure Beach Pier for the month of July.

“They all took a couple hours out of their morning and collected about 10 bags of trash, which was really awesome,” Layden says. “It’s definitely something we’re going to continue to do moving forward throughout the summer in different areas along the coast of Wilmington and the river.”

On a visit to Seaview, you can expect to find a bounty of both locally sourced and international fresh seafood. Fishery and fishermen sources change with the seasons, weather, regulations and customer demand. They also have customized seafood packages; tackle, gear and merchandise; and loads of seafood spices. Layden also says that during the pandemic, you can expect that Seaview staff members are taking every safety measure for their clientele by wearing masks at all brick and mortar locations and offering curbside service for those who don’t feel comfortable shopping indoors.

“If they give us a call ahead of time, we can get everything together, they can pay over the phone and then we can actually bring their order right out,” Layden says.

Want to go?

Seaview Crab Company headquarters (takeout kitchen and deli, retail and wholesale) is located at 1515 Marstellar Street in Wilmington. For more information on additional market locations, hours and contact info, visit seaviewcrabcompany.com.