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Locals Seafood’s Pamlico Pawté elevates mealtime for pets.
When you order a boneless fish filet from Locals Seafood, you’re typically only getting about 40 percent of the entire weight of the fish. The other 60 percent—including the bones, head and skin—has, usually, already been thrown away. The waste inspired Locals co-owner Ryan Speckman to apply for a grant from Wake County Environmental Services for projects that reduce waste in local landfills. His idea, seafood snacks for pets, stemmed from research he did five years ago; he began feeding his overweight chocolate lab, Sadie Grace, fish products in order to help alleviate her joint pain.
Upon receiving the $10,000 grant from Wake County and approval from the Department of Agriculture, Pamlico Pawté was born last November. “The whole premise behind it was to help figure out a solution to the waste problem in the seafood industry,” explains Speckman. “At the same time, it also gives pets a fairly inexpensive option to enjoy the same benefits of seafood as humans do.”
After the team at Locals fillets a fish, the remaining carcass is ground into a consistency similar to hamburger meat, then vacuum packed and cooked in a sous vide to 145 degrees. The treats are sold frozen, but come in a resealable bag that can be stored in the refrigerator after opening.
Pamlico Pawté is safe for both cats and dogs and typically consists of white fish, including snapper, speckled trout, flounder and mullet and provides essential nutrients including omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, vitamins and minerals. Speckman urges pet owners to slowly incorporate Pamlico Pawté into their pets’ regular diet, mixing it into the pet food they already enjoy on a daily basis. Though pets may be cautious about Pamlico Pawté at first, Speckman says they’ll get used to it—most of us are all too aware that dogs will eat anything. “A lot of people have been saying their dogs and cats love it,” Speckman says. Pamlico Pawté is available at Locals Seafood’s markets inside Transfer Co. Food Hall and the State Farmers Market. localsseafood.com/seafood-for-pets
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