Barkers’ Change Makers are those like-minded individuals who won’t accept the status quo, who ask more questions, who look beyond the norm towards fresh, unearthed ways of seeing and doing things – and that we can all learn from. Enter Dallas Abel: Project Manager of The Kai Ika Project, a non-profit initiative that recovers previously unwanted fish parts and sees that they’re redistributed to local communities.
Witnessing first-hand the results of mismanaged fisheries during his time as a Fisheries Observer with the Ministry for Primary Industries, and along with his background in Marine Science, Dallas was motivated to pursue a career in fisheries advocacy and public awareness with LegaSea. Passionately sharing his knowledge in order to educate people on how they can play their part to restore the abundance of our marine environment - he heads up The Kai Ika Project. Here is where he’s able to be the positive influence needed to help people better respect and utilise the fish we take from our much-loved ocean.
Through the collective effort of The Kai Ika Project – we can be encouraged to rethink the way we look at food, our relationship with the environment, and highlight the importance of communities in making change.
In your own words, how would you describe what The Kai Ika Project is?
The Kai Ika Project is a once in a lifetime opportunity to lead by example. For generations we have exploited the marine environment. There is increasing pressure on the marine environment and in the same breath we have a cost of living crisis in this country. So it’s time to lift our game and do the right thing. If we use every part of the fish then we won't need to take as many fish from the ocean. Conservation begins with maximum utilisation. We are attempting to develop alternative ways to share and utilise this kaimoana [seafood] that was previously being dumped. For so many, it is a real delicacy. We are hoping to shift societies attitudes, expectations and behaviours. A win, win, win - fresh behaviours, attitudes and expectations. All of our effort is driven by a sense of rangatiratanga, an aspiration to lead by example based on inherited knowledge.
Can you tell us about how The Kai Ika Project was started?
The Kai Ika Project became a reality in 2016. The Outboard Boating Club of Auckland (OBC) had a fish ‘waste’ problem. The OBC has a fish filleting station for their members to use. After a long day out on the water, fishers would return to the marina, wash down their boats, fillet their fish and head home. Without their offcuts; heads, frames or offal. This all went into a skip bin. The OBC even paid for this to be removed and sent to landfill.
Knowing this wasn’t right, they approached LegaSea and explained “We know we can do better but we’re unsure what this means. Do you have any suggestions?” At the same time, Scott Macindoe, the founder of LegaSea came across a NZ Herald article about the Papatuanuku Kokiri Marae in Mangere. This marae grows 80,000 kumara a year and shares them with their community. Scott introduced himself to the Marae Trustees and asked “How would you like 80,000 fish heads to go with your 80,000 kumara?
Initially both the OBC and the Marae were skeptical. The OBC members couldn't believe that people wanted the heads and frames to feed their family and the Marae couldn't believe that there were people in the community who didn't eat them. After time together, The Kai Ika Project was born with at first collecting a modest 17kg of fish heads and frames. These days we’re averaging over 2,000kg a week and 100,000kg a year.
And how did you personally find yourself involved?
My background is in marine science and management with an emphasis on communications and education. Growing up, I had the naive ambition to ‘save the ocean’ not knowing what that really meant. Naturally, I was drawn to working for the government thinking this would be the most effective way to protect and restore our oceans. How wrong I was. After several years employed as a Government Fisheries Observer, and seeing some pretty disturbing things. The major thing that stuck out for me was the amount of waste produced onboard commercial fishing boats and the underutilisation of this resource. I realised I could do so much more as part of a Not For Profit Organisation. I'm now part of the LegaSea Crew and as the Project Coordinator of The Kai Ika Project. We advocate for maximum utilisation and I feel I am now using my knowledge and experience in a productive way.
What are the main values/principles of The Kai Ika Project, and how do they align with your values/principles?
Utilisation IS Conservation.
Throughout my studies and career I was educated on the many complex fisheries management systems used to restore and conserve fish stocks. Unfortunately, there was never any emphasis on utilising a whole fish. The most basic fisheries management principle: How do you have more fish in the water? You kill less fish. How do you kill less fish? You utilise more of the fish you do harvest. Pretty simple! If one fish can feed more families, that means we won’t need to remove as many fish from the water. Doing more with less is conserving fish populations. Also being a proud Fijian, I know how delicious the fish heads and wings are. Nothing is ever wasted.
Waste not, want not.
The Pink Floyd song, Another Brick In The Wall, sums it up nicely - If you don't eat yer meat, you can't have any pudding. How can you have any pudding if you don't eat yer meat? For so many of us we grew up in households where mum and dad told us to eat everything on our plates. “Waste not, want not” was a phrase we heard a lot growing up. In fact, our latest fundraising programme is called ‘Cans for Kai’. Now, charter boats and recreational fishers can drop off soda cans at our stations while we fillet their fish. In partnership with Pheonix Metalman we recycle the cans to fund the project - waste not, want not.
What does Kai Ika’s motto “He kai te rongoa, he rongoa te kai/Food is medicine and medicine is food” mean to you?
In today’s modern world, unhealthy food is so accessible. With a McDonalds or KFC on every corner block, eating unhealthy food is all too easy. On top of that, it’s usually cheap which means families struggling with the cost of living end up relying on this type of food. Personally I know my body responds best to certain foods, particularly kaimoana. My polynesian ancestors have relied on the sea providing sustenance for hundreds of years, therefore my body has adapted and now I thrive on seafood. Through the Kai Ika Project, we are sharing high quality protein with particularly vulnerable communities. We’re providing healthy food to families who also appreciate different parts of a fish considering them a delicacy. In short, high quality protein and vegetables rich in nutrients and vitamins will keep us healthy and strong and prevent illness, particularly obesity and diabetes - Food is medicine and medicine is food.
Can you tell us a little bit about the Kai Ika filleting station down at Westhaven Z Pier and how that came to be?
Demand for The Kai Ika Project has risen every year and we’ve always struggled to source enough kaimoana for our community. This was coupled with the fact that as demand grew, so did our running costs. To overcome these obstacles, we now have fish filleting stations and can fillet peoples fish at Westhaven and OBC for a small fee. This was a win, win, win with:
- After a long day on the water you don't have the hassle of cleaning your fish.
- We got our hands on every single fish head and frame that came through that marina.
- And it’s a fundraiser to help cover distribution costs.
To date, what are some of your biggest highlights in terms of The Kai Ika Project?
Where do I begin? The appreciation every day from our community sharing kai with appreciative whanau. The collaborations. The companies and individuals who have come forward and said, “I love this kaupapa [project], how can I help?”. Organisations like Barkers who now sell a LegaSea range in their shops as a fundraising initiative. Royal Wolf who rents us a food grade container for 12c a year. The relationships we have developed with commercial fishing companies like Sanfords and Moana. Of course, working with the inspirational Papatūānuku Kōkiri Marae and our awesome team we have who have turned filleting into an art form. Without everyone's investment none of this would have been possible. We have also had a few special visitors over the past few years. When Jacinda Ardern was prime minister she visited the Papatūānuku Kōkiri Marae to see our community distribution in action. Likewise did the Governor General, Dame Cindy Kiro.
And in turn, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve had to face since The Kai Ika Project was launched in 2016?
Our constant challenge is fundraising and keeping up with demand. The uncertainty of COVID saw us scale up rapidly. We went from sharing 250kg a week to over 2,000kg of fish offcuts every week. However it's never enough. The hardest thing is having to explain to people “We’re out of fish”. We use this as inspiration to continue growing and finding more fish for our community. Increased operations have resulted in increasing overheads, so we’re continuously in the pursuit of meaningful partnerships with organisations and individuals who share our vision.
Where do you see the Kai Ika Project in the future?
I think there is so much potential for the initiative to become a nationwide program. Something really exciting is the expansion of our initiative to regions beyond Auckland. We have now officially launched The Kai Ika Project - Wellington, off the back of a team of committed individuals collecting and sharing fish offcuts with the local Porirua community. The philosophy of the project aligns perfectly with the Free Fish Heads App which LegaSea runs alongside its founder Matt Watson. We intend to merge the two programs and feed more families while building stronger relationships in the community.
Do you have any advice for those wanting to get involved in non-profit work?
Be versatile! Working for a non-profit means you must wear multiple hats. Along with being The Kai Ika Project Lead, I also run the Corporate Partnership side of LegaSea whilst helping coordinate our public facing events. No two days are ever the same, and I love it.
Remember, every not for profit is under-resourced and overwhelmed. Don't create something new, collaborate and share resources, or start by simply offering to help. I encourage anyone to become involved in non-profit work. It is extremely rewarding.
Anything else you’d like to add?
A huge thank you to everyone who has collaborated over the years to make this possible. The start-up funding we received from Foundation North, Lion Foundation, Auckland City Council Waste Minimisation Team and the Ministry for the Environment. Without your investment and faith in us to provide a return on your investment we would not have been able to be so agile and scale so quickly.
Special thanks to the Barkers crew for your constant support. It's particularly motivational knowing we have the support of iconic brands like yours.
