Alaskan Cod Crunchies begin a national roll out this week with a debut at Costco’s two stores in Anchorage. The dog treats are one of the newest products stemming from Alaskan Leader Seafood’s commitment to complete “head to tail” usage of their catches.

Cod Crunchies. Lane Welch photo.“It’s pure, 100 percent human grade trimmings coming right off the cod fillets,” said Keith Singleton, president of the company’s value added division.

Keith Singleton, president of the company’s value added division. 

Alaskan Leader’s four freezer/longline vessels are owned in partnership with the Bristol Bay Economic Development Corporation (BBEDC) and fish primarily for cod in the Bering Sea. Besides the frozen at sea fillets, Alaskan Leader also has developed markets for (and thereby monetized) all of the cod heads, livers and skins. 

The Crunchies, which have been under development for about a year, are dried and shaped into crispy, domino sized wafers. Taste tests with numerous dogs proved the product was a winner.

“Boy, they get going on that crunch and it’s like that potato chip commercial that says ‘you can’t just eat one.’ They keep coming back for more,” Singleton said. 

Dillingham dogs agreed, according to Robin Samuelson, president of Ocean Beauty Seafoods and chairman of BBEDC.

“When I came home to Dillingham I had two sacks with me and there was a 12-week old black lab. I opened them up and said let’s put it to the test, and that little dog loved the cod treats,” Samuelson said with a laugh.

“What’s most exciting is Costco chose Alaska to debut the product. We feel really blessed about that,” Singleton added.

The buzz surrounding the new Cod Crunchies is exciting, echoed Samuelson, but to him, the bigger story is the full use of the fish that comes over the rails. 

“It’s a new product that we think will do good throughout the U.S.,” he said. “And it’s the full utilization of the species and we’re just tickled pink.”