FISH SCRAP FERTILIZER
Why Fish? Connecting Land and Sea
The sea is rich in essential nutrients that fuel the soil microbiome, creating a healthy ecosystem for plants. Historically, fish migrations and marine foods brought these nutrients to land, but modern developments like damming rivers and coastal settlements have disrupted this cycle.
Our fish-based garden booster restores these critical sea minerals back into the soil, supporting biodiversity and soil health. Fish fertilizer is an ancient practice, used by indigenous peoples for centuries, and we aim to honor these techniques on Chumash land.
Our Journey into Soil Health
Jesse Smith of White Buffalo Land Trust taught us to ferment fish scrapswith molasses and lactobacillus. The output is fish "hydrolysate," anutrient-rich liquid fertilizer that sparked our interest in living soiland ocean-derived nutrients. One year later, we partnered withLotusland, Santa Barbara's premier botanic garden, and received grantfunding from Eric and Wendy Schmidt. This funding allowed us to deepenour knowledge of fertilizer application, performance and environmentalbenefits, and allowed Lotusland to carefully replace their importedfertilizer product with our local, "home-grown" alternative.
Riding this success, additional funding from the Schmidts helped GetHooked expand our product line to include waste streams from wool, craband urchin and begin farm trials of our products. Thanks to thissupport, Victoria and Kim joined forces with Jenya Schneider of CuyamaLamb to launch a dedicated fertilizer company named Marino Soil Foods in2025. Farm trials and new product development are ongoing. Get in touchif you have ideas for farms, nurseries, gardens or experts we canconnect with!
What is Living Soil and Why Does It Matter?
Living soil is rich in organic matter and microorganisms that cycle nutrients, critical to organic and regenerative agriculture. Industrial agriculture has depleted our soils through the use of conventional fertilizers, tilling, and pesticides, leading to long-term environmental damage. Healthy soils are essential for reducing chemical reliance and promoting resilient farming systems.
The Process
We create our fish fertilizer by fermenting ground fish with molasses and lactobacillus, a beneficial bacteria. The mixture ferments for 8 weeks, then is strained to create a micronutrient-rich solution ideal for foliar spray or soil drench. About 90% of the fish is digested in this process, providing vital nutrients for your garden.
Our Products
Sustainably harvested, locally processed California wild fish byproducts and molasses, our natural fermentation process provides your plants and soil with sea minerals.
Gradually releases nitrogen for up to six months. Save Water. Absorbs water to keep soils hydrated longer.
