Food Insight

Sustainably Sourced Seafood

Sustainability Is Not an Option. It’s the Answer.

As a leading North American, value-added, frozen seafood company, High Liner Foods feels a profound responsibility to our oceans and our planet. It is critical for our future that we manage our fisheries responsibly. We have all heard about the challenges facing the health of our oceans and the decline of some fish stocks. When it comes to seafood, sustainable fishing practices means the product you are buying has been caught in a manner that ensures the long-term viability of our environment and oceans.

The vast majority of High Liner Foods’ seafood is caught in the wild. Fishing sustainability for wild-caught seafood means it must be legally caught, secure from poaching and protected from overfishing. Furthermore, the fishing practices need to minimize damage to the habitat and non-target species.

The other source is farmed fish and seafood, also known as aquaculture. Farmed seafood is raised in a controlled environment. Aquaculture will play an increasingly important role in providing quality, sustainable products but it has to be done in a way that does not have a harmful impact on our environment. Sustainable seafood farming encapsulates a number of key objectives: it must include habitat conservation, be free of antibiotic or chemical use, promote biodiversity, allow for the escape of exotic species and include a responsible feed-management system.

Since making our sustainability commitment in late 2010, High Liner has developed a comprehensive database to identify the sustainability status of all of our seafood.

For more information:

  • See our fishing sustainability progress
  • Learn more about our efforts and performance to date
  • Get information on our food safety practices

Our Performance on Sustainable Fishing Practices

At High Liner Foods, we are not just working with suppliers who are already certified as sustainable, we are also taking a proactive role in improving fisheries and aquaculture programs around the world.

Our Work with the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP)

When we made our commitment to fishing sustainability, we began work in conjunction with the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) to survey all of our source fisheries and aquaculture operations to determine which were already sustainable, which could be improved and which should be avoided because they did not engage in responsible business practices. From there, we developed programs and strategies to take a proactive role in improving fisheries and aquaculture programs worldwide.

As the leading seafood company in North America, we have brought together the key stakeholders, from the suppliers to the retailers, so we can all work together to support SFP’s Fishery Improvement Projects. Through this work, more and more fisheries are being certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) as sustainable.

Our Criteria for Responsibly Sourced Seafood

Responsibly sourced seafood has been part of our sustainability commitment from the beginning. Our commitment is to source all of our seafood from sustainable or responsible sources of supply. “Responsibly sourced” helps define our product-specification requirements from sources that we have identified as being responsibly managed and on a clear, well-defined path toward achieving certification.

To meet our rigorous policies, any High Liner Foods product must meet the following criteria:

When it comes to wild-caught:

  • Is MSC certified or is undergoing full MSC assessment;
  • or, is certified to a scheme recognized by the Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative (GSSI) such as the Alaska Responsible
    Fisheries Management (RFM), Iceland Responsible Fisheries Management (IRFM), GAA’s Best Aquaculture Practices and
    GLOBALG.A.P. Aquaculture Certification System;
  • or, is in a credible and publicly documented fishery improvement project;
  • or, is OceanWise Recommended;
  • or, is Seafood Watch rated Best Choice or Good Alternative.

When it comes to aquaculture:

View more detail about our progress »

High Liner Foods’ belief in sustainable business practices stretches to those we collaborate with. Some of our partners include:

All information found at www.highlinerfoods.com/