Sustainability Performance

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 Mission

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

Our Goal

We source seafood from around the world. No matter where we source, our requirements are the same: suppliers must strive to catch or farm seafood responsibly, protect against overfishing and limit impacts on the natural environment. They are also expected to treat their employees well - in accordance with human rights and human dignity – and uphold high worker safety and social standards.

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.

Wild-Caught Seafood

Sustainable wild-caught seafood is legally caught, secure from poaching and protected from overfishing. We require our suppliers to demonstrate that they minimize damage to fish habitats and use effective strategies to avoid bycatch. We source wild-caught products that are:

  • MSC certified or from suppliers undergoing full MSC assessment; 
  • 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;
  • From credible and publicly documented Fishery Improvement Projects that are demonstrating true progress; 
  • OceanWiseTM recommended or rated Best Choice of Good Alternative by Seafood WatchTM.

Farm Raised Seafood

Experts increasingly agree that responsible, sustainable aquaculture is essential to meet the world’s growing demand for seafood. In addition to disclosing the sources of our farmed seafood through the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership’s Ocean Disclosure Project, we source farmed products that are:

  • Recognized by the GSSI benchmark;
  • Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) certified or from suppliers undergoing full ASC assessment; 
  • Global Aquaculture Alliance Best Aquaculture Practices (1- 4 stars) certified;
  • From credible, publicly documented Aquaculture Improvement Project (AIP); 
  • OceanWiseTM recommended or rated Best Choice or Good Alternative by Seafood WatchTM. 

Additional Information

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