FAQ

FAQ

What is Sustainability?

Sustainable Development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. – (United Nations Brundtland Commission, 1987). This includes taking steps to ensure responsible management of target fish species and the ecosystem in which they live. Sustainability also means that when decisions are taken to allow fishing and aquaculture activities, they will factor social and economic considerations as well as environmental effects.

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Why is High Liner committed to 100% sustainability?

High Liner is the leading seafood company in North America.  As an industry leader, it is incumbent on a company to be proactive and lead positive change in the industry. We are investing not only for the long-term future of our company, but that of future generations. As one of High Liner’s key corporate strategic goals, sustainability is embraced from the top down with commitment and involvement in every area of our business.

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What is sustainable “wild caught” seafood?

The vast majority of High Liner’s seafood is caught in the wild.  To meet our sustainability standards, we require that the product must be legally caught and come from a fishery that is secure from poaching and protected from overfishing.  Further, the fishing practices need to minimize damage to the habitat and non-target species.

High Liner has partnered with the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), which is the world’s leading certification and eco-labeling program for sustainable wild caught seafood.  We want to ensure we are meeting their seafood traceability standards and are encouraging eco-certification of our source fisheries.

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What is sustainable aquaculture (seafood farming)?

Aquaculture is seafood raised in a controlled environment.  At High Liner we maintain that sustainable fish farming must address a number of key factors including: habitat conservation, antibiotic or chemical use, biodiversity, escapement of exotic species, and feed management systems.

High Liner was a founding member of the Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA), a group of industry experts whose mission is to establish best aquaculture (farmed seafood) practices.

The GAA has established Best Aquaculture Practices to certify aquaculture facilities for shrimp, salmon, tilapia, channel catfish and Pangasius.  These standards address environmental and social responsibility, animal welfare, food safety and traceability based on quantitative guidelines.

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How will High Liner know its seafood is sustainable?

High Liner will only consider a product sustainable if it meets these criteria:

  1. Wild caught seafood that is certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and is fully traceable back to the source fishery to ensure it is not from IUU (illegal, unreported or unregulated) sources.
  2. Aquaculture seafood that meets the Global Aquaculture Alliance’s (GAA) Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP).  At a minimum, this seafood must meet the 1-star level of certification by the Alliance, with preference given to seafood that meets the 2-star level of certification, or
  3. Farm-raised seafood that is certified by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC)

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What is the criteria used by High Liner for its Responsibly Sourced eco-label?

The Responsibly Sourced ecolabel will only be featured on:

  1. Wild caught seafood that is certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and is fully traceable back to the source fishery to ensure it is not from IUU (illegal, unreported or unregulated) sources.
  2. Aquaculture seafood that meets the Global Aquaculture Alliance’s (GAA) Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP).  At a minimum, this seafood must meet the 1-star level of certification by the Alliance, with preference given to seafood that meets the 2-star level of certification, or
  3. Farm-raised seafood that is certified by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC)

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What about wild fisheries and aquaculture operations that aren’t certified?

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, such as the Sustainable Fisheries Partnerships’ Fisheries Improvement Projects.

We work with our suppliers to ensure that they are moving toward certification. We understand that some fisheries and farming operations may take longer and require incremental improvements before becoming a candidate for certification. We support these efforts through improvement projects as long as there is a clear path toward sustainability.

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Does the transition to sustainable practices mean an increase in prices?

Sustainability and fishery/aquaculture improvements do not necessarily come with added cost.

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Where does High Liner get its seafood from?

73% of the fish and shellfish used in High Liner products are caught wild in the world’s oceans and seas. 27% of the fish and shellfish come from specially chosen fish and shellfish farms.

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What is High Liner’s position on bottom trawling and benthic impact?

Trawl methods can have a significant impact on benthic environments on the ocean floor if conducted in areas that may harbor deep sea coral beds, sea grass or other types of sea life that are conducive to protecting juveniles of many marine species. Good science today allows for use of sophisticated sonar and imagery devices that identify areas of critical concern for marine species. It is these areas that are identified by scientists and ocean explorers that allow countries and local governments to take action by protecting these areas from specific methods of fishing that would be deemed to be destructive or damaging to these habitats. Many parts of the world (US, EU, Norway, Iceland to name a few) have already created “no-trawl” zones in areas of known critical habitat of cold water corals. Other actions such as creation of marine sanctuaries for protection of known marine nurseries and seasonal feeding grounds are having positive impacts around the globe on restoration of many fisheries.

Responsible bottom trawling can still occur, but should be limited to areas known to have sandy or sand/ gravel bottoms that are not typically home to marine life and plants noted above. Studies have shown that these areas which are relatively shallow easily return to original condition days after a trawl net has passed with no lasting effect on the ocean floor or marine species.

It is important to understand that trawl nets and methods vary greatly in size and design, dependent upon the area fished, the size of the towing vessel, the depth of fishing and the habits of the targeted species. Trawls are most often used on demersal fisheries (bottom or near-bottom living species on the continental shelf like cod, haddock, flatfish and shrimp. The most common form of trawling is bottom (also known as benthic) trawling, whereby the net is dragged along the sea floor. There are several variations of this. One is beam trawling and the other is otter trawling.

Beam trawling involves the mouth of the net being held open by a solid metal beam which
slides over the seabed on rollers or skids at each end. It is more commonly used in inshore waters by small, vessels fishing for flatfish or shrimp.

Otter trawling derives its name from the ‘trawl doors’(or ‘otters’) which keep the mouth of the net open as it is pulled along the seabed. Both methods have been used for over a century. It is important to note that High Liner Foods has contributed significant funding to universities in the Maritimes that have conducted research on both, impact of demersal fishing methods, and development of new fishing technologies that minimize or totally avoid benthic impact. These efforts will continue as part of our ongoing sustainability programs.

Benthic impact of fish farming:

High Liner Foods Inc is well aware of issues associated with environmental and benthic impact of fish farming. Fish farming has occurred for thousands of years but never to the levels seen in the past twenty years. Many lessons have been learned by industry and scientists due to rapid growth of this industry. These lessons have led to countless hours of scientific research and responsible action by industry to preclude negative effects on the environment, economic, ethical and social status of the fish farming communities around the globe. With limited availability of wild capture fisheries, responsibly managed fish farms become the most viable means of meeting a growing world population demand for healthy food protein.

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