Pattison-owned seafood firm commits to sustainability overhaul
Richmond-based Ocean Brands has committed to new sustainability and ethical standards for its canned wild sockeye salmon and tuna products.
Salmon for the Oceans and Gold Seal product lines will be sourced for Marine Stewardship Council approved fisheries effective this year, according to Aidan Hughes, president of Oceans Brand, a company owned by the Jim Pattison Group.
The company’s light and value-added tuna products will buy sourced from free-swimming or pole-and-line caught tuna by the end of 2017. Flavoured tuna products have been sourced from free-swimming fisheries since 2013.
The pledge does not cover Gold Seal tuna products.
“We will have to take it on the chin a little bit, because the higher costs won’t translate into a higher price on the shelves,” said Hughes. “It’s in all our interest to make sure that we look after the oceans, so we will deal with it.”
In 2012, Oceans became a founding member of the International Pole and Line Foundation, which aims to eliminate the use of purse seines and fish aggregating devices in wild tuna fisheries.
The company also announced a new code of conduct to ensure their suppliers adhere to principles of sustainability and fair labour practices, said Hughes. Supplier will be regularly audited by SAI Global, with the first round of inspections due to be completed this year.
Ocean Brands, including Gold Seal, represents about 30 per cent of the Canadian canned fish market.
http://vancouversun.com/business/local-business/pattison-owned-seafood-firm-commits-to-sustainability-overhaul