Seafood Sustainability Partnerships
BlueWater works with many partners, such as governmental bodies, non-governmental organizations, fishery stakeholders, suppliers, industry trade groups, and academia to inform our thinking and decisions based on the best science of the day. Some of our key partners include:
New England Aquarium (NEAq)
"The New England Aquarium is proud to have partnered with BlueWater since 2008 and to have celebrated a decade of partnership and progress in 2018. Their commitment to sourcing sustainable seafood and supporting positive change in the seafood industry is evidenced by their great progress in sourcing a majority of their products from fisheries and farms that are certified or engaged in improvement projects. In addition, BlueWater continues to support research, education, and other initiatives to further advance seafood sustainability. In 2019, we will continue to make real strides toward our shared vision of healthy oceans."
- Dr. John Mandelman, Vice President, Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life at the New England Aquarium
The New England Aquarium provides scientific guidance to inform BlueWater's sourcing decisions and serves as a liaison to scientific bodies, governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations, fishery stakeholders, and academia. In order to drive improvements on the water, the New England Aquarium has helped BlueWater support key external partnerships in addition to advancing sustainability in BlueWater's own operations and throughout the seafood supply chain.
Global Seafood Sustainability Initiative (GSSI)
The Global Seafood Sustainability Initiative (GSSI) is a nonprofit foundation established in 2012 with the goal of improving the credibility and clarity of seafood sustainability by developing a comprehensive eco-labeling benchmarking system for evaluating third-party certification programs. The objective is to drive improvement in the governance and metrics of seafood certifications, such as MSC, BAP, and ASC. BlueWater, alongside our sister company Gorton's, is a full GSSI partner and a stakeholder participant in this public and private sector alliance.
Click Other Partnerships to learn about BlueWater’s other seafood sustainability partnerships.
Other Sustainability Partnerships
Global Aquaculture Alliance
BlueWater, along with our sister company Gorton's, is a sustaining member of the Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA), a non-profit trade association founded in 1997 whose mission is to advance environmentally and socially responsible aquaculture practices. The GAA has established Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) standards and an eco-label program to certify aquaculture facilities for shrimp, salmon, tilapia, channel catfish, and pangasius (basa). These standards address environmental and social responsibility, animal welfare, food safety, and traceability based on quantitative guidelines. BlueWater sources the majority of our tilapia from BAP-certified facilities.
Marine Stewardship Council
The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is the world’s leading certification organization and eco-labeling program for wild-caught seafood. MSC-certified fisheries must meet stringent standards for sustainable fish stocks, minimized environmental impact, and effective management, including meeting all local, national, and international laws. In addition, the fishery must have a system in place to respond to changing circumstances to maintain sustainability. BlueWater sources the majority of our wild-caught seafood from MSC-certified fisheries.
National Fisheries Institute
BlueWater along with our sister company Gorton's, is an active corporate and executive board member of the National Fisheries Institute (NFI), the largest seafood non-profit organization in the United States dedicated to education about seafood safety, sustainability, and nutrition. NFI and its members are committed to sustainable management of our oceans and being stewards of our environment by endorsing the United Nations’ Principles for Responsible Fisheries.
Aquaculture Stewardship Council
The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) is a non-profit organization founded in 2010 whose mission is to transform aquaculture towards environmental sustainability and social responsibility by becoming the world's leading certification and eco-labeling program for responsibly-farmed seafood. ASC standards ensure local, national, and international laws are being followed, seek to minimize negative environmental impacts of farming on the local habitat and resources, ensure farmed fish are treated and managed in a responsible manner and protect the conditions of farm workers.
