We want everyone to enjoy a variety of sustainable seafood for years to come. That’s why we’ve forged alliances with Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) and Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative (GSSI). SFP evaluates the fish stock and fisheries’ impact on the broader environment. GSSI verifies credibility in seafood certifications. Working with these two organizations helps our sustainability program play a bigger part in the solution.
Sustainable Fisheries Partnership
Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) is a marine conservation nonprofit dedicated to helping the seafood supply chain function in as environmentally friendly a fashion as possible. Our participation with SFP gives us the opportunity to better understand important issues about seafood sustainability, including where to engage our sustainability efforts and how to help fisheries gain resources they need.
As part of its evaluation of sustainability, SFP assesses the management and health of wild fishery stocks and makes the information publicly available on FishSource.org* to provide retailers with information on fisheries’ sustainability status. They also actively work with fisheries to set up and implement fishery improvement projects.
*By clicking this link, you will leave csr.publix.com and enter the FishSource site operated by Sustainable Fisheries Partnership.
The Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative
The Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative (GSSI) aligns global efforts and resources to address seafood sustainability challenges as a public-private partnership with over 90 stakeholders throughout the seafood industry. We partner with GSSI to ensure that current and future sustainability claims meet a rigorous set of standards, so everyone can feel confident about their seafood purchases.
Ocean Disclosure Project
Publix became the first US supermarket retailer to participate in the Ocean Disclosure Project (ODP). The ODP is an excellent resource to help you make informed decisions about your seafood. You can find fishery locations, sustainability ratings, environmental impacts, and the types of fishing gear used in the process. Learn more about the Ocean Disclosure Project.*
*By clicking this link, you will leave csr.publix.com and enter the Ocean Disclosure Project site that is operated and controlled by SFP.
Reducing bycatch.
Learn why Publix prioritizes reducing bycatch of endangered species.
Fishing for improvement.
Our participation with SFP gives us the opportunity to better understand important issues about seafood sustainability. We learn where to engage our sustainability efforts, how fisheries manage their stock, and about the health of a fishery. This partnership also empowers us to invest in fisheries to help them gain the resources they need to improve their sustainability practices, a process known as a fishery improvement project (FIP). Since 2011, we’ve donated over $700,000 to SFP.
By engaging our supply chain with nongovernmental organizations in fishery improvement projects, we’ve been able to bring the best our oceans have to offer to our stores and our shoppers, while ensuring this natural resource is protected for future generations.
- Grouper, snapper, and swordfish in Indonesia: We strive to improve the availability of accurate data on catches and bycatch from both artisan fisheries and larger vessels.
- Grouper and snapper in the Gulf of Mexico: We support efforts to improve stock assessments, obtaining better bycatch and discard data.
- Pink shrimp in the Gulf of Mexico: We participate in FIPs that aim to ensure fishermen correctly install bycatch reduction devices and turtle excluder devices to reduce the amount of bycatch caught in nets and allow turtles to escape the nets unharmed.
- South American mahi-mahi: We promote the development of evaluation tools to help estimate the status of the mahi-mahi population along the eastern Pacific Ocean. Additionally, we collaborated with SFP to purchase tracking tags to help research the sustainability of mahi-mahi in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
- Blue swimming crabs: We support improvements that protect and foster the healthy growth of crab stocks.
- Crab in Canada: We are experimenting with on-demand gear (previously known as ropeless traps) that will enable snow crab fishing without endangering the North Atlantic right whales as they migrate.
- On-demand gear: We worked with SFP to purchase on-demand gear to supply the NOAA trap library and help reduce the risk of entanglement of the North Atlantic right whale. This gear is made available free of charge to fishermen to test on their vessels with the goal of adopting the new technology.
- Electronic monitoring: We provided funding to equip three fishing boats within our supply chain with high-quality cameras and monitoring equipment. This technology is used to collect data on the effectiveness of bycatch mitigation practices already in place in the mahi-mahi, swordfish, and yellowfin tuna fisheries of Costa Rica and Panama. The equipment records when and where bycatch occurs, tracks migration patterns, and offers data on the species involved.
Our seafood sustainability icons.
We make it easy for you to find our sustainable seafood in both our fresh case and our private label seafood. Look for the responsibly or sustainably sourced icons when you purchase seafood in our stores to help us do good.
Responsibly sourced.
- Wild-caught: Fish stocks are considered healthy and managed by the SFP or are participating in a credible, graded fishery improvement project (FIP).
- Farm-raised: The farm level of the supply chain is certified by a third-party certification program that is recognized by the GSSI. It may also be certified at the hatchery, plant, and/or feed levels.
Sustainably sourced.
- Wild-caught: Fish stocks are certified by a third-party certification program that’s recognized by the GSSI or considered healthy and well-managed by the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership.
- Farm-raised: All four levels of the supply chain (farm, hatchery, plant, and feed) are certified by a third-party certification program that is recognized by the GSSI. Shellfish are certified at all three levels of the supply chain: farm, hatchery, and plant.
Additionally, you can find Sustainably Sourced products within our GreenWise line that meet the additional requirements below
- Wild-caught: Meets all the sustainably sourced criteria above. Additionally, contains no bisulfates, phosphates, nonphosphates, or other processing aids.
- Farm-raised: Meets all the sustainably sourced criteria above. Additionally, raised without antibiotics or hormones and contains no bisulfates, phosphates, nonphosphates, or other processing aids.
Wondering about the seafood that’s not marked either responsible or sustainably sourced? If it hasn’t been evaluated by the SFP or under a GSSI recognized ecolabel, all seafood must still meet our high Publix standards.
