Saving Seafood

North Atlantic, Inc. Subsidiary Bali Seafood International Opens First Fish Processing Center in Indonesia

March 6, 2018 — BALI, Indonesia — The following was released by North Atlantic Inc:

Bali Seafood International, a subsidiary of Maine-based North Atlantic, Inc., officially opened the first of four planned fish processing centers on the island of Sumbawa, Indonesia. This plant marks the first phase of a series of larger fishery community centers that will provide the surrounding area with education and finance programs as well as a gear and supply shop.

More than 400 guests from the local community, representatives of the government and more than 100 Bali Seafood International (BSI) staff, investors and advisors were on hand to participate in the festivities surrounding the official opening of the first export-quality fish processing plant.

“This represents a major milestone for not only our company but also for the region. Together we will bring prosperity to up to 1,000 fisher families and positively impact more than 6,000 citizens of Sumbawa” said Jerry Knecht, Chief Executive Officer of BSI, in his opening remarks.

BSI’s business model is based on driving sustainable fisheries management in its operating area. Beyond this first processing facility, the company will also establish an education center for the local community, provide micro finance programs for fishermen, and mandate other best practice programs to support the preservation of healthy fish stocks locally.

PT BSI has focused its investments and business model around connecting local small-boat fishermen to high-value western markets. By making this connection, the company can share profits with local communities and provide incentives to encourage more sustainable fishing behavior. The business model “is a win/win for the local community and Bali Seafood” echoed Sekda Rosiady Sayuti, Secretary General, Indonesia, in his remarks at the event.The Commissioning Day was held at the factory site and marks the beginning of operations that are targeting export production of over 100 tons per year. The local government hopes the company will increase its capacity in the future to further benefit the local community.

Learn more about Bali Seafood International by visiting their site here.

 

Walmart recognizes suppliers’ efforts at sustainability-focused meeting

February 7, 2018 — To help Walmart continue expanding its sustainable seafood supply, the largest global retailer recently met with several large United States seafood suppliers, along with sustainability certifiers and other groups.

The retailer, which operates more than 5,400 Walmart and Sam’s Club stores in the U.S., also recognized three suppliers at the 1 February “Sustainability Summit” at Walmart’s headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas.

Munhall, Pennsylvania-based The Fishin’ Company was recognized for partnering with Walmart to source its first four-star BAP certified tilapia, Mark Eastham, Walmart’s senior manager for sustainability, told SeafoodSource.

Meanwhile, Jacksonville, Florida-based wholesaler Beaver Street Fisheries was recognized for “its work with Walmart to support a more sustainable shrimp supply chain,” Eastham said.

Frozen seafood supplier North Atlantic Inc., based in Portland, Maine, was recognized for its engagement in Fishery Improvement Projects across the globe.

“They were also the first supplier to sign up for the Ocean Disclosure Project,” Eastham said. North Atlantic also operates Bali Seafood International, which is building a commercially sponsored fishery management model for small-boat fisheries in Indonesia.

Around 75 suppliers in total attended the sustainability summit, along with representatives of the Global Aquaculture Alliance’s Best Aquaculture Practices program, the Marine Stewardship Council, the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, the Aquaculture Stewardship Council, and the Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative.

“This forum provides us with the opportunity to reflect on what we have accomplished and what we can do to accelerate progress toward sustainability – so that we can enjoy not only a vibrant seafood industry but vibrant oceans,” Eastham said.

By 2025, Walmart will expand and enhance sustainable sourcing to cover 20 key commodities.

“This is an important issue for Walmart, as seafood is one of the commodities we have pledged to be a part of our long-term sustainability commitments,” Eastham said.

Walmart is working with sustainable seafood suppliers that share the retailer’s commitment to providing sustainable seafood to its customers, he said.

“Our goal is to build transparency and continuous improvement with the seafood supply chain, so that we can build confidence and provide for our customers now and in the future,” Eastham said.

At the meeting, Walmart executives highlighted the retailer’s progress in sourcing sustainable seafood to date and discussed the company’s future goals. Eastman said by 2025, “based on certain factors including price and demand,” Walmart U.S., Sam’s Club, and Walmart Canada will require all canned light and white tuna suppliers to source from fisheries that are either third-party certified or engaged in fishery improvement projects (FIPs). The company has also committed to carrying FAD-free and pole and line canned tuna in its U.S., Canadian, and ASDA-brand stores, Eastham said.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

North Atlantic, Inc. and Subsidiary Bali Seafood International Commit to United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

May 15, 2017 — The following was released by North Atlantic Seafood:

Today, North Atlantic, Inc. and its subsidiary Bali Seafood International announced their commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. These commitments mark the first by a U.S. seafood company to be published with the UN’s Voluntary Commitment Registry in advance of the upcoming UN Ocean Conference. 

Adopted in 2015, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a set of international development objectives aimed at poverty elimination, environmental stability, and global peace and prosperity. The 17 goals, each with specific targets–169 in total–are to be met over an ambitious 15-year timeline.

Recognizing the strong linkages between multiple SDGs and the companies’ work in Indonesian artisanal fishing communities, North Atlantic, Inc. (NAI) and Bali Seafood International (BSI) have solidified a time-bound commitment touching on three specific SDGs.

The Ocean Conference Voluntary Commitment Registry is geared toward SDG 14 in particular, which aims to “conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.” As such, the first three committed deliverables from NAI/BSI fall directly under the targets of this ocean-focused Goal.

With a target date set at 2020 to align with SDG 14 timelines, NAI/BSI will work to build and operationalize up to four integrated fishery centers to support the sustainable management and use of nearshore fisheries in Indonesia’s eastern archipelago, thereby providing a platform to trial and scale their private sector-led investment model for environmentally and socially responsible fisheries.

To support SDG 14’s strong emphasis on ensuring legal fishing around the globe, NAI and BSI are also committing to collecting data from every vessel in their supply chain by 2020 through either passive tracking units or e-log catch documentation. This information will be used to support real-time stock assessment, fishery controls, and community-based enforcement.

Beyond SDG 14, NAI and BSI will work towards targets under SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), particularly the ambition to halve global food waste by 2030. By establishing fishery centers with cold storage and processing directly in artisanal fishing communities, NAI/BSI aim to eliminate the estimated 40-60% waste in produce value inherent to the current system.

Finally, recognizing the collaboration required to achieve the SDGs, NAI/BSI is turning its eye to SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) and seeking to strengthen its partnerships on all of the above objectives going forward.

“The mission of the Sustainable Development Goals directly echoes that of North Atlantic and Bali Seafood. From supporting local community development to ensuring product traceability and legality, our business values are perfectly aligned with this effort,” said Gerald Knecht, President and Founder of NAI/BSI. “Achieving the SDGs will absolutely require cooperation across stakeholders and sectors, but we also recognize our individual responsibility as a company to align our strategies with the Goals. We’re proud to be amongst those leading the seafood industry to contribute to this common vision for the future.”

“We’re proud to work with a company so thoroughly committed to advancing the goals set by the United Nations,” said Bill Wall, Distributor Division Director at FishWise, a nonprofit sustainable seafood consultancy that has partnered with North Atlantic, Inc. to help them identify the SDGs they are most well-positioned to positively influence. “We look forward to collaborating further towards successful outcomes for all deliverables.”

About North Atlantic, Inc.

North Atlantic, Inc. (NAI) is an importer of wild-caught seafood serving both traditional and emerging food retail channels. Since 1986, NAI has guided top-tier retailers in ensuring supply chain visibility and responsible harvesting methods. PT Bali Seafood International, subsidiary of North Atlantic, Inc., is the parent company’s local processor and leads the development of their community-based fisheries management initiative. For more information, please contact NAI at 207-774-6025 or via email at info@northatlanticseafood.com.

About Bali Seafood International

Bali Seafood International (BSI), the Indonesian subsidiary of North Atlantic Inc., is an exporter of fully traceable, wild-caught seafood. BSI has pioneered an integrated fisheries management model focusing on three key areas: 1) building local community support in pursuit of sustainable resource harvesting, 2) driving positive social impact in the communities in which it works, and 3) providing hook-to-plate transparency for its consumers.

FishWise announces partnership with seafood supplier North Atlantic, Inc. to work on supply chain sustainability and transparency

March 6, 2017 — The following has been released by FishWise:

FishWise announced today a new partnership with Portland, Maine-based frozen seafood supplier North Atlantic, Inc. (NAI) and its Indonesian subsidiary, Bali Seafood International (BSI). This partnership aims to further advance and communicate NAI/BSI’s commitment to sustainable and socially responsible seafood while exploring new opportunities to expand their influence in the industry.

Recognizing the importance of both sustainable fisheries and communities, NAI/BSI and its partners have invested in a new initiative to build infrastructure in the Lesser Sunda region of Indonesia that will integrate numerous fishing support services, including cold chain technologies, fisheries management, and education. Their new fishery community centers are expected to generate improvements in food safety and waste, traceability, and socioeconomic indicators, alongside environmental gains. BSI will pay premiums to fishers operating through the community centers, incentivizing artisanal fishermen to adopt more responsible practices.

NAI and BSI are seeking to share this innovative commercially-sponsored fishery management model with industry and broader sustainability stakeholders given its potential value in linking artisanal fishermen directly to seafood markets and improving livelihoods throughout fishing communities. This work builds on NAI’s engagement in fishery improvement projects and traceability, as well as its long-term partnerships with retailers to direct supply chains and address critical responsible harvesting practices.

“North Atlantic has been a trusted vendor to our retail partners for many years and we are excited to begin working with them more formally,” said William Wall, FishWise Distributor Division Director. “We at FishWise are always aiming to create and promote progressive sustainability leaders. North Atlantic’s ambition is unique — they are taking direct responsibility for the wellbeing of the community in which they operate and are developing mechanisms for lasting change, which we’re keen to communicate given the potential for these efforts to serve as a model for other companies.”

Read the full release here