Marine Stewardship Council Certification for Ocean’s® Skipjack Tuna

Sustainable certification embodies commitment to protect and preserve the oceans

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Ocean Brands MSC Skipjack Tuna Press Release

Richmond, BC (April 19, 2022) – As part of its ongoing commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship, Ocean Brands GP is pleased to announce that its Ocean’s® Skipjack Tuna is now 100 per cent Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified sustainable. Ocean Brands is a leading supplier of canned seafood in Canada under the Ocean’s®, Gold Seal®, and Millionnaires® brands. The sourcing of certified sustainable Ocean’s® Skipjack Tuna further demonstrates the active role Ocean Brands is taking in protecting and preserving the oceans for future generations.

In 2021, Ocean Brands elevated its seafood sustainability by sourcing more MSC certified seafood and increasing the certified segment of its Ocean’s® portfolio from 11 per cent to 40 per cent. Following the addition of MSC certified Skipjack Tuna, Ocean Brands now has the widest range of MSC certified products in Canada’s canned seafood category, with 70 per cent of its entire Ocean’s® product portfolio MSC certified. Through its ongoing sustainability efforts, Ocean Brands is making sustainable tuna highly accessible to a broader audience with its wide range of Ocean’s® products and affordable pricing.

An international non-profit organization, the MSC is on a mission to combat overfishing, protect our oceans and safeguard seafood supplies. Working with leading scientists, industry experts and, environmental groups the MSC aims to ensure our oceans are fished responsibly and that consumers can easily identify certified sustainable seafood simply by looking for the MSC blue fish label. The MSC is the leading wild-capture certification program in the world, setting a high standard for sustainable fishing and fisheries management. Only seafood that meets strict criteria can earn MSC certification: sustainable fish stocks, minimized environmental impacts to ecosystems including habitats and by-catch species, and effective fishery management.

“There is still so much work to do when it comes to managing our fisheries. As we take from our natural environment, we also have an obligation and a commitment to ensure the vitality of our oceans for years to come,” says Ian Ricketts, President of Ocean Brands, the parent company of the Ocean’s® brand. “Our long-standing partnership with MSC and the certification of our Ocean’s® Skipjack Tuna are a testament to how we are investing back into the management of the fisheries that are depended upon by so many nations. We applaud those who have taken these steps towards sustainability before us, and we look forward to other brands making this same commitment. Our collective efforts are needed to secure the future of our oceans.”

The MSC represents the industry’s highest standard of sustainability. It meets globally recognized best practice standards and its ecolabel has the highest rate of recognition amongst consumers. Purchasers of MSC labelled seafood can rest assured that it was sustainably wild caught and fully verified to come from a certified fishery. By choosing products with this label, consumers are directly supporting fisheries and companies that take care of our oceans.

As a B Corp certified organization, Ocean Brands is on a mission to use its business as a force for good in the world. Meeting the highest standards for transparency, Ocean Brands continues to make a positive impact by engaging in a multitude of ongoing initiatives that promote sustainability and environmental stewardship, including the MSC certification of its Ocean’s® Skipjack Tuna. To learn more about Ocean Brands and its eco-friendly initiatives, please visit https://oceans.ca/sustainability/.

About Ocean Brands
Ocean Brands is a division of the Jim Pattison Group and is a leading supplier of canned seafood under the Ocean’s®, Gold Seal®, and Millionnaires® brands. Ocean Brands sources, packs and produces healthy, delicious and sustainable seafood while upholding the very highest standards in environmental and social governance as stewards of the ocean. Ocean Brands is also a Certified B Corporation, having met the greatest levels of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and accountability to balance profit and purpose. Ocean Brands measures and manages its impact on its workers, community and the environment with as much rigor as it manages and monitors its profits, in order to use its business and brands as a force for good.

For more information, please contact:
Erica Morgan
WILD Public Relations Inc.
403-478-1357
emorgan@wildpr.ca