Grocery store chain Wegmans Food Markets joined up with the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) less than a year ago, and since then has been busy getting involved with various Fishery Improvement Projects (FIP), to learn more about the seafood industry’s impact on the environment.
Wegmans, which operates 81 stores in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, and Massachusetts, has taken part in five such projects in North America and in Central and South America.
“The seafood industry and what we know about its impact on the environment is always changing. So it only makes sense to partner with an organization that can advise us on the most up-to-date and accurate fisheries science and information,” says Carl Salamone, Wegmans VP of seafood. “SFP has helped us to identify several opportunities for continuous improvement.”
For example, in Baja, Mexico, Wegmans is working with its wild shrimp suppliers to help reduce by-catch (unintended species), and on the east coast of North America, the company is supporting fishermen who are working toward a swordfish fishery that meets Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification standards.
The company has also, through a number of its suppliers, reached out to fishermen in Central and South America, saying it only wants to source Mahi-Mahi that has been caught using sustainable methods verified by a third party.
“Retailer participation is a great asset to these Fishery Improvement Projects,” said Mark MacPherson, sustainable fisheries and market program manager at SFP. “It helps puts the consumer face in front of the fishermen and really helps the industry understand that they’re feeding families.”
