Sustainable Seafood | Ecology Action Centre

The Ecology Action Centre (EAC) works toward increasing consumer and retailer access to properly labelled and sustainable seafood choices. Consumer and business pressure, created through market and regulatory demands, are important for promoting reform in seafood systems. Unfortunately, it is often extremely difficult to access or even identify sustainable seafood products. This is partially due to the complexity and lack of transparency surrounding the global seafood supply chain.

As a member of SeaChoice, a Canadian collaborative program founded in 2006 with the David Suzuki Foundation and Living Oceans Society, we work to: improve transparency and traceability throughout the seafood supply chain, reform Canadian fishery and aquaculture, and advocate for businesses to develop and improve their commitments to sustainable seafood.

Improving Seafood Traceability & Labelling in Canada

Detailed labelling and robust traceability are critically important. They help Canadians support local, sustainable seafood products, verify environmental and social responsibility claims on packages, and strengthen sustainable fisheries management. Without these tools, instances of economic fraud via illegal and unregulated, unreported (IUU) fishing, and labour abuses continue to proliferate in the supply chain.

Do you know where your seafood comes from?

Canada’s seafood labelling and traceability regulations are not up to par with those of our international trading partners, including the United States and the European Union. To help bring Canada’s standards into the 21st century, SeaChoice is working to ensure the Canadian government follows through with its commitment to implement a boat-to-plate traceability program. We also continue to demonstrate how Canada is missing the mark with its investigation into greenwashing on seafood products. Our work with citizen scientist DNA testing studies is designed to quantify mislabelling and assess the quality of seafood product labels in the marketplace.

Engaging with Seafood Eco-Certifications

Global concern has steadily increased around overfishing and habitat destruction through unsustainable fishing practices. One strategy to address this is to apply eco-certification and labelling to seafood products. This drives consumers toward more sustainable seafood products and drives fisheries toward more sustainable practices.

With a growing number of fisheries being certified under these eco-labels, the EAC engages as a stakeholder in these certification processes. We contribute expertise and knowledge about Canadian fisheries practice, policy, and management.

As part of our work, we sit on the steering committee and coordinate the coalition Make Stewardship Count, which is a partnership of over 90 environmental organizations, experts, and academics. Make Stewardship Count pushes for the Marine Stewardship Council, the most prominent global certification program for wild fisheries, to make critical improvements to their certification program.

The EAC strives to keep standards for eco-certifications high, so they can be credible and useful tools leading to improving our fisheries and aquaculture. Read the SeaChoice report, What's Behind the Label, to learn more about prominent eco-certifications, the Marine Stewardship Council, and the Aquaculture Stewardship Council.

Reporting on Grocery Store & Seafood Company Commitments

Through SeaChoice, we have developed an online tool called Seafood Progress. This tool aims to encourage grocers and companies selling seafood in Canada to maintain and improve the current rigour of their sustainable seafood programs. Seafood Progress aims to support a shift towards greater transparency and offers a platform for companies to profile their corporate social responsibility policies as they relate to seafood.

You can learn how committed a grocery store or seafood brand is to sustainable and socially responsible seafood by visiting seafoodprogress.org