Sustainability
RESPONSIBILITY
EDUCATION
CONFIDENCE
“All my grandparents were born on the coast of Sicily, where they were surrounded by the water and embraced the culture of the sea. They taught us how to sustain our living from it, respect it for the opportunity it brought into our lives and appreciate it for all the bounties it has to offer.” —Sam D’Angelo
With over 80 years of experience sourcing responsibly harvested species, our team has been putting sustainability at the forefront of our business philosophy since the beginning. Those values of respect and appreciation for the sea brought over from the old world still influence our business decisions today. Our purchasing decisions are based on the guidance we receive from our resident marine biologist, government and non-governmental organizations, and the large network of suppliers and fisherman we have formed relationships with over the years.
Our efforts to practice sustainable business extend further than our purchasing department. We understand the importance of training our cutters to reduce waste, working with our suppliers to find more eco-friendly packaging, and preparing our staff to educate customers on the different species we carry. Education is a large part of moving towards a more sustainable future, which is why we decided to create SustainedSeas.org.
SUSTAINABILITY SIMPLIFIED
Sustained Seas is designed to make sustainable seafood sourcing easy for distributors, retailers, chefs and consumers. Our mission is to demystify the confusion surrounding the various certifications programs and eco-labels currently in use to differentiate species. We provide educational tools and our own rating system to assist in the understanding, access, and promotion of sustainable seafood. Drawing from the major certification programs of the day, we offer an objective, fresh perspective on the state of each species and the ecosystems from which they came.
Ultimately, we want you to feel more confident in your seafood purchases and have a clearer vision for your own standards of sustainability. Along with our extensive knowledge of the industry, we have collaborated with a number of sustainability rating organizations to further align our company’s policies with the standards set by their research and criteria. Some of these partners include the Marine Stewardship Council, the Aquaculture Stewardship Council, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute.
