UK salmon specialist JCS Fish joins the Ocean Disclosure Project

Family-owned company JSC Fish is the first seafood supplier to voluntarily disclose its farmed seafood sourcing through the Ocean Disclosure Project (ODP) by sharing information about the origins of its farmed salmon and trout products. The Grimbsy-based company has published an ODP profile containing a list of its farmed seafood sources alongside information on the country of origin, certification, and environmental impact of farmed production.

Established in 2015 by Sustainable Fisheries Partnership, ODP is a global platform for voluntary disclosure of seafood sourcing. The ODP is dedicated to increasing transparency in seafood supply chains by encouraging seafood-buying companies to publicly report on the seafood they source.
 

Image credit: Randychiu on Flickr
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The ODP provides a common template through which companies can report the fisheries and fish farms they source from, alongside information on the provenance, stock status and management, and environmental impact (including impacts on protected, endangered, and threatened species, bycatch, and benthic habitats, marine inputs for fish feed, and farming impacts on wild species and water quality) of these sources. This information is used to create annual profiles reflecting the company's sourcing from the previous year, which are then published on the ODP website.

Jack Coulbeck, commercial manager for JCS Fish, said, "We are delighted to share our sourcing data through the ODP. People are increasingly interested in the provenance of their food and we believe transparency is vital to ensure our customers rely on us for responsibly-sourced fish. We have already committed to use only GlobalG.A.P. (GGN) certified salmon in our BigFish brand and across the business 91 percent of our salmon is from certified farms. We expect to reach 100% certified within the next six months."

Tania Woodcock, Project Manager for the ODP said, "We are pleased to welcome JCS Fish to the Ocean Disclosure Project as the first seafood supplier to disclose its farmed sources. The company's commitment to responsibly farmed seafood is clear from its profile, which highlights the high proportion of farmed seafood sourced from farms certified to a recognized standard."

Sustainable Fisheries Partnership started the ODP in 2015 to provide a valuable information resource for responsible investors, seafood consumers, and others interested in sustainable seafood. To date, 22 other companies including retailers, suppliers, and aquaculture feed manufacturers from Europe, North America and Australia have participated. Other ODP participants include seafood suppliers Albion Farms & Fisheries, Joseph Robertson, North Atlantic Inc, and Tradex Foods.

Visit the ODP website, HERE.

Visit the JCS Fish website, HERE.

The Aquaculturists

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