Sustainable Seafood Policy Walmart Canada

Overfishing is threatening the availability of fresh fish and seafood for future generations, therefore we are committing to providing our customers with quality seafood that is harvested in a sustainable manner.

Sustainable seafood goals

  • To source wild-caught fresh and frozen fish certified to the Marine Stewardship Council standard, or minimum equivalent, by 2013
  • To ensure that our farm-raised fish vendor-partners adhere to Best Aquaculture Practices, or minimum equivalent, by 2013.
    • Global Aquaculture Alliance, Aquaculture Certification Council, etc
  • To source all canned tuna from an International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) member by 2013

Our plan to support goals

Walmart Canada has a significant plan to support and obtain our stated goals, which includes:

  • Assessing our current seafood assortment
    • We will continue to source seafood from sustainable sources where we are already doing so
    • We will work to find new suppliers of sustainable seafood
    • We will work with suppliers which are willing to improve the environmental performance of their operations
    • We will de-list fish products and suppliers which refuse to improve the environmental performance of their operations
  • Working with our vendor-partners to improve seafood product labeling
  • Working with our vendor-partners to ensure they are sourcing environmentally responsible seafood
  • Working with various environmental non-governmental organization stakeholders to ensure our actions have a positive impact on the sustainability of seafood around the world
  • Connecting with our retail associations in Canada to determine if the retailer community can affect positive change together given their size and importance to the Canadian seafood industry
  • Educating our associates and customers about our sustainable seafood policy
  • Not procuring seafood caught from illegal, unreported or unregulated (IUU) sources; nor knowingly sourcing seafood from ships currently on any official IUU vessel list
  • We currently do not, and will continue to not source Atlantic bluefin tuna
What we encourage

  • Our seafood vendor-partners to support and participate in the Aquaculture Dialogues
  • Our seafood vendor-partners to require sustainable practices of their suppliers – all throughout the chain of custody down to the original fish harvest
  • Our canned tuna vendor-partners to join the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) and to support their mission (to undertake science-based initiatives for the long-term conservation and sustainable use of tuna stocks, reducing by-catch and promoting ecosystem health)
  • Full transparency of all seafood products within the seafood industry and full traceability from point of catch to the consumer
  • The cessation of the over-fishing of any and all world-wide fish stocks deemed to be in peril; specifically we encourage policy-makers to improve and develop laws and regulations that support the improvement of fisheries and aquaculture management and enforcement


    • Walmart Canada will regularly review our Sustainable Seafood Commitment, and update as needed, to ensure its relevancy.

    March 2010