Where can I buy sustainable local seafood?

One of the most common questions people ask me is "where do you get your fish?".

Trying to buy sustainable seafood today can be a dizzying mess of ecolabels, ranking guides, and an overwhelming amount of contradictory information.

The anxiety of wondering what we’re “allowed” to eat, often leads consumers toward the chicken or beef, where they’re not being bombarded with sustainability information, despite the fact that meat products are significantly worse for our environment than any seafood product.

The truth is, in North America, we should be eating more seafood. Seafood is the healthiest, most affordable, and most environmentally-friendly source of protein on the planet, but last year Americans ate only 15 pounds of seafood per person. The average annual consumption of chicken is 93 pounds per person.  

I realize that when people ask me how they can buy fish responsibly, my response is often something along the lines of "get to know your local fishermen", which frankly, is useless to most people. If you're like me and live in an area that's not near a coast or fishing town, figuring out where to find your "local fishermen" is a confusing task.

I've realized that I have to check my seafood privilege — I’m fortunate enough to have been exposed to organizations like Local Catch and community supported fisheries around North America, where I've had the chance to learn about direct-to-consumer seafood purchasing options and meet the fishermen behind such operations. Now, I have a handful of trusted sources where I not only purchase fish from, but I know their owners, fishermen, and deliverymen by name.

Even now, after working in seafood and fisheries for a few years, I still find myself scratching my head at a grocery store seafood case trying to make sense of where the pink and white flesh came from.

Whether you’re friends with your fish seller or buy from the supermarket, a display case of fish, squid, clams, and crustaceans can be overwhelming — especially once you start caring about where your seafood comes from, how it’s caught or farmed, and our consumption’s impact on the ocean.

This isn't exactly a jab at grocery store seafood counters - trust me, I know that we need them and that they're often the most accessible to consumers looking for seafood products. But since most of these counters have remained closed due to COVID19 and consumers are exploring new ways to access seafood, I wanted to give you some easier outlets to high-quality sustainable fish that requires no research or interrogating of grocery store employees.

Here are the four tried and trusted places that I buy my seafood from every week.

Caudle's Catch

From farm-raised to wild caught, we offer peace of mind with the largest selection of fresh oysters, PEI mussels and the best Canadian fresh lobster this side of Nova Scotia on a growing list of consciously purchased seafood to help your next dining adventure be unforgettable.

Caudle's Catch is a retail fish market that's been operating in the KW-Region since 1986.

They import seafood products from around the world, but the east coast of Canada remains the most popular place for Caudle's Catch to source seafood from. Favourites include Atlantic Salmon, Cod, Haddock, Oysters, Mussels, and Lobster. From the Great Lakes, Caudle's brings in Pickerel, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch and Whitefish fillets.

Caudle's Catch is a partner of the popular Ocean Wise program that ensures transparency in seafood supply chains and certifies seafood products as "sustainably harvested" based on scientific data.

They have a 3,000 square foot superstore based in Kitchener, as well as other locations at Vincenzo's in Waterloo, the Victoria St Market, the Cambridge Market as well as the St. Jacobs and Kitchener Markets.

You can also purchase online and pick up your order at their Kitchener superstore or have it delivered straight to your door. Caudle's offers expedited delivery to customers all across Canada, including next-day delivery for customers within the Waterloo Region and Guelph.

Organic Ocean

When we realized that we’d no longer be able to get seafood to people through restaurants, we decided to return to our roots and figure out how to get safe, tasty and nutritious protein to our neighbours.

Organic Ocean used to exclusively supply seafood to high-end restaurants across Canada. In the wake of the COVID19 pandemic, they've pivoted to provide home deliveries to individual consumers, while maintaining their wholesale prices.

All of their seafood is sustainably harvested or produced, primarily in British Columbia. They've also partnered with some of the chefs they normally supply seafood for, to publish a series of "chef tips" online to help consumers learn how to prepare seafood properly.

They're currently offering curated packages of seafood products online. These aptly-named packs differ based on your tastes and number of people in your household. For example, the "Couples Pack - Self Isolating Together Edition" includes 2 Wild Sockeye Salmon Portions, 2 Wild BC Halibut Portions, 2 Wild BC Lingcod Portions, 1 Wild Albacore Haidacore? Tuna Loin, and a 1lb tub of Wild BC Humpback Shrimp Tails - all for about $85 CAD.

You can also find packs like the "Family Pack" which includes more fish and a larger variety, the Wild West Pack which includes only BC salmon in all of its forms, or the Snack Pack which includes a variety of candied seafood products and salmon jerky. (This is definitely going to be my next purchase!)

Currently, Organic Ocean is only delivering to Vancouver and the surrounding area, as well as the GTA. However, they do have two pickup points in Ontario: one at CB Stealth Express in Milton and one at Cambridge's Langdon Hall. It's free to pick up at either of these locations.

Skipper Otto

We started Skipper Otto in 2008 to help Shaun's dad, Otto, get a fair price for his catch and to connect directly with seafood lovers.

Skipper Otto is a community supported fishery based out of Vancouver, BC.

They operate on a membership-basis, in which consumers purchase a membership at the beginning of the fishing season to secure their share of the catch. The minimum share consumers can buy is $200 CAD, with the option to top up or rollover small unused amounts later.

This model has become increasingly popular in the last decade (and is actually the focus of my graduate research!) because it provides financial stability for fishermen when consumers accept a portion of responsibility in the food system.

Once you've purchased a membership, you gain access to Skipper Otto's "dock" where you can find a ton of recipes and "meet" the fishermen who caught your fish by reading their stories online. Skipper Otto promotes eating with the ecosystem, so their storefront is updated periodically in alignment with the local fishing seasons. Once the fishermen return, the catch is updated online and you can pick and choose which products you'd like to purchase using your account credits. After you've placed your order, it's packaged up and shipped to a local pickup point. There are dozens of pickup points across Canada, including many in Ontario, across Hamilton and the GTA.

One of the main reasons that I love Skipper Otto is because I know that I'm not only getting a high-quality, sustainable seafood product for my money, but I'm also directly supporting the BC fishing families who caught my fish for me.

Scout Canning

We don’t just love seafood, we respect the oceans and fragile ecosystems from which it comes. This means making ethical choices every step of the way, from supply chain and product sourcing to packaging. 

I recently came across Scout Canning and it's been an absolutely wonderful addition to my regular seafood consumption.

Scout was started by Chef Charlotte Langley to restore the tradition of preserved seafood in North America, reduce waste in seafood supply chains, and protect our oceans.

Scout works directly with North American fisheries and sustainable farms from coast to coast. Their fishery partners meet the highest standard in sustainability, including reduced by-catch and minimal ecosystem impact. Their farmed products are fed from natural sources and have never been exposed to antibiotics, hormones, or overcrowding in their pens. In addition, they're consious of their social impact, ensuring that fishermen, producers, and processors are paid fair wages and receive benefits.

Scout currently offers three different types of preserved seafood products: Atlantic Canadian Lobster, Ontario Trout, and PEI Mussels. You can buy each item on its own, or you can try their variety pack to try one of each can and decide which you like best!

Scout currently ships across Canada for FREE and their 3-packs of preserved seafood start at $29.99 CAD.

I want you to eat more seafood.

Our local, Canadian fishermen want you to eat more seafood.

Their families that miss them for weeks at a time while they're at sea, want you to eat more seafood.

So check out these spots to get your hands on some delicious, high-quality Canadian seafood today!

*This is by no means an exhaustive list. There are a lot of other outlets to access high-quality, sustainable, local seafood in Canada. These are just the four that I use the most regularly. Please feel free to share your own favourite seafood outlets below!