Inspiring Stories.
Unwavering Standards.
Atlantic Halibut
Areas like Nova Scotia and Gulf of St. Lawrence in the Eastern Canadian Maritimes provide a tremendous amount of high-quality seafood to the world. Blessed with the natural resources to produce such quality, these small communities depend on the fishing industry for their livelihood. Like other seafood-rich locales, the area has been forced to make sustainability an integral part of their survival.
Atlantic Halibut is fished all over the north Atlantic, but this is the only Atlantic Halibut fishery currently certified by MSC. Around 85% of Atlantic Halibut is caught by demersal longlines, which cause minimal damage to seabed habitats. Watermark sources are small, artisanal fleets who work hard and are immensely proud of their seafood and way of life.
Chilean Sea Bass
Popularly known in the U.S. as Chilean Seabass, Patagonian Toothfish is from Australia's extremely remote sub-Antarctic waters and is a prized landing for the folks who spend long days and nights braving the conditions. It’s an elusive catch—these fish prefer very deep, dark, frigid waters far offshore—but for some it’s a calling. Captains must navigate glaciers and massive waves just to get there.
In the past, high demand for Chilean Sea Bass has led to widespread exploitative and illegal fishing practices, but Watermark's partners are leaders of a new era. They are undaunted by the challenge and simply prefer to do it right. That is why we only source from MSC certified fisheries in the deep bay of the Ross Sea and the breathtaking Heard and McDonald Islands. Watermark Chilean Sea Bass is traceable, sustainable, and totally wild.
Icelandic Cod
For decades Iceland has been a world leader in sustainable fishery management. Because fishing is so deeply anchored in Iceland’s cultural heritage, it is also critical to the nation’s economic survival. Their efforts to maintain healthy stocks and unpolluted waters stem from an imperative to preserve the resources needed for a commercial fishing industry.
In effect, their measures to thoroughly assess and conserve quotas are some of the most stringent in the world—and they’ve been so successful in rebounding and regenerating damaged populations that today over 90% of seafood from Iceland comes from MSC certified fisheries.
All Watermark Icelandic Cod is line-caught, which is naturally more sustainable and greatly reduces bycatch. This method also results in better texture, because the fish feels less stress. Iceland’s reputation for premium seafood is both deserved and widely accepted. Watermark is proud to support them.
Kaua’i Shrimp
Kaua’i Shrimp are white shrimp raised in land-based aquaculture ponds high on Mount Waialeale, where Hawaii’s seawater is drawn from 500-foot-deep wells. The operation is almost entirely powered by rainfall from the mountain. The water source has elevated levels of silicate that stimulates rich blooms of diatoms, the most nutritious algae. They are 100% chemical free and receive no antibiotics. The entire production process is internally managed from breeding, to hatchery, to grow out, to processing.
For over 20 years, the company has been at the center of their community providing jobs with above industry wages, health insurance and benefits. Perhaps the most inspiring fact is they give priority to local retailers so that residents have a chance to share in something they helped to make. More than sustainability, this is sustenance.
Monkfish
Watermark Monkfish comes from the North Atlantic Fishery, a sustainably managed and well-monitored area accessed by a limited number of small vessels on allocated days-at-sea and catch-per-trip quotas. These and other measures help ensure healthy stocks of fish in the Gulf of Maine. Your support helps preserve the heritage—and therefore the local livelihood—of this cherished community. The skippers are often part of multi-generational fishing families. They are dedicated marine stewards who know the waters and the weather and earnestly work to keep fish populations thriving year after year.
There are a number of under-loved fish coming out of the Gulf of Maine and Monkfish is one of our favorites. Promoting species variety is a critical part of Watermark's sustainability mission. We are helping to sustain the people as much as the resource, and when fishers can make a fair wage on their whole catch, it provides income security and incentivizes responsible practices. Watermark Monkfish is a sustainable catch, traceable to the boat; it’s also versatile, easy to use and delicious.
Shoreline Wild Alaskan Seafood
Watermark's partners at Shoreline Wild are two fishermen and an activist with one big idea: expand access to high quality, sustainably fished, wild Alaska seafood for families across the country. Together they have committed their energies to promoting domestic consumption of wild salmon that has been both caught and processed in the U.S. They use hook and line to pull each fish from the water, clean it, and pack it with ice one at a time, so the quality is unparalleled.
Alaska’s wild seafood boasts nutritional value and high fat content on account of the cold moving waters. Shoreline Wild fishermen and fisherwomen catch King Salmon, Coho, Lingcod and other species, selectively pulling out the best they can sell and working within the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s tight system of quota management. Another aspect of their core mission is above-average dock prices for premium fish, so that fishermen and fisherwomen who share these values are paid fairly for what they bring to the table.
Norwegian Salmon
Watermark Norwegian Salmon is exclusively from Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) certified farms in Norway. The salmon are grown out in Norway’s ice-cold deep fjords to mimic their natural environment, resulting in high quality, beautifully marbled salmon for which Norway is renowned. Our salmon are transported on the day of harvest, utilizing advanced cooling technology that employs dry ice to rapidly chill and hold the fish at a precise temperature, just above freezing. Our trimmed salmon filets are a fresh, dry packed product with greater flavor and freshness than ice-water cooled fish.
Norway pioneered salmon farming more than 50 years ago, and remains best in class for producing fatty, flavorful Atlantic Salmon. It’s an art (and a science) they’ve been refining for many years. But not all Norwegian salmon is the same, which is why Watermark only sources from partners we trust to use the most responsible and sustainable practices.
Yellowfin Tuna
On the coast of Ecuador, you will find the world capital of tuna fishing, a place where the entire community lives and breathes tuna. We work with a single vessel that is MSC certified to source Watermark Yellowfin Tuna from the Pacific Ocean. It is sustainably long-line caught by a small team of fishermen and processed immediately. Unlike most tuna fish on the market, Watermark's is never treated with carbon monoxide. Instead, using an EU-approved process, the tuna meat is marinated in an all-natural beetroot powder mix to enhance the natural color.
Transparency and data are the keys to maintaining tuna stock. Because tuna is a pelagic marine species, often crossing into multiple exclusive economic zones (EEZ), illegal fishing is still too common. Working with a single source means Watermark customers know they are supporting the people who are dedicated to measuring and monitoring their catch and preserving this valuable resource for generations to come.