Acme Smoked Fish Joins 100% Great Lakes Fish Pledge

Acme Smoked Fish Corporation has signed on to the “100% Great Lakes Fish Pledge,” publicly committing to productively use 100% of each commercially caught Great Lakes fish it handles by 2025. The family-owned and operated company is considered the largest producer of smoked fish in North America and sources Lake Whitefish from Great Lakes fisheries. It lists retail giant Costco and other major retailers among its biggest customers. With four U.S. and two international production facilities, Acme is widely regarded as a leader in sustainable practices.

As part of the pledge, the company will also help communicate to other companies in the fish supply chain about opportunities for innovative applications for fish byproducts, including compost, fertilizer, protein, marine collagen, leather, or other new, high-value products.

Twenty-nine companies across North America have signed the pledge. It is part of the 100% Great Lakes Fish initiative created by the Conference of Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors & Premiers (GSGP), an organization representing the Governors of the Great Lakes States and the Canadian Premiers of Ontario and Québec.

“Acme Smoked Fish is a large and well-respected company, so we are thrilled to have them join the 100% Great Lakes Fish Pledge. With their international reach, generational knowledge, and demonstrated leadership in sustainable practices, we are confident their involvement in the pledge will attract interest from new audiences,” said David Naftzger, Executive Director of GSGP.

The Great Lakes are home to sizable commercial fisheries, but only the fillets of these fish are usually eaten. In contrast, the remaining 60% of the fish is often relegated to inexpensive uses or discarded. The 100% Great Lakes Fish initiative seeks new and innovative ways to use the whole fish to reduce waste, create more value and jobs, and support rural economic development. Iceland pioneered this approach and has seen the value of products made from each cod skyrocket from $12 for just the filet to a remarkable $5,000 for products including cosmetics, medical bandages, nutritional supplements, and a range of other products made from cod byproducts.

“Acme is proud to support the 100% Great Lakes Fish Pledge as it directly aligns with our efforts to be ‘citizens of seafood’ and put sustainability at the center of our work,” said Alexandra Golub, Sustainability Manager at Acme Smoked Fish. “The pledge directly connects to our four pillars of sustainability: climate impact, raw material sourcing, waste reduction, and people and community, so we believe signing it and advocating for it are extensions of what we do.”

Companies participating in the 100% Great Lakes Fish Pledge include:

Read the pledge here.