Since 1985, Trans-Ocean Products has been proud to support sustainable fishing practices that protect the health of our ocean resources. Only sustainable, wild Alaska Pollock is used to produce the surimi we use to make our Crab Classic and Simply Surimi brand products. The pollock is 100% U.S.-caught in the pristine waters of the Bering Sea and the Gulf of Alaska, made into surimi blocks, and then processed into surimi seafood at our facility in Bellingham, Washington. We also use sustainable, wild Pacific Whiting as a primary surimi ingredient in some of our other products.
While Trans-Ocean Products does not own or operate any fishing vessels, we source our seafood from a select group of trusted, long-term suppliers who share our understanding that the sustainability of fishery resources is critical to our mutual success. We are proud to support a science-based process to protect the fisheries in Alaska and the North Pacific Ocean.
Science We Support
The Alaska Pollock fishery is managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council. Each year, government scientists assess the health of the fish stock and make recommendations for the coming season to:
- Ensure that overfishing does not occur by setting a catch limit at approximately 15% of the total population; this means that 85% of the pollock population is left in the water to grow and reproduce.
- Minimize the impact on other Alaska fisheries and local communities by reducing the amount of bycatch (also called incidental catch), which is done using sophisticated underwater technology and by having trained NOAA observers on board the vessels.
Certified Sustainable
The fisheries management system for USA Alaska Pollock has been recognized by the world’s leading eco-certification programs. The fishery has been certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). As a processor, Trans-Ocean was among the first North American companies to gain MSC-certification. The Pacific Whiting fishery is also MSC-certified. Learn more about MSC.
Wild Alaska Pollock
Trans-Ocean is a sponsor of the Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers, a cooperative group of fishing and processing companies that seek to raise the profile of Alaska Pollock as a responsibly and sustainably harvested species of fish. Learn more about GAPP and the low climate impact of Alaska Pollock.
Environmental Stewardship
Trans-Ocean maintains a commitment to act responsibly across all areas of our business. Using the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 and 2050 as our guide, we have established benchmarks for our current operations and started to implement new processes to move our towards the U.N. goals. Examples of our progress include:
Reduced Carbon Footprint
Every day we are looking for ways to reduce our carbon footprint. We report our progress annually. Over the past four years, we have been able to reduce our carbon emissions per unit of finished product produced by 21%. We are also exploring opportunities to reduce emissions in the supply chain. Each year we are shipping more product across the country by railcar instead of by truck; from 2023 to 2024 we increased these intermodal shipments by 46%, reducing our carbon footprint in the process.
Clean Energy
We utilize clean electricity derived from hydroelectric generation plants around the Pacific Northwest to power our facility.
Clean Water
We use local water from lakes which are fed by streams created by glacier and snow melt and the rainfall from the foothills of the Mount Baker wilderness in northern Washington state.
We have implemented programs to increase our efficiency in utility use in production operations, using smaller amounts of water, electricity and natural gas. Over the past 4 years, electricity efficiency has increased by 14%, water efficiency by 19 % and natural gas by 24%.
We have reduced the amount of plastic used on our production floor by 50% and we are working towards using less plastic in our product packaging.
We are using post-consumer recycled content (PCR) in our shipping containers, and recycling other corrugated to reduce the waste we send to landfills.
We have partnered with a local recycling company to repurpose food waste from our plant for alternatives uses such as fertilizer, compost, agricultural products, and green electricity.
