Case Study - Blue Harvest Fisheries
Blue Harvest Fisheries harvests, processes and markets wild-caught, sustainably certified Atlantic sea scallops, Pacific cod, haddock, Acadian redfish, Atlantic pollock (saithe), tuna and swordfish.
Bregal Responsible Investment Report - 2018/2019
Blue Harvest Fisheries harvests seafood from US waters with a fleet of 15 scallop vessels and five groundfish vessels.
Blue Harvest is a member of the National Fisheries Institute, American Scallop Association, Sustainable Harvest Sector, Fisheries Survival Fund and Blue Water Fishermen’s Association and supports their efforts to ensure responsible practices throughout the industry.
Sector: Fishery industry
Head office: New Bedford, MA, USA
At Blue Harvest, we believe it takes a better seafood company to deliver the best seafood. So, we hold ourselves to a higher standard. We operate honestly and openly. We source sustainably. And we deliver exceptional quality seafood, every day.
ESG impacts & performance:
93.3 MSC score Atlantic scallops (average, 2017)
94.7 MSC score US Gulf of Maine and George Bank haddock, pollock and redfish (average, 2018)
>84% sustainably certified seafood
Material issues:
Sustainability of fisheries
Health & safety standards
Energy and resource efficiency
Sustainability of fisheries
Both the Atlantic scallop and groundfish fisheries are sustainably managed by the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) and the National Marine Fisheries Service. Scientists periodically measure the status of the biomass, advise sustainable fishing rates, and assess habitat and ecosystem impact of fishery activities. The NEFMC manages the scallop fishery under the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Plan and sets a total allowable catch, which is allocated to permit holders via ‘days-at-sea’ and trips to ‘closed areas’. The council manages the groundfish fishery under the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (FMP). The FMP regulates the fishery by time/area closures, gear restrictions, minimum size limits, and by moratoriums on permits and days-at-sea restrictions. More than 84% of Blue Harvest’s total 2018 product offer was harvested from Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified fisheries in US waters. The company’s objective is to have 100% of all its targeted species harvested from sustainably certified fisheries by 2021.
Health & safety standards
The fishing industry is one of the most hazardous industries in the world. Blue Harvest is committed to ensuring the highest occupational health & safety standards on board its vessels and in its processing facility. The company has created a Safety Committee to oversee safety performance and improvement initiatives. Crews are required to participate in monthly safety drills and safety performance is tracked and monitored for continuous improvements. Blue Harvest is also a key supporter of the Responsible Fishing Scheme (RFS). The RFS is a voluntary, vessel-based programme for certifying high standards of crew welfare and responsible catching practices on fishing vessels at sea. Initial review of the RFS safety framework is expected to be completed by the end of 2019.
Energy and resource efficiency
Blue Harvest has established a number of core ESG KPIs to measure and track company environmental impact projects. Energy and fuel consumption, as well as water consumption and waste generation, are the primary focus areas for continuous improvement. To support the company’s initiatives, the Bregal SD Fund provided a $400k loan in 2018 for investment in freezer upgrades and insulation, which resulted in energy savings of $120k per annum and carbon footprint reduction of 310 tCO2 e due to an energy saving of 780 MWh.
Bregal Partners
Building world-class businesses in the middle market in North America.
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