Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How is Blue Harbor Fish Co.® Albacore Tuna caught?
Blue Harbor Fish Co. Albacore Tuna is caught using the longline catch method. Longline fishing uses a main line, with baited hooks attached at intervals by means of branch lines. Most commercially caught Albacore tuna are caught using this method.
What makes Blue Harbor Fish Co. sustainable is its certification by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). MSC certification means that all Blue Harbor Fish Co. Tuna is fully traceable to certified sustainable fisheries that have met the strict MSC standard for:
Sustainable fish stocks: Fishing activity has been determined to be at a level that ensures it can continue indefinitely, and the fish stocks are healthy.
Minimal impact on the ecosystem: Fishing operations maintain the structure, productivity, function and diversity of the ecosystem.
Effective management: The fishery complies with international laws, regulations and conservation measures related to the management of the tuna species.
What is the MSC?
The Marine Stewardship Council is an international nonprofit organization established to address the problem of unsustainable fishing and safeguard supplies for the future. Its vision is for the world’s oceans to be teeming with life — today, tomorrow and for generations to come. A sustainable seafood market is crucial to making this vision a reality. To that end, the MSC certification and labeling program recognizes sustainable fishing practices, and it signals to consumers a way to find sustainable and traceable seafood.
What does the MSC ecolabel mean?
When you see the MSC ecolabel on Blue Harbor Fish Co. Albacore Tuna or Wild Salmon, you can be assured that the tuna was caught using standards that allow fish populations and the ecosystems on which they depend to remain healthy and productive for the future. You can also be assured that, from ocean to plate, MSC-certified tuna or wild salmon can be traced back to a certified sustainable fishery that has met the global MSC standard for:
Sustainable fish stocks: Fishing activity has been determined to be at a level that ensures it can continue indefinitely, and the fish stocks are healthy.
Minimal impact on the ecosystem: Fishing operations maintain the structure, productivity, function and diversity of the ecosystem.
Effective management: The fishery complies with relevant laws and is well-managed.
What does the Alaska Seafood icon mean?
The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute is a nonprofit partnership between the state of Alaska and the Alaska seafood industry. The icon denotes seafood that was caught in Alaska. All Alaska seafood is:
- Wild caught
- Environmentally responsible
- A good source of omega-3s
- Low in saturated fat
- Community- and family-driven: Many fishing operations involved with Alaska fisheries are family-based, and in many cases, have been harvesting fish for generations in the same area and using the same artisanal techniques.
Where is Blue Harbor Fish Co. Albacore Tuna caught?
Our tuna is caught in the South Pacific by fisheries that are Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified sustainable.
Where is Blue Harbor Fish Co. Wild Pink Salmon caught?
Blue Harbor Fish Co. Wild Pink Salmon is caught in Alaska by MSC-certified sustainable fisheries.
Where is Blue Harbor Fish Co. Tuna canned?
At Blue Harbor Fish Co., we can our products as close to the source as possible. Currently, our tuna is packed and canned in American Samoa. Because American Samoa is a territory of the United States, we are not required to state country of origin on our label. According to current Federal regulations, only products that are produced outside of the U.S. or one of its territories are required to list the country of origin. If a product does not specifically state the country of origin, you can assume that it has been produced in the United States or a U.S. territory.
Where is Blue Harbor Fish Co. Salmon canned?
Sustainable Blue Harbor Fish Co. Salmon is packed in Thailand.
Are Blue Harbor Fish Co. Tuna and Salmon wild-caught or farm-raised?
The tuna and salmon packed into the Blue Harbor Fish Co. can and pouch products are always MSC-certified, wild-caught fish.
How is Blue Harbor Fish Co. Wild Pink Salmon caught?
Blue Harbor Fish Co. Wild Pink Salmon is caught using the purse seine method. A purse seine is a wall of netting deployed around a school of fish. After deployment, it’s closed at the bottom by means of a line passing through rings attached along the lower edge of the net. The netting is then closed around the school of fish like a bag or purse.
What are the small crystals I see in my can of Blue Harbor Fish Co. Tuna?
The small, clear crystals that are sometimes seen in Albacore tuna are called struvite crystals. These struvite crystals naturally occur in Albacore tuna due to the minerals the tuna absorb while living in the ocean. After the tuna is canned, these minerals will sometimes react with each other during the sterilization process. Struvite crystals are simply a naturally occurring product of these reactions. Although struvite crystals can be confused with glass, they typically have straight edges, can be easily scratched and crushed into powder, and when placed into boiling vinegar or lemon juice, the crystals dissolve. Glass crystals do not share these characteristics.
Do Blue Harbor Fish Co. Tuna and Salmon contain soy?
No. The Blue Harbor Fish Co. can and pouch products are soy free. They do not contain soy because vegetable broth is not an ingredient in these products, and tuna, water and sea salt do not contain soy.
Do Blue Harbor Fish Co. Tuna and Salmon contain gluten?
No. The Blue Harbor Fish Co. can and pouch products are gluten free. They do not contain gluten because tuna, salmon, water and sea salt do not contain gluten, and these three ingredients are the only ingredients packed into Blue Harbor Fish Co. products.
Does Blue Harbor Fish Co. Tuna contain mercury?
Canned tuna is listed on the EPA/FDA advisory as one of the fish that has very low levels of methylmercury. Blue Harbor Fish Co. uses AOAC INTERNATIONAL-approved testing methods to ensure that its canned tuna is well below the FDA limit of 1.0 parts per million mercury. For more information on mercury levels in tuna, go to the FDA’s website, www.FDA.gov, or call the FDA Center for Food Safety Information Line at 1-888-SAFEFOOD.
Does Blue Harbor Fish Co. Tuna or Salmon contain BPA?
All Blue Harbor Fish Co. products are prepared and packaged using safe, FDA-approved materials. Blue Harbor Fish Co. cans have internal linings (food contact surfaces) that do not contain BPA. Blue Harbor Fish Co. pouches do not contain BPA.
BPA use in food packaging has been extensively tested and recognized as safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other regulatory agencies worldwide, including the European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Food, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the UK Food Standards Agency. It has been used in consumer products for well over 40 years, and the FDA regulates its use in food packaging materials.
The large body of evidence indicates that FDA-regulated products containing BPA are safe and that exposure levels from BPA food contact materials are well below those that may cause health effects — for both infants and children. Blue Harbor Fish Co. is committed to providing consumers with safe and nutritious products and will adhere to FDA recommendations with regard to BPA labeling or legislation.
For more information regarding BPA, visit these websites: