A Mentor-based company has made a commitment to increasing the value and usefulness of fish caught in the Great Lakes.
Euclid Fish Co. has signed on to the “100 percent Great Lakes Fish Pledge,” publicly committing to using 100 percent of each commercially caught Great Lakes fish productively by 2025, according to a corporate news release.
As part of the pledge, Euclid Fish will explore and implement innovative applications for fish byproducts including fertilizer, protein, marine collagen, leather and other new, high-value products.
According to the release, the Great Lakes are home to a sizeable commercial fishery, but only the fillets of these fish are usually eaten while the remaining 60% of the fish is relegated to inexpensive animal feed or discarded. Some initial studies in the United States determined that the value of a whitefish could jump from $12 when used only for fillets to nearly $4,000 when 100 percent is used for various applications.
This pledge is part of the 100 percent Great Lakes Fish initiative created by the Conference of Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors & Premiers, an organization representing the governors of the Great Lakes States and the Canadian Premiers of Ontario and Québec.
“Euclid Fish Company’s commitment is commendable, and we are excited to have them join with other companies from around the region on this important initiative,” GSGP Executive Director David Naftzger stated.
“Their leadership will benefit our commercial fishery, the Great Lakes and our economy,” he added. “We look forward to collaborating with them toward the goal of productively using 100% of each commercially caught fish from the Great Lakes.”
The project and pledge are the first of its kind in the region.
“Euclid Fish Company is excited to sign on to the 100 percent Great Lakes Fish pledge and feel that this innovative approach to full fish utilization proves further commitment to the great resources of the Great Lakes,” said John V. Young, the company’s vice president of operations. “As a fourth-generation distributor, Euclid Fish Company’s first offerings were Lake fish.
“To this day, we are thrilled to see how far this resource has come and where it can go.”
