5 websites where Canadians can order sustainable seafood online
Wondering where you can find quality, sustainable seafood in Canada? I’ve got you covered.
Trying to buy sustainable seafood today can be a dizzying mess of ecolabels, ranking guides, and an overwhelming amount of contradictory information.
The anxiety of wondering what we’re “allowed” to eat, often leads consumers toward the chicken or beef, where they’re not being bombarded with sustainability information, despite the fact that meat products are significantly worse for our environment than any seafood product.
The truth is that most of us in North America, should be eating more seafood. Seafood is the healthiest, most affordable, and most environmentally-friendly source of protein on the planet, but last year we ate only 15 pounds of seafood per person; whereas average annual consumption of chicken is 93 pounds per person.
Luckily for us, it’s never been easier to access high-quality, sustainably sourced seafood.
Today, there are plenty of wonderful Canadian seafood businesses that sell their products online and deliver directly to your door. You literally have some of the highest quality Canadian seafood available at your fingertips! With the click of a few buttons, there can be sockeye salmon, spot prawns, halibut, trout, arctic char, and so much more waiting for you on your doorstep.
Here are five places where Canadians can order sustainable seafood online
Caudle’s Catch
“From farm-raised to wild caught, Caudle’s Catch offer peace of mind with the largest selection of fresh oysters, PEI mussels and the best Canadian fresh lobster this side of Nova Scotia on a growing list of consciously purchased seafood to help your next dining adventure be unforgettable.”
Caudle’s Catch is a retail fish market that’s been operating in the KW-Region since 1986.
They import seafood products from around the world, but the east coast of Canada remains the most popular place for Caudle’s Catch to source seafood from. Favourites include Atlantic Salmon, Cod, Haddock, Oysters, Mussels, and Lobster. From the Great Lakes, Caudle’s brings in Pickerel, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch and Whitefish fillets.
Caudle’s Catch is a partner of the popular Ocean Wise program that ensures transparency in seafood supply chains and certifies seafood products as “sustainably harvested” based on scientific data. Their team is also incredibly knowledgable and passionate about seafood sustainability. I actually partnered with Caudle’s to create several lessons in The Sustainable Seafood Lifestyle course, because they’re such a wealth of knowledge and share my passion for making seafood more fun and accessible to everyone.
They have a 3,000 square foot superstore based in Kitchener, as well as other locations at Vincenzo’s in Waterloo, the Victoria St Market, the Cambridge Market as well as the St. Jacobs and Kitchener Markets.
You can also purchase online and pick up your order at their Kitchener superstore or have it delivered straight to your door. Caudle’s offers expedited delivery to customers all across Canada, including next-day delivery for customers within the Waterloo Region and Guelph.
Organic Ocean Seafood
“When we realized that we’d no longer be able to get seafood to people through restaurants, we decided to return to our roots and figure out how to get safe, tasty and nutritious protein to our neighbours.”
Organic Ocean used to exclusively supply seafood to high-end restaurants across Canada. In the wake of the COVID19 pandemic, they’ve pivoted to provide home deliveries to individual consumers, while maintaining their wholesale prices.
All of their seafood is sustainably harvested or produced, primarily in British Columbia. They’ve also partnered with some of the chefs they normally supply seafood for, to publish a series of “chef tips” online to help consumers learn how to prepare seafood properly.
They’re currently offer both curated packages of seafood and a la carte products online. Their aptly-named seafood boxes differ based on your tastes and number of people in your household. For example, the “Couples Pack” includes 2 Wild Sockeye Salmon Portions, 2 Wild BC Halibut Portions, 2 Wild BC Lingcod Portions, 1 Wild Albacore Haidacore™ Tuna Loin, and a 1lb tub of Wild BC Humpback Shrimp Tails – all for about $85 CAD.
You can also find packs like the “Family Pack” which includes more fish and a larger variety, the Wild West Pack which includes only BC salmon in all of its forms, or the Snack Pack which includes a variety of candied seafood products and salmon jerky.
Organic Ocean ships all across Canada using FedEx overnight delivery service to get your seafood to you as quickly as possible.
Read next: Panko crusted rockfish recipe
Skipper Otto
“We started Skipper Otto in 2008 to help Shaun’s dad, Otto, get a fair price for his catch and to connect directly with seafood lovers.”
Skipper Otto is a community supported fishery based out of Vancouver, BC.
They operate on a membership-basis, in which consumers purchase a membership at the beginning of the fishing season to secure their share of the catch. The minimum share consumers can buy is $200 CAD, with the option to top up or rollover small unused amounts later.
This model has become increasingly popular in the last decade (and is actually the focus of my graduate research!) because it provides financial stability for fishermen when consumers accept a portion of responsibility in the food system.
Once you’ve purchased a membership, you gain access to Skipper Otto’s “dock” where you can find a ton of recipes and “meet” the fishermen who caught your fish by reading their stories online. Skipper Otto promotes eating with the ecosystem, so their storefront is updated periodically in alignment with the local fishing seasons. Once the fishermen return, the catch is updated online and you can pick and choose which products you’d like to purchase using your account credits. After you’ve placed your order, it’s packaged up and shipped to a local pickup point. There are dozens of pickup points across Canada, including many in Ontario, across Hamilton and the GTA.
One of the main reasons that I love Skipper Otto is because I know that I’m not only getting a high-quality, sustainable seafood product for my money, but I’m also directly supporting the BC fishing families who caught my fish for me.
SCOUT Canning
“We don’t just love seafood, we respect the oceans and fragile ecosystems from which it comes. This means making ethical choices every step of the way, from supply chain and product sourcing to packaging.”
SCOUT is easily one of my favourite tinned seafood brands on the market right now.
The company was started by Chef Charlotte Langley to restore the tradition of preserved seafood in North America, reduce waste in seafood supply chains, and protect our oceans. (Charlotte is also one of the most passionate people that I have ever met.)
SCOUT works directly with North American fisheries and sustainable farms from coast to coast. Their fishery partners meet the highest standard in sustainability, including reduced by-catch and minimal ecosystem impact. Their farmed products are fed from natural sources and have never been exposed to antibiotics, hormones, or overcrowding in their pens. In addition, they’re conscious of their social impact, ensuring that fishermen, producers, and processors are paid fair wages and receive benefits.
They offer a selection of high-quality, delicious, and certified sustainable tinned seafood products including Atlantic Canadian Lobster, Ontario Trout, and PEI Mussels. You can buy each item on its own, or you can try their variety pack to try one of each can and decide which you like best! They currently ships across Canada for FREE. Run, don’t walk!
Read next: Crowd-pleasing creamy lobster dip recipe
Springhills Fish
“After seeing how excited people got over local fish, we started branching out with new types thanks to other farmers and fisherfolk with extra fish.”
Springhills is a family-owned company that grew out of land-based aquaculture operation in Ontario. The family is working hard to preserve and protect the sustainable operation of fish farms in the province so that they can continue to provide local seafood to Canadians.
Springhills is passionate about connecting people with their seafood and supporting local fish farmers and fishermen in the region. They partner with various farms and fisheries to provide a unique array of locally-sourced products, including rainbow trout, arctic char, pickerel, and salmon.
What I love most about Springhills is and passion, dedication, and care that goes into the entire process of raising and handling the fish. Since they raise the fish for their entire life cycle, process, package and freeze them within a few hours of harvest, and then deliver them to customers, I feel very confident that I’m getting a premium product that’s been produced responsibly.
While Springhills doesn’t deliver all across Canada, they do deliver to most parts of Southern Ontario.
