TRI MARINE/THE TUNA STORE FAQ
Why is Tri Marine returning to Seafood Expo North America after nearly 20 years?
Tri Marine is a 40-year-old international seafood company that has focused on organic
growth over the past 20 years. Some of this growth has been in new facilities, products
and supply chains that are well-suited to serve the US market. Seafood Expo North
America is a great platform for telling the US market about Tri Marine’s new offerings
and capabilities.
Why was Tri Marine absent from Seafood Expo for so long?
Seafood Expo North America was important to Tri Marine when we were a substantial
supplier of swordfish and other products to the US market. We sold our swordfish
business and refocused on the growth of our core tuna business. Most of that is shelfstable tuna, including canned, pouch, cooked loins and raw material for the global tuna
industry. These types of products have not historically been a focus of Seafood Expo.
What products is Tri Marine introducing at Seafood Expo?
We are featuring our premium, proprietary Ultra Low Temperature (ULT) tuna product
and tuna steaks. We will also showcase products from our wetfish business, including
frozen sardines, mackerel and squid.
What is different about Tri Marine’s products?
Our products are most recognized for their high quality and sustainability. Our “jumping
fish” logo is recognized as the premiere brand for our locally caught wetfish products.
Tri Marine has two processing plants focused on wetfish or pelagic fish. Tri Marine Fish
Company is located in San Pedro, California and Baja Marine Foods is in Ensenada,
Mexico.
We own and contract fishing boats to supply our plants and offload daily catches to our
state-of-the-art freezing facilities, which are located dockside right on the water. The
fish is kept in refrigerated sea water from the moment of catch until it is pumped from
the boats directly into our plants for immediate packing and freezing.
The same is true for our tuna processing facilities in Solomon Islands and American
Samoa. Those plants are located right on the water so the boats can unload directly to
minimize handling and transfer operations and get the fish immediately out of the
tropical weather and into the plants.
Our short supply chains allow us to produce the best-quality fish possible for the end
user.
Explain the relationship between Tri Marine and The Tuna Store.
The Tuna Store is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tri Marine and is responsible for the
marketing and sales of Tri Marine’s tuna products in North America.
How are Tri Marine’s sustainability efforts unique?
Tri Marine owns and operates its own fleet of fishing boats, from small seiners fishing
for pelagics to large purse seiners catching tuna for the shelf-stable market. This gives us
a vertical integration that allows us to manage our fishery practices from catch to the
point of purchase.
In addition, we recently introduced new sustainability policies that are some of the most
advanced in the industry along with our long history of leading sustainability efforts
through the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) of which we are a
founding member. We are heavily committed to investing in critical research to improve
fishing practices which limit bycatch and improve fishery management. Tri Marine is
active in global efforts to reduce Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing.
We have pursued MSC certification for our fish and have several active relationships
with environmental NGOs that share our commitment to science-based fishery
management and education regarding sustainable seafood practices.
What are Tri Marine’s consumer brands?
Tri Marine’s own brand is Ocean Naturals and features premium tuna with no additives,
fillers or preservatives. It is simply tuna, with a dash of salt packed in either water or
olive oil. Ocean Naturals also includes a “responsibly caught guarantee” with packaging
that gives consumers the power to find out with a few clicks on their mobile device
where, how and by what method the tuna they are buying was caught.
That dedication to traceability and sustainability is a hallmark of Tri Marine’s own brand
of products, which include skipjack and albacore in cans and pouches and skipjack in
jars.
Tri Marine is also famous for its frozen squid, sardines and mackerel. Our packaging
featuring a jumping fish is associated with quality and sustainability.
Why did Tri Marine decide to enter into the consumer market with Ocean Naturals
after so many years without its own brand?
Tri Marine has been around since 1972 and most of our history has been dedicated to
serving the supply needs of the industry. A few years ago, with the increasing attention
on the sustainability of the resources upon which our business depends, we decided
that the time was right to engage the growing market for sustainable, premium
products. We understood that the consumer would be interested in tuna products that
told a story – an accurate and compelling story of sustainability and of the positive
impacts tuna has on the communities that depend on fishing and processing these
products. People want to be more connected to the food they consume today. That
makes Tri Marine and our products, with our vertical integration and long-standing
commitment to sustainability, a perfect solution for those seeking that connection.
What kind of community efforts does Tri Marine make in the areas where it catches
and processes fish?
Tri Marine is a partner with the communities where we operate. We are proud to be
able to make a positive impact in those communities where we do business. Besides
simply creating employment both directly and in businesses that service our fishing
boats and processing plants, we try to focus on health and education. We operate in
some of the most remote locations in the world, where medical facilities and schools
need to be improved. We recognize that when communities thrive, our business thrives.
It’s all part of our ongoing commitment to the sustainability of both the environment
and the communities where we fish and operate.