Environment

A clean, healthy ocean is the very basis of our existence. This is where we harvest our raw ingredients.

It is therefore only natural that we focus on caring for the sea and the life in it. Good management of natural resources is a high priority throughout our organisation. But our products’ impact on us as people also has high priority. We do our utmost to make sure that delicious fish products in smart packaging is not all our consumers get; Abba’s products are also naturally healthy and wholesome.

Sustainable fishing

What’s good for the sea is good for us. Which means a strong commitment to the environment is seen as a matter of course. We place strict demands on how the fish we buy is caught and we want to play a part in creating a long-term and balanced supply of raw materials.

Abba Seafood carefully monitors where the fish are caught and our purchases are based on information from ICES (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea) with support from the Swedish Fishing Industry Association (Fiskbranschens Riksförbund) and its recommendations. In order to guarantee that the fish are caught within current quotas, we have secure traceability from the fishing vessel to our factory via the preparation companies and also have a written guarantee that the fish have been legally caught within current quotas.

Here you can read more about how we work with our most popular products. There is also information on where the fish are caught and which recommendations apply to the various different species.

Read more:
ICES: http://www.ices.dk/indexfla.asp
International Council for Exploration of the Sea. The Council works with the international fish quotas in our waters.

WWF: http://www.wwf.se
The Worldwide Fund for Nature, WWF, has also produced a fish list with recommendations for various species.

Recommendations:
Green: OK
Yellow: Caution
Red: Do not fish

Herring

Raw material:
Herring, (Clupea harengus). Herring and Baltic herring are the same species. Where it is fished determines what it is called. If it is caught north of Kristianopel in north-eastern Blekinge, it is called Baltic herring. But if it is caught further south and on the west coast, it is simply called herring. The herring swims at a speed of 5-6 km an hour. The Atlantic herring grows to between 25 and 45 cm long. The Swedish/Baltic herring grows to around 20 cm.

Fishing area:
The Kattegat, the Skagerrak, the North Sea, the Norwegian Sea and the Icelandic and Faroese Sea.

Recommendation:
Green according to MSR and WWF

Caviar spread for sandwiches

Ejderns smoked caviar spread and Kalles Caviar contain roe from cod and saithe. Ejderns unsmoked caviar spread contains cod roe. Svennes caviar contains roe from cod, saithe and Pacific cod. 

Cod roe

Raw material:
Cod (Gadus morhua). Cod’s distinguishing feature is its three dorsal fins, two anal fins and a barbel usually around a couple of centimetres long. It is found at depths of up to 600 metres and is mainly omnivorous.

Fishing area:
The north-east Arctic stocks in the Norwegian Sea. A small amount of roe is taken from farmed cod. Cod roe from the Baltic Sea, the Skagerrak, the Kattegat or the North Sea is not used.

Recommendation:
Green according to MSR. Yellow according to WWF, which also says that “the north-east Arctic cod stocks in the Barents Sea are within safe biological limits”. 

Saithe roe

Raw material:
Saithe (Pollachius virens) is a powerful, fusiformed shape fish which is a member of the cod family and looks like its relatives except for the fact it doesn't have a barbel.

Fishing area:
The North Sea and the Norwegian Sea.

Recommendation:
Green according to MSR and WWF 

Pacific cod roe

Raw material:
Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus). The Pacific cod grows quickly and comes to sexual maturity early in comparison to other fish. It can be up to a metre long and can weigh around 20 kilograms. The Pacific cod has lean flesh with only 0.6% fat, making it very similar to what we call the common cod (Gadus morhua).

Fishing area:
The Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea.

Recommendation:
Green according to MSR. The WWF’s list does not include a recommendation for this species.