Publix Tops $1.2 Million in Sustainable Seafood Funding With SFP

Publix has contributed nearly $100,000 to Sustainable Fisheries Partnership in 2026, taking its total support for the organisation to more than $1.2 million over a 16-year collaboration. The funding supports sustainable seafood sourcing, bycatch reduction and fishery improvement projects, including research on critically endangered waved albatross, testing of fishing gear designed to reduce risks to whales and electronic monitoring of shrimp vessels in the US Gulf. Publix is also using the partnership to assess environmental risks across its seafood supply chain.

 

Bycatch Reduction Is Becoming a Bigger Part of Seafood Sourcing

 

A significant part of the programme focuses on bycatch, where animals other than the intended catch are accidentally captured during fishing. These interactions can affect threatened species including whales, dolphins, sharks, sea turtles and seabirds, making fishing methods an important part of the environmental footprint behind seafood products.

Publix has funded research through SFP into waved albatross movements and their interaction with mahi-mahi fisheries in the eastern Pacific. The work is intended to identify locations and periods where seabird bycatch risk is highest, with the next stage including assessments of fishing fleets and training workshops in Ecuador and Peru on safer handling and release practices.

 

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New Fishing Gear Is Being Tested to Reduce Whale Risk

 

Part of Publix’s 2026 contribution will support maintenance and development of on-demand fishing gear used in trials run through NOAA Fisheries. Unlike conventional systems that rely on permanent vertical lines connecting traps to surface buoys, on-demand systems allow gear to be retrieved without leaving those lines continuously in the water.

Reducing vertical fishing lines could lower entanglement risks for whales in areas where fishing activity overlaps with marine mammal habitat. The trials also involve fishers directly so that operational feedback can be incorporated into future versions of the technology.

 

Electronic Monitoring Is Providing Better Data on Protected Species

 

Publix and SFP have also recruited eight US Gulf shrimp vessels into an electronic monitoring programme focused on interactions with the endangered smalltooth sawfish. By May 2026, the project had monitored more than 2,000 hours of trawling during the South Florida pink shrimp season.

Better monitoring can help fisheries understand when and where interactions with protected species occur and provide data for adjusting practices. For retailers, that information also creates a clearer link between seafood sourcing policies and what is actually happening on fishing vessels.

 

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Fisher Participation Is Extending Across Latin America

 

Publix funding has also supported SFP’s Ocean Allies programme, which recognises mahi-mahi fishers in Peru, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Panama and Guatemala that participate in bycatch data collection and responsible fishing practices.

More than 30 fishers from 16 vessels have participated, documenting the responsible release of 28 animals, including sea turtles and sharks. The programme shows how sustainability efforts can move beyond purchasing standards by involving fishers directly in data collection and wildlife protection.

“By working with suppliers to support fishery and aquaculture improvement efforts, we’re helping build a stronger, more sustainable seafood industry for the future,” said Guy Pizzuti, Business Development Director of Seafood at Publix.

 

The Long-Term Test Is Whether Better Data Changes Fishing Practices

 

Publix’s partnership with SFP has moved beyond broad sustainable sourcing commitments into projects that test specific interventions, from vessel monitoring to gear design and species protection. The strongest evidence so far comes from the practical data being gathered on fishing activity and wildlife interactions.

The next test will be whether those trials lead to wider changes across commercial fisheries. If successful approaches such as on-demand gear, electronic monitoring and targeted training are adopted beyond pilot fleets, the partnership could have a broader impact on biodiversity risks within seafood supply chains.