• Fishing for the Future
• Fish Species

Fish Species

Salmon

There are two types of Salmon: Atlantic Salmon from the European and North American east coasts and Pacific Salmon from the rim of the North Pacific along the coasts of Asia, Alaska, Canada and North America.

Nearly all canned salmon is Pacific Salmon caught in the waters of the North West Pacific ocean.

There are five key species of Pacific salmon, all of which have variations in flesh colour and flavour. The five species are:

Due to their superior taste and texture, John West only uses Red, Medium Red and Pink Salmon.

Tuna

A pelagic fish, Tuna travel fast and widely, spawning, developing and maturing far from shore. They spawn in tropical waters, where the female lays 14-15 million eggs per year. John West uses predominately Skipjack or Yellow Fin Tuna.

Mackerel

There are two distinct species of Mackerel: Atlantic and Pacific. Mackerel have large amounts of dark muscle beneath their skin but this is not discarded as with tuna. This darker meat is rich in the fat and fat soluble nutrients that make seafood so healthy.

Herrings

Although there are two species of Herring - Atlantic and Pacific - the Atlantic Herring is of most commercial importance. They are fished in Canadian waters extending north to Labrador as well as around the coasts of Greenland, Iceland and the British Isles. The Herring is a prolific species with the female laying between 30,000 and 75,000 eggs at a time.

Kippers

John West Kippers are herring fillets that have been brined and smoked.

Scottish Sardines

John West Scottish sardines are actually immature Herring known as Sild. They're fished in the Atlantic and North Sea waters off the Scottish coast. The term 'Sardine' actually refers to the method of packing as opposed to the variety of fish and in Australia, sardines may be Sild, Brisling or baby Pilchards.