Publix and Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Make Waves Together

LAKELAND, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As Publix celebrates National Seafood Month, the company continues its long-standing commitment to advancing sustainable seafood by donating nearly $100,000 to Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) in 2026 alone, bringing its total contribution to the organization to more than $1.2 million.

Now in its 16th year, Publix’s collaboration with the nonprofit highlights the company’s environmental stewardship and responsible sourcing efforts. SFP works with the seafood industry to rebuild depleted fish stocks, reduce environmental impacts of fishing and fish farming, and ensure sustained economic opportunities for fishing communities globally.

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

Publix’s annual support helps SFP evaluate the company’s seafood sourcing and advance projects that address environmental risks related to fishing and aquaculture. This commitment also helps reduce unintended catch of ocean wildlife in the seafood sourcing supply chain. Unintended catch, referred to in the seafood industry as bycatch, occurs when nontarget species are unintentionally caught during fishing. In some fisheries, these interactions can create additional risk for endangered, threatened or protected species, including certain whales, sharks, dolphins, sea turtles and seabirds.

Albatross bycatch research in mahi-mahi fisheries in the eastern Pacific Ocean

The waved albatross, a critically endangered seabird found primarily in the eastern Pacific Ocean, faces ongoing threats of bycatch from longline fisheries, particularly during the mahi-mahi fishing season. To help address this challenge, Publix funded a project through SFP that supported the analysis of waved albatross movement patterns and interactions with mahi-mahi fisheries to identify areas and times where bycatch risk is highest. The next phase will include fleet assessments to identify priority ports for training workshops in Ecuador and Peru. These workshops will focus on reducing seabird bycatch and promoting safe handling and release practices.

Supporting the implementation of on-demand fishing gear to protect marine mammals

A portion of this year’s donation to SFP will fund a year of maintenance and updates of on-demand fishing gear developed by the Sea Mammal Education Learning Technology Society. On-demand systems reduce the amount of vertical fishing line in the water by allowing gear to be retrieved without a permanently attached surface buoy line. The gear is available to interested fishers participating in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s on-demand gear trials. Gear trials and pilot projects can contribute to getting fishing trap lines out of the water in areas of high risk to whales, while capturing important feedback from fishers, whose expertise is needed for developing solutions and improving on-demand systems.

Previously funded projects continue to make impressive progress

SFP and Publix have worked together to recruit eight U.S. Gulf shrimp vessels to participate in an electronic monitoring project to gather better data on interactions with endangered smalltooth sawfish. As of May 2026, over 2,000 trawling hours were monitored during the pink shrimp fishing season in South Florida.

With financial support from Publix, the Ocean Allies program was developed to recognize mahi-mahi fishers from Peru, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Panama and Guatemala who support bycatch reduction through data collection and responsible fishing practices. More than 30 fishers from 16 different vessels participated, documenting the responsible release of 28 animals, including vulnerable species like sea turtles and sharks. In June, the captains and crews were recognized at an awards ceremony in Lima.

Learn more about how Publix is celebrating National Seafood Month

Reel in creative “seafood swaps” for center-of-plate and party-ready meals, and visit the company’s corporate social responsibility site to learn about other sustainable seafood practices.

Publix, the largest employee-owned company in the U.S. with more than 260,000 associates, currently operates 1,444 stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Kentucky. For 29 consecutive years, the company has been recognized by Fortune as a great place to work. In addition, Publix’s dedication to superior quality and customer service is recognized among the top in the grocery business. For more information, visit the company’s newsroom at corporate.publix.com/newsroom.