© FAO
The 100% Great Lakes Fish Initiative, led by the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers (GSGP), has received the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Blue Transformation Leader Award for Sustainable Aquatic Food Systems. The initiative, which encourages the full utilisation of every part of a fish, was recognised at the World Food Forum (WFF) in Rome on 15 October 2025.
GSGP program manager John Schmidt accepted the award at FAO headquarters, as part of the organisation’s 80th anniversary celebrations and the 2025 WFF.
This international honour recognises the initiative’s collaborative efforts to promote full utilisation of fish and drive sustainable blue-economy growth across the Great Lakes region. The WFF is a global platform that showcases innovative ideas – such as the 100% Great Lakes Fish Initiative – to drive action. The week-long event brings together over 25,000 people, including heads of state and government, ministers and leaders from the private sector and civil society.
The three-year-old 100% Great Lakes Fish initiative created the 100% Great Lakes Fish Pledge, which commits commercial fish processors, aquaculture producers, and related companies to fully utilise 100 percent of each fish they process, raise, or handle by the end of 2025. The Pledge has already recruited 44 fish processors and aquaculture farms, representing about 90 percent of all commercially caught fish from the Great Lakes across seven states and two Canadian provinces.
“On behalf of the 100% Fish Pledge Initiative, we thank the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization for this prestigious recognition. For a nascent initiative to receive this type of recognition is very encouraging for us as it indicates we are on the right path toward reducing waste while maximizing the value of our region’s fish resources,” said David Naftzger, Executive Director of GSGP, in a press release.
The Great Lakes region is home to sizeable commercial, recreational, and Tribal fisheries, as well as growing aquaculture operations. Currently, only about 40 percent of each fish – the fillets – is typically eaten. The remaining 60 percent of the fish is often used for inexpensive products or discarded.
The 100% Great Lakes Fish initiative seeks new and innovative ways to fully use each fish to reduce waste, create greater value and jobs, and support rural economic development. The approach is modelled on Iceland’s experience, where the value of products made from each cod has skyrocketed from $12 (US) for just the fillet to a remarkable $5,000 (US) for products including cosmetics, medical bandages, nutritional supplements and a range of other products.
