At Klädesholmen Seafood, we have been producing pickled herring for a long time, with documented traditions dating back to 1594. We are dependent on a good supply of high-quality herring and are therefore deeply committed to promoting sustainable fish stocks, ensuring that we can continue to produce pickled herring in the future.
As of April 8, WWF has given Norwegian spring-spawning herring a red light. We use Norwegian spring-spawning herring, but also MSC-certified North Sea herring, which still holds a green light according to WWF’s seafood guide. It is important to note that herring is fished in different seasons, and that it must also be stored before we can produce our finished products.
Therefore, we want to emphasize that all the herring we currently have in stock – both as finished products and as raw material, as well as all products available in stores – was caught long before April 8. This means it was fished from a stock that had not been given a red light.
We have no planned purchases of Norwegian spring-spawning herring going forward, but together with the fishing industry and our customers, we will follow developments and recommendations to continue working towards sustainable fishing.
The new WWF recommendation applies to fish caught from now and onwards, which in practice means it affects the fishing season starting in autumn/winter 2025. This, in turn, concerns products that could at the earliest reach stores by Christmas. In other words, the products and raw materials already available in stores or in our warehouses are not subject to a red-light recommendation according to WWF.
This means that the herring we will eat at the Easter table and also at Midsummer, from Klädesholmen Seafood, is produced from herring that did not have a red-light classification according to WWF’s seafood guide.
Referring to recent media headlines suggesting that Easter herring should be avoided, our interpretation is that attention should be paid to which herring will be on the Easter table in 2026. Until then, we will ensure that products from Klädesholmen Seafood will continue to come from sustainable stocks.
Best regards,
The team at Klädesholmen Seafood AB
