Cleaning up Great Lake fisheries is helping fishers turn waste into valuable products while making the industry more sustainable.
Every year, Great Lakes fishing businesses throw away thousands of pounds of fish parts, including heads, bones, and skin, because they have no use for them. That waste represents lost income and environmental harm. A new initiative is helping fishers turn these discarded parts into valuable products while making the industry more sustainable.
The 100% Great Lakes Fish Initiative, led by the Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers (GSGP), aims to eliminate unnecessary waste in the fishing industry. By the end of 2025, companies that sign the 100% Great Lakes Fish Pledge will commit to using the entire fish instead of discarding valuable parts. This effort is cleaning up Great Lake fisheries while offering new business opportunities.
For decades, commercial fishers in the Great Lakes have focused on selling fillets comprising only 50% of a fish’s weight. The remaining bones, skin, heads, and organs often end up in landfills or, at best, as low-value fertilizer.
Dennis VanLandschoot, president of VanLandschoot & Sons Fish Market, knows this problem firsthand. His business catches Lake Superior whitefish, but after processing, he’s left with a thousand pounds of waste per catch.
“You have the business side of it,” VanLandschoot said. “But you also ask: What do we do to honor the fish?”
The answer is simple: use every part of it. Cleaning up Great Lake fisheries is about reducing waste, maximizing value for fishers, and protecting the environment.
A visit to Iceland sparked the idea for the 100% Great Lakes Fish Initiative. In the 1990s, Iceland’s fishing industry collapsed due to overfishing. Strict quotas forced companies to get creative, creating new ways to use every part of the fish.
Today, Icelandic businesses dry and export fish heads for food, tan fish skins into luxury leather, and extract collagen and gelatin for beauty and health products. These innovations have increased the value of their fisheries by 30 times.
Seeing this success, David Naftzger, executive director of GSGP, realized that a similar approach could work in the Great Lakes region. Cleaning up Great Lake fisheries could create new markets, reduce costs, and bring much-needed economic relief to struggling fishers.
The Great Lakes fishing industry has been shrinking for years. Fishers now face challenges from invasive species, climate change, and pollution.
Charlie Henriksen, a commercial fisherman from Wisconsin, remembers when the state issued over 200 commercial fishing licenses for Lake Michigan. Today, that number has dropped to just 50.
“There’s been a decline in the number of commercial fishermen, and a lot of that is due to environmental changes,” Henriksen said.
With fewer fishers and smaller catches, businesses must find new ways to stay profitable. The 100% Great Lakes Fish Initiative could help by turning what was once waste into high-value products.
Currently, most fish waste is dumped in landfills or turned into fertilizer. But research shows these leftovers can be transformed into products that fetch a much higher price, including:
- Fish leather – Made from fish skins, brands like Gucci and Nike already use this eco-friendly leather in luxury fashion.
- Collagen and gelatin—Extracted from fish bones and skin, these are key ingredients in beauty products and health supplements.
- Fish oil & protein powders – Valuable in nutritional supplements, pet food, and aquaculture feed.
- Caviar & specialty foods – Fish eggs and organ meats can be sold as delicacies or turned into gourmet products.
A research lab in Iceland recently analyzed Great Lakes fish species to identify their commercial potential. Early results show that whitefish, walleye, and white suckers contain valuable oils, proteins, and nutrients.
Some businesses are already experimenting. Henriksen has made fish sausage and dog treats, while VanLandschoot sends fish eggs to be made into caviar. A Minnesota company, Fiskur Leather, produces artisan fish leather, and similar businesses could launch in the Great Lakes region.
Cleaning up Great Lake fisheries isn’t just an industry effort; it also requires government backing. Several regional states are exploring grants and incentives to help fishers invest in processing equipment for fish byproducts.
Beyond economics, this initiative has a huge environmental impact. When fish parts decompose in landfills, they release methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. The industry can reduce emissions and waste pollution by finding better uses for these materials.
The first goal of the 100% Great Lakes Fish Initiative is to prevent fish waste from being dumped. Businesses currently pay up to 20 cents per pound to landfill fish remains, costs that could be eliminated by turning them into useful products.
So far, five aquaculture companies and 30 commercial fishing businesses have signed the pledge, representing 90% of the region’s fish production.
Once landfilling is eliminated, the next step is scaling up the production of high-value fish products. Naftzger hopes to connect Great Lakes fishers with companies that produce collagen, fish oils, and fish leather.
Cleaning up Great Lake fisheries is about more than just reducing waste—it’s about building a stronger, more sustainable industry. By turning fish parts into valuable products, fishers can increase profits, reduce costs, and help the environment.
The Great Lakes have long been a vital resource, and with innovative solutions, they can continue to support local communities for generations to come.
