Local, Sustainable, and Inclusively-Owned Fishing

Minnesota’s state fish is the walleye, and overfishing has led them to become a protected species. While many of us enjoy the mildly flavored, thick-filleted fish served many ways, if you’re eating it at a local restaurant or purchasing it from the store, there’s a high likelihood it was caught and processed in Canada—with the exception of Red Lake Nation Fishery, which we carry at Seward Co-op stores.

Its mission is to sustainably manage, harvest, and prepare superior quality wild fish products. Based out of Minnesota, Red Lake Nation Fishery is owned and operated by the Red Lake Band of Ojibwe since 1919. In World Wars I and II, the fishery provided food to American troops all over the United States.

Since then, the Red Lake Nation Fishery has been a continued representation of the importance and longevity of traditional Indigenous sustainability practices. Fish are harvested using intergenerational wisdom, and wild-caught by tribal fishers who use ancestral practices and knowledge of the land to provide local fish across the country.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE COMMUNITY FOODS PROGRAM