Treaty Fish Co., a Peshawbestown-based fishing company, has become the second Leelanau-based fishery to sign a compact committing to the use of 100 percent of each Great Lakes-caught fish.

The agreement, called the the “100% Great Lakes Fish Pledge,” has been described as “a first-of-its-kind international effort to publicly commit to productively using 100% of each commercially-caught Great Lakes fish by 2025.” The pledge is part of a broader 100% Great Lakes Fish initiative, which was created by the Conference of Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors & Premiers (GSGP). The GSGP is an organization that represents the governors of the Great Lakes States (Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin) as well as the provincial premiers of two Canadian provinces: Ontario and Quebec.

According to the GSGP, many of the commercial fisheries on the Great Lakes focus on the culinary uses of the fish they catch, even if “only the fillets of these fish are usually eaten.” The other 60 percent of each fish “is often relegated to inexpensive uses or discarded,” the GSGP states.

The 100% Great Lakes Fish initiative was created “to find new and innovative ways to use the whole fish in order to reduce waste, create more value and jobs, and support rural economic development.” The initiative is modeled on a successful effort in Iceland, which has reportedly “seen the value of products made from each cod skyrocket from $12 for just the filet to a remarkable $5,000 for products including cosmetics, medical bandages, nutritional supplements and a range of other products.”

Treaty Fish Co. is owned by Ed and Cindi John, a husband-and-wife team of Native American fishers from the Suttons Bay area. The company joins a list of more than two-dozen Fish Pledge signatories, including Leelanau’s own Carlson’s Fishery. That Leland-based company signed the pledge in January of this year. So far, 25 fisheries across the GSGP territories have signed the pledge, including five fisheries in Michigan.

“At Treaty Fish Co., we believe in embracing change for a brighter future,” said Cindi John. “Joining the 100% Great Lakes Fish Pledge isn’t just about sustainability; it’s about seizing new opportunities and expanding horizons for businesses of all sizes.”

More information, including a copy of the 100% Great Lakes Fish Pledge, can be found here.