One fishing vessel, the Northern Leader, catches cod that Green Pasture Products buys to make its cod liver oil. This flagship vessel is operated by Alaskan Leader Seafoods, the world’s most reliable, sustainable, and progressive fishing company producing wild Alaska cod products. The Northern Leader is no ordinary vessel, and because of this, it was featured in Season 9 of Discovery Channel’s “Mighty Ships”. The episode highlighting the vessel can be viewed here: Mighty Ships

“We are very excited to have the vessel that catches all the cod products we use in our Blue Ice™ Cod Liver Oil featured on a national cable show,” said David Wetzel, president of Green Pasture Products. “What is significant is the way this vessel catches the fish, maintaining the highest quality of the cod while utilizing the best eco-friendly practices available in the marketplace, it’s a win-win for us.”

The Northern Leader is the largest and most innovative commercial fishing vessel built in the U.S. in over 20 years. This Alaskan freezer-longline fishing vessel is 184’ long and packed with the most innovative processing equipment that ensures the highest quality longline cod product in the world, including cod livers.

“Our eco-friendly Northern Leader longline vessel combines a very low environmental impact method of fishing with onboard processing capabilities allowing for both maximum utilization of vessel catch and the highest quality Alaskan whitefish production possible including the best cod livers,” said Keith Singleton, president of the value added division for Alaskan Leader Seafoods.

The cod product used to make Green Pastures Blue Ice™ Fermented Cod Liver Oil and Blue Ice™ Royal Blend are caught in the pristine waters of the North Bering Sea. The Northern Leader uses the “one hook, one fish” catch method; the most ecologically friendly and leaves the ocean’s floor and ecosystem undisturbed and limits the amount of bycatch coming onboard. This method also preserves the utmost quality in the catch. Once hooked, the fish remain alive and healthy until brought onboard, where they are quickly processed and frozen-at-sea.

The cod products are 100 percent Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Certified Sustainable and rated “Best Choice” by Seafood Watch. Many conservation groups along with The Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch and The Environmental Defense Fund applaud the “Hook and Line” fishery as the most Eco-Friendly fishing method existing today.  Lastly, Alaskan Leader Cod is 100 percent traceable back to the vessel and 100% product of USA.

Green Pasture Cod Liver Oil Products

Blue Ice™ Fermented Cod Liver Oil is made in small batches with extraordinary care. Fermentation is a natural enzymatic and microbial action that releases the oil from the livers. Fermented Cod Liver Oil is a raw, unadulterated, whole food. There are no additives of any kind. It is routinely third-party tested for purity.

Blue Ice™ Royal Blend products are a blend of Blue Ice™ Fermented Cod Liver Oil and X-Factor™ Gold Concentrated Butter Oil, a pure oil from cows grazing on rapidly growing grass extracted and concentrated through centrifugation.