How important is sustainable fishing to the Rosita® family in Norway?
Rosita Real Foods® was actually featured in a documentary that’s streaming on Amazon Prime Video called “Revolution: Food.” It’s all about the farmers and fishermen who are revolutionizing today’s food industry with natural, sustainable practices. Sustainability is what defines the Rosita® family. We have the utmost respect for the water and the harvest it yields. We live and teach gratitude for nature and the food on our tables, which all stems from sustainability.
Where are the cod for Rosita®’s oil caught, and how are they caught?
The wild codfish (Gadus morhua) are sustainably fished from the crystal clear and pristine waters of the remote Norwegian fjords, near where the Rosita® family lives in Dønna, Norway.
They are caught in the wild, far from any types of farmed fish.
To ensure total control over sustainability, quality and freshness of cod livers, we employ our own small artisan fishing boats, rather than commercial fishing boats.
The boats put out sea bird-friendly long lines baited with fat slices of frozen mackerel or herrings.
Here’s some history: The liver oil from deep-sea cod was highly prized and sought after by the ancient Norse people, who considered it to be the most potent in terms of therapeutic properties. It was also known to have a more smooth consistency.
Our ancestors were masters of deep-sea fishing and the Rosita® fishermen today stem from that lineage. They are expert fishermen who live to carry out this grueling yet rewarding work.
(Manufacturers of commercial cod liver oil do not specifically fish for deep-sea codfish. They will often purchase codfish on the open market or from brokers, which can be problematic regarding the freshness, source, and even fish species.)
Line-caught fish are a much better alternative to fish that have been caught by destructive trawling methods. And sustainable, fresh cod tastes so much more clean and sweet!
As a sustainably fished and produced handcrafted cod liver oil, how stable is the availability of the codfish population?
We catch the cod carefully to protect the population and create our oils in small batches.
The Norwegian government sets quotas for the long-term survival of wild Atlantic cod in Norway. (Norwegian fisheries are a highly regulated industry with stringent quotas and licensing requirements.) We are not allowed to over fish, and the amount of fish caught must be recorded.
And, when we clean the fish on board, we throw out the other bits to the sea birds so that nothing is wasted.
It’s also important to note that Norway has long, harsh winters and some of the most rugged waters in the world with steep mountains lining the deep fjords, rocky coasts, and vicious waves at times. These waves can be very dangerous and so great care is required. When conditions get too bad, the fishing and harvesting of codfish has to be postponed. That means there are ebbs and flows in production of the cod liver oil. The best months for fishing, going back all the way to the Norwegian Vikings and Scandinavian fishermen, are in the months ending in “r,” which are characterized by a general lack of sunlight.
It is Rosita®’s goal to meet demand while remaining true to the Norse process for the creation of genuine wild and raw cod liver oil. We absolutely refuse to cut corners. Instead, we’ve expanded our production capabilities with more efficient measures, such as a modern bottling facility and a greater number of fishing boats. Further, our entire production line is made to reduce carbon footprint and even our oil cleaning procedure makes use of a simple natural substance from the ocean and does not involve chemicals that can cause contamination to the environment or heat.