Nauterra seafood sourcing practices face scrutiny

Nauterra, formerly known as Grupo Calvo, is facing scrutiny regarding its seafood sourcing and fishing practices, specifically concerning its operations in Morocco. While the company does not own industrial plants in Morocco, it utilizes third-party collaborators to process canned fish in the country to leverage its proximity to rich fishing grounds for species such as Sardina pilchardus.

Nauterra’s raw materials include tropical tuna sourced from equatorial waters in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans, obtained through its own fleet and external suppliers. Other ingredients, including mussels, sardines, and squid, are procured from various external suppliers across up to eight FAO-regulated fishing areas. In 2025, the Moroccan fishing region accounted for approximately 3.93% of the company’s raw materials.

Experts note that determining the exact country of origin for canned seafood is complex due to factors like water sovereignty and vessel flags. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) uses specific codes to categorize ocean parcels to help identify catch locations, though provenance remains difficult to trace precisely.