The Leader Group of Companies was founded by the son of a fisherman and all his children are involved in the fishery. This underscores the importance of sound fishing and processing practices, so future generations may also do so.
Erling Olsen, founder and current President of Leader Fishing Limited, is actively involved in fishery politics, research and conservation organizations. He understands the importance of continuing fisheries and works tirelessly to promote sustainable fisheries.
Associations
Presently, he sits on the Sablefish Advisory Board and the Groundfish Trawl Advisory Committee (GTAC which provide advice to the federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans. He is an advisor to the provincial Minister of Fisheries’ Groundfish Processors Task Force on Processing as well as two sets of international negotiaions: the Multi-Lateral High Level Conference on Northern Albacore Tuna; and the USA-Canadian Hake Share Negotiations.
Environment
Mr. Olsen is also a Director of the Canadian Groundfish Research and Conservation Society, Director of the BC Hake Consortium, Director of the Canadian Sablefish Association, and a member of the GTAC subcommittee on hake that meets weekly throughout Hake season to co-ordinate vessel participation and advise on operations.
Accreditations
The Quality Management Program (QMP) is a regulatory-based system that requires all federally registered fish processing plants in Canada to develop and implement an in-plant quality control program. As set out in the Fish Inspection Regulations, all establishments in Canada that process fish and seafood for export or inter-provincial trade must be registered with the Government of Canada. To become federally registered, a fish processor is legally required to develop a QMP plan of their own, following the “QMP Reference Standard;” submit it to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency for review and acceptance; and apply it to their processing operations.
The QMP uses the principles of “HACCP” (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point), an internationally recognized system for ensuring safe food production, to provide a high level of assurance that fish and seafood products produced in Canada are safe and wholesome to eat.
The Leader Group has implemented a Quality Management Program which is recognized by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). This allows the Leader Group to access and supply to international markets, especially Europe, which has some of the most stringent regulations in the world.
