Walker’s Tuna Shortlisted for Sustainable Seafood Award, Claims MSC Certification, Eyes U.S.

Walker’s Tuna, the Sunshine Coast family business led by Heidi Walker, was shortlisted for a category at the 2026 Sustainable Seafood Awards and is promoting a U.S. retail debut this week at the G’Day USA trade event in Los Angeles, View News reported. The company has been described in local coverage as Australia’s only wild-caught tuna brand with Marine Stewardship Council certification available in major supermarkets, a claim the View News story by Charles Hodgson set alongside the Los Angeles showcase.

The Marine Stewardship Council announced on 28 August 2015 that Walker Seafoods achieved MSC certification for yellowfin and albacore tuna and swordfish, designating the Sunshine Coast operation as the first Australian tuna fishery to meet the MSC standard. In the MSC blog Heidi Walker said, “We're a family business and we’re passionate about keeping the marine environment healthy so we can keep fishing for generations to come. With the MSC ecolabel we can now prove scientifically that we're doing our bit to keep fish populations and marine ecosystems healthy.” Patrick Caleo, MSC Asia Pacific Director, added that MSC certification backs sustainability with scientific evidence and “opens up a new range of sustainable options for Australia’s forward thinking chefs and restaurateurs.”

Local and national promotion around the 2026 shortlist incorporated political support. Andrew Wallace MP posted on LinkedIn that “Walker's Tuna has been nominated for Australia's Most Sustainable Seafood Brand and they need YOUR vote before midnight this Friday 27 February. Heidi and Parvo Walker have built something truly special right here in Fisher, catching premium Australian tuna in our own waters with world leading sustainability credentials. And exciting news, they're heading to LA this week to launch into the US market! Vote now for a local business that's putting the Sunshine Coast on the national and international map. 🎣🌊” View News reproduced Wallace’s post and identified his profile as having 2,829 followers.

Sources use both “Walker’s Tuna” as the retail brand and “Walker Seafoods” as the company name; founder references vary between Pavo Walker and Parvo Walker in different posts and social snippets. View News credited the Walkers as pioneers in the Southern Hemisphere who “became the first to achieve this prestigious certification for both tuna and swordfish back in 2015,” and reported that this Los Angeles appearance “marks the first time their sustainable albacore tuna will be offered for sale in the United States, making them the first Australian tuna company to establish a retail brand in the American market.”

The MSC certification from 2015 remains the anchor point for Walker’s sustainability claims, and View News coverage frames the 2026 award shortlisting and the G’Day USA showcase in Los Angeles as the company’s next push into export retail. Heidi Walker told MSC in 2015 that “Achieving the MSC Standard will open up new markets for us in Europe where demand for MSC certified fish is high and will also help feed the growing demand for sustainable and transparent sources of seafood in Australia.”