We contacted Walmart in 2024 in relation to our investigation into China’s seafood processing industry.
We are contacting Walmart now regarding our ongoing investigation into aquaculture and the global fishmeal and fish oil industry, which has uncovered an array of industry-wide environmental and human rights concerns. These concerns date from between 2018 and the present, and they pertain to events or conditions on land or at sea.
A feed company called Grobest Vietnam sells shrimp feeds to hatcheries and farms in Vietnam that supply major Vietnamese aquaculture companies, including Minh Ph…
In correspondence with The Outlaw Ocean Project and its publishing partner, The New York Times Magazine, Walmart said:
I am new in role supporting our Sourcing team. Our press office team passed along your inquiry looking for info on if we work with Aqua Star? Confirming, yes, we source snow crab from them.
In correspondence with The Outlaw Ocean Project and its publishing partner The New York Times Magazine, Walmart said:
Following up on this - saw the story posted. There’s one section that doesn’t feel like an accurate representation of the facts we provided. This paragraph is in reference to farmed salmon and we do not source salmon from Aqua Star. We specifically called out that we source only snow crab from them and that wasn’t included in the piece.
The broad “seafood” framing is misleading. Please update with the info provided in our comment. Feel free to call or text me if you have a…
Thanks for the recent input you provided. It raises several additional on-record questions:
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In your email of October 6, 2026, you said you “source snow crab” from Aqua Star. In your subsequent email of October 8, 2026, you said that you “source only snow crab from them”. Can you clarify: does Walmart only source snow crab from Aqua Star and not any other types of seafood at any of its stores globally?
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Please clarify “source”. Does this mean that both online and in located stores, Walmart sells only Aqua Star snow crabs and not any other seafood produced by Aqua Star?
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When did this…
The Outlaw Ocean Project's publising partner, The New York Times Magazine, emailed Walmart:
Thanks again for your help. I’ve discussed your note with the head of research at the magazine, the article’s editor, and the reporting team. We agree that the text is accurate as it stands.
The article asserts broadly that Walmart sources seafood, not a specific type of seafood, from Aqua Star. Your response confirmed that Walmart currently sources snow crab from Aqua Star, and our independent review of products available at Walmart over the last couple of years indicates that other Aqua Star produ…