Baffin Fisheries

Baffin Fisheries is a wholly Inuit-owned company specializing in harvesting wild, sustainable cold-water shrimp and turbot from Arctic waters for global distribution. The company operates three fishing vessels, including two large factory-freezer multi-species trawlers.

In 2020, they enlisted Upstream’s services to help them in recruiting Factory Workers and Deckhands for their vessels.

“Challenging Work. Excellent Pay.”

The recruitment campaign, “Challenging Work. Excellent Pay.,” focused on portraying the challenging work as heroic, fostering pride, offering excellent pay as compensation, and setting clear expectations to reduce turnover rates. The campaign proved to be a resounding success, having been launched twice, first in 2021 and subsequently in 2023, with significant application numbers recorded on both occasions.

Baffin Seafood, their spin-off brand

In 2023, Baffin Fisheries launched Baffin Seafood, offering end-to-end seafood supply services, from quality control and product inspection to delivery to market and logistical services. We developed the complete brand identity for Baffin Seafood, encompassing visual identity, logo, website, and brochures. Additionally, a local chef was engaged to showcase the quality of their produce through recipes, while Upstream collaborated with a photographer to creatively capture the preparation process.

Answer the Call of the Sea

Building on our successful Facebook and Instagram recruitment campaign for Baffin, Upstream produced impactful recruitment videos and a radio ad showcasing the challenging and rewarding seafaring life awaiting new recruits. To resonate with the Inuit audience, we drew inspiration from Inuit lore, featuring the legend of Sedna, Goddess of the Sea, and urging applicants to “Answer the Call of the Sea.” High-octane visuals of life aboard a Baffin Fisheries vessel, employee interviews, and an Inuktitut voiceover ensured our message connected effectively. An integrated Nunavut-wide campaign is forthcoming.

A Testimonial from Rick Lambe, CEO of Baffin Seafood

“Baffin Fisheries and Baffin Seafood have had a close partnership with Upstream for several projects now. We have leaned on their expertise for projects as small as business card design to full production of Inuit recruitment video for our three fishing vessels, Inuit recruitment campaign, and new website. They never disappoint and don’t seem to have the word “no” in their vocabulary. We look forward to many more projects to come!”