SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SCOM] — December 9, 2014 –The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation's (ISSF) membership now represents two-thirds of the world's tuna processing industry with the addition of three more members to its group of processors and distributors that have pledged to work on conservation efforts.
General Tuna Corporation, food distributor Tropical Consolidated Corporation, and canned foods company JFE Shoji have announced their intent to join the ISSF's membership.
General Tuna Corporation will become a full Participating Company and the others will begin at the associate level. All Participating Companies work with the Foundation to advocate for improved fishery management, fund scientific advancements through research and expert analysis, and take direct action to encourage the adoption of responsible fishing practices – all while committing to a suite of conservation measures aimed at improving the long-term health of global tuna fisheries.
“Applying market influence with fleet owners, retailers, non-participating companies and other stakeholders to clean up the supply chain and advance our collective conservation goals is a substantial tenet of ISSF’s overall strategy,” said ISSF President Susan Jackson. “Adding three new companies, in a variety of countries, expands our ability to do just that, and it means that three more companies are implementing ISSF conservation measures and commitments.”
The ISSF launched in 2009 with eight Participating Companies. The Foundation has since grown to 24 industry partners, which comprise more than 75 percent of the world’s tuna processing capacity, with well-known brands and foods produced and sold in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Oceania, the Pacific Islands and Asia.
All ISSF Participating Companies are independently audited via comprehensive methods designed to assess compliance with each of ISSF’s commitments and conservation measures, the results of which are shared via a company compliance report included in ISSF’s annual report.
This story originally appeared on Seafood.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.