December 20th, 2016 — Eight big fishing companies, which combined catch more than 40 times Australia’s total seafood production, have signed a joint agreement to crack down on illegal fishing, improve traceability and cut down on greenhouse gas emissions.
The companies also said they would address antibiotic use in aquaculture and plastic pollution.
Meeting in Sweden recently, the companies agreed to use more cutting edge technology, including DNA barcoding and satellite surveillance to monitor the volume and types of fish species they catch.
The companies account for 15 per cent of the total global catch.
Australian company Austral Fisheries, which is 50 per cent owned by signatory Maruha Nichiro Corporation, believes the agreement marks a major milestone for the global industry.
General manager of environment and policy, Martin Exel said consumers around the world have pushed the companies to act.
“Secondly, there is a genuine desire to be part of the solution and not part of the problem. There’s a real awakening in the seafood industry akin to the canary in the coal mine, where we see climate change impacts on a daily basis.”
The conversation among the companies was led by the Stockholm Resilience Centre, which researched the most influential companies to bring to the table.
A lack of financial disclosure from Russian and Chinese companies meant they were not a part of the initial agreement, according to Mr. Exel.